South Africans certainly aren’t short on gaming options these days. In fact, alongside popular console devices and PC gaming options, smartphone gaming is becoming an increasingly common gaming option for people to utilise. Alongside using their smartphones to follow the latest celebrity pictures on Instagram and keep tabs on the weekend’s Premier League scores, South African smartphone users are turning to a whole host of gaming titles to keep themselves entertained.
Given the portability a smartphone provides, people can jump in and out of a mobile gaming session throughout the day, as and when it suits them. As a result of this, gaming on a miniature handheld device appeals with its more casual gaming experience and easy functionality compared to a complicated console with its detailed games. When assessing console gaming options, for example, they generally require far more time and attention, therefore putting the average casual gamer off in the process.
Console gaming is hugely expensive compared to gaming on a smartphone device also. For the average South African, sophisticated console setups – much like a PS5 – are unaffordable. Costs can spiral further when you factor in the games to purchase and the various accessories you can add to elevate the gaming experience, too. Smartphone gaming, on the other hand, is generally completely free or incredibly cheap, with some titles offering in-game purchases which are usually optional. Smartphone gaming certainly represents a more affordable alternative to the masses.
South Africans are regularly playing mobile games
According to mobile insights firm App Annie, South Africa is the fastest-growing region for mobile game downloads, with the country’s 1.1 billion members of the Millennial and Generation Z groups playing an integral role in smartphone gaming’s success in South Africa. Away from sampling other entertainment options such as Netflix and tucking into on-demand music streaming services such as Spotify, smartphone users are discovering the catalogue of gaming titles available on both iOS and Android.
The most popular mobile games in the country
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The sheer amount of smartphone gaming options available for South African mobile gamers is remarkable when you truly assess the different types of products available out there. At the time of writing, the most common releases include Candy Crush Saga, Coin Master, PUBG MOBILE: RESISTANCE, Gardenscapes, Roblox, Call of Duty®: Mobile – Season 9, Fishdom, and State of Survival: The Zombie Apocalypse. These games available for download accompany popular slot games like Aliya’s Wishes, where players can win real money through a game that carries an RTP of 96.5%, plus other casino classics such as poker and roulette, which gamers regularly flock to play. On top of this, puzzle games and brain teasers are regularly played, too.
Smartphone gaming is only going to improve
With innovation showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, smartphone gaming and its overall offering is only going to improve accordingly. The fact that we’re seeing the emergence of titles using augmented reality, like Pokemon Go, and an array of virtual reality products is remarkable, especially when you factor in the classic games of old like Snake and Tetris, which mobile gamers were originally treated to. These days, with the emergence of the smartphone and the power a typical modern-day mobile possesses, games developers have been able to up the ante accordingly and release a range of impressive titles. We’re seeing console-quality products making the transition over to mobile, too. In the future, the options will surely be even better, as smartphones continue to offer more power and functionality, and games developers are able to create even better products as a result of the continued improvements.