Gaming Mobile Games vs PC Games: Decoding Gaming Preferences

Mobile Games vs PC Games: Decoding Gaming Preferences

Photo of author
By
/

When you buy through my links, I may earn a commission which will support me in creating more helpful content for you.

Learning about the different types of games is essential to any gamer, new or old. Mobile games and PC games have vast differences even if they may seem similar on the surface.

Both you play on your own devices, but the types of games made for each as well as their audience vary greatly. 

Mobile games are often defined by their simplistic nature. They are quick and easy games made for casual playing. PC games on the other hand are known for their complexity. They are designed to challenge players and are made with experienced gamers in mind.  

If you want to learn more about the differences, see examples of the games, and understand the game market for both, then this article is here to help you out. 

Get With Unity Game Engine Today! - Link Here

Mobile Games and PC Games Comparison Table


Mobile GamesPC Games
DefinitionSmall games meant to be played on a mobile device
Usually cheap or free to play
Made to play casually and infrequently
Large games with complicated mechanics and graphics
Usually more expensive, though there are free games available
Made to play for extended periods of focus
Target AudienceEveryone
Non-gamers
Casual gamers
More experienced gamers
Gamers who like a challenge
Mid-core to hard-core gamers generally, though there are more casual and relaxed games available
Revenue$92.2 Billion$40.5 Billion
Main IncomeAdvertisementsInitial Purchase Microtransactions
Popular Game ExamplesAngry Birds Candy Crush Subway Surfers Pokemon Go League of Legends: Wild Rift Genshin ImpactMinecraft Valorant League of Legends Elden Ring The Last of us Monster Hunter: World
Downloads (Percent)50% of game downloads22% of game downloads
PlatformsMobile devices such as phones or tabletsComputers and laptops
Comparison table of mobile games and PC games across various categories

About Mobile Games

Mobile games are simplistic games that are meant to be accessible to a wide audience. Anyone who owns a mobile device such as a phone or tablet has likely played one.

Most people play these games casually, investing little to no time or money. However, people can also play these games with more intent, spending hours and dollars to progress. 

Check out this list of the Best Game Art Outsourcing Studios.

These games are designed to reach as many people as possible and because of that, there are varying tiers. With colorful graphics and easy gameplay, these games are designed to hook you. Daily achievements and quick access to a mobile device make these games addictive. 

People play them at any free moment to fill the void of breaks in their day. This could be waiting in line or during a break at work before eventually logging in more often to satisfy their short attention spans. 

Mobile Games Key Features

  • Easily accessible on a mobile device
  • Simple game mechanics
  • Easy to learn
  • Simple graphics
  • Short daily sessions
  • Attention-grabbing
  • Colorful

What Are Mobile Games?

Mobile games are games designed to be used on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet. These games, generally, are simplistic in every sense of the word. They are designed to be accessible to a wide range of people to maximize the size of their audience. 

Because of this, mobile games keep every aspect of the game simple. The graphics are made to be easy for the game developers to create, but also easy for a consumer to process and understand. 

The gameplay of mobile games is repetitive and easy to understand. It takes no time to pick up how to play these games and the mechanics stay the same throughout with slight difficulty increases as you progress. 

Game designers make most of their money on advertisements that play constantly during gameplay. For more dedicated players, game designers can also make a good amount of money from in-app purchases, relying on its addictive nature to make more money so that players can keep playing. 

Mobile Games Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Can play anywhere, anytimeRepetitive
Cheap or freeCan become boring quickly
Simple mechanics that are easy to learnLots of advertisements
Replayable

Popular Examples of Mobile Games

  • Candy Crush
  • Angry Birds
  • Royal Match 
  • Dumb Ways to Die
  • Attack Hole
  • Gardenscapes
  • Parking Jam
  • Roblox
  • Pokemon GO
  • Marvel SNAP

About PC Games

PC games are complex games designed for those with dedication and a focus on gaming. These games have intense and lengthy storylines, riveting but difficult gameplay, and require some skill and experience. 

These games are not designed for a wide audience, but rather for those with the correct hardware that can process these complex games and with the mindset and skill to play them.

There is a wide range of PC games that vary from complex to simple in terms of graphics and gameplay. Even simplistic and easy PC games require some level of skill and dedication. 

PC Games Key Features

  • Made to play on your computer or laptop
  • More complex gameplay
  • More complex and high-quality graphics
  • Longer games and storylines
  • Difficult to learn
  • Difficult to master

What Are PC Games?

PC games are games designed to be played on a personal computer or laptop. However, often these games are complex in every way. Because of this PC games require more advanced hardware to play on, but also more advanced gamers to even play them. 

PC games often have detailed graphics and designs. This requires better software to run and more experienced gamers to play. Both the computer and the gamer must be able to process these graphics quickly and efficiently. 

Here is a list of the Most Popular Game Engines to start learning.

PC games are also defined by their lengthy and in-depth storylines, requiring more storage space on a device and more dedication from the player. Due to their complexity, the audience for these games is limited to those with the correct device and dedication. 

PC Games Pros and Cons

ProsCons
High-quality gamesOften expensive
Offer a challenge to experienced gamersDifficult
Offers gameplay for an extended period of timeNot as accessible as mobile games
Better graphics, longer stories, and more detailRequires a high-quality PC system to play many games

Popular Examples of PC Games

  • Valorant
  • League of Legends
  • Minecraft
  • Dark Souls
  • Elden Ring
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Genshin Impact
  • Apex: Legends
  • God of War
  • Hades

Mobile Games vs PC Games: Which Is Better?

PC games and mobile games vary greatly from each other and because of that, it is difficult to say which is better than the other. Each is designed for a different audience and each has different pros and cons depending on what you are looking for in a game. 

PC games are better for more experienced gamers. These games are designed to be challenging, complex, and time-consuming. Those with the right experience, setup, and money to make the purchase will be drawn to these games for these qualities such as their difficulty and story length. 

Mobile games on the other hand are perfect for a more casual gamer. These games are cheap or free and require a lot less to play than a PC game.

All you need to play is a mobile device and a few minutes of free time to set up, download, and play this game. The repetitive and easy nature of these games is better for some gamers. 

Which type of game is better simply depends on your capabilities and what you are looking for in a game. If you are looking for a challenge, head over to PC. If you are looking for something more simplistic, mobile games might be the right choice for you. 

Will Mobile Gaming Replace PC Gaming?

There has been concern in the gaming community recently as many big gaming companies begin to make more games for mobile rather than PC. This shift raises questions as to the future of gaming and if mobile will overtake PC. 

As phones continue to develop, their closeness and complexity get closer to that of the PC. Phones can now process more complex graphics and have much larger storage than they did when the divide between mobile and PC gaming first began. 

This doesn’t mean PC games are going away any time soon. Mobile gaming will likely never replace PC gaming. Even with the large gains in the complexity of phones, games, and PCs are developing just as much to match. Meaning that phones still cannot keep up with the needs a PC game requires.

Aside from that, the communities of mobile gamers and PC gamers are entirely separate. This means that the chances of mobile replacing PCs are limited as the two communities often do not overlap.

Game developers would lose a large portion of their audience if they attempted to switch to mobile gaming only. 

What these game developers are doing is not switching over to mobile games, but rather expanding their accessibility and audience. By opening their doors to mobile gamers, they are gaining a larger audience and making more money for their games. 

Mobile games and PC games will likely never overtake each other. The needs of their games are different, their audiences are different, and their complexities are different. As it is now, these games will continue to exist in parallel, offering different experiences on different devices for a long time to come.