Which genres actually survive a five-minute session

Mobile play happens in scraps of time, and some genres handle that better than others. Arcades and short puzzle games are built for it — you open, you play a round, you close, and nothing is lost.

RPGs and strategy games are trickier. A great turn-based fight can be paused, but a real-time skirmish punishes you the second your stop arrives. We flag this kind of thing in reviews because it changes whether a game fits your life.

Simulation games sit in the middle. A city builder like Tiny District lets you plan a little and put it down, but the good ones tempt you into 'just one more thing.'

My rule of thumb: if a game can survive being interrupted mid-action without losing progress or momentum, it's a keeper for the commute. If it can't, save it for the couch.