Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email
With the introduction of the cheaper PS Vita Slim model in February and Nintendo’s release of the 2DS last year, it’s clear there’s still an interest in games on dedicated handheld consoles and mobile devices. Here we show you the best and latest new games in the handheld market.
Click on the gallery to see the IndyBest buys
Click here to buy now
Show all 10 1 /1010 best new handheld games 10 best new handheld games PolyFauna, iOS Radiohead and Universal Everything have teamed up to create the app PolyFauna. More an "experience" than anything, perhaps, but no less addictive. It uses imagery and sounds from the song ‘Bloom’ to create a polygonal world the ‘player’ can navigate and interact with. Incredibly relaxing with headphones on. Also available on: Android
Free, itunes.apple.com
10 best new handheld games Threes, iOS Exceedingly simple, Threes is like a blend between Sudoku and Connect Four. The goal: collect as many points as possible by matching cards, all of which are multiples of three. Control by swiping the board up, left, right and down.
£1.49, itunes.apple.com
10 best new handheld games Guacamelee, PS Vita Here you play the wrestler Juan Aguacate, who sets out to save the world when El Presidente’s daughter is kidnapped by an evil skeleton. You run, jump and wrestle your way through a small Mexican village, and its surroundings, hopping through the alternate dimensions of ‘The World of the Living’ and ‘The World of the Dead’. Also available on: PS3, PC
£9.99, store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com
10 best new handheld games Bravely Default, 3DS A new Final Fantasy game in everything but name. In essence, it is a traditional role-playing game - but with a twist. You play, Tiz, a "Warrior of Light", as he seeks to restore balance to a post-apocalyptic world.
£31.99, game.co.uk
10 best new handheld games The Legend of Zelda - A Link Between Worlds, 3DS Return to the world of Hyrule as daring adventurer Link. So what's new? For starters, you have the ability to become a drawing and merge with the walls of dungeons, which allows you to explore the increasingly vertical world that makes great use of the handheld’s 3D functionality. Slip through cracks in walls to enter the mysterious dimension of Lorule for extra fun. A brilliant sequel to 1992’s A Link to the Past.
£32.97, direct.asda.com
10 best new handheld games Tearaway, PS Vita In Tearaway, where everything is made of paper, your role is to guide your friend Atoi towards the sun, avoiding obstacles and enemy scraps as you go. This game is all about breaking the fourth wall. Your fingers pierce the paper scenery (using the rear touchpad on the PS Vita) and your face appears as the sun.
£20.79, play.com
10 best new handheld games Pokemon X, 3DS Collect, raise and battle your favourite monsters, new and old. Pokemon’s debut on the 3DS brings with it a whole suite of changes, from fully realised 3D models of the creatures, to the new concept of “mega evolution”, effectively pimp your Pokemon. Incredibly addictive, with zippy mechanics.
£32.89, johnlewis.com
10 best new handheld games TxK, PS Vita A return to the classic arcade game Tempest. You command a spaceship whose sole aim is to destroy the other ships before they get you. A test of the reflexes, expect a steep learning curve, glorious neo-retro graphics and a soundtrack that will stay in your head all day.
£5.49,store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com
10 best new handheld games Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, 3DS The latest Layton game sees you fending off criminals while unpicking the secrets of an ancient civilisation. The series is known for combining storytelling with puzzles, and this one has more riddles than most, with over 500.
£35, very.co.uk
10 best new handheld games Injustice: Gods Among Us - Ultimate Edition, PS Vita Last year saw the release of a fighting game featuring DC Comics heroes and villains in a war between two universes. This edition brings together all the added DLC (such as character skins) for the first time. Great fun fighting an evil superman, and a wonderfully snappy, if nonsensical, story mode. Also available on: PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, PC
£29.98, zavvi.com
Verdict:
For puzzle lovers Threes on the iOS is a great little brain-teaser, while Tearaway on the PS Vita is a fun little game that will keep you entertained for hours. Pokemon X on 3DS is perfect for fans of the franchise, with monsters old and new to collect, train and battle.
Buy now
1. Threes, iOS, £1.49
2. Guacamelee, PS Vita, £9.99
3. Bravely Default, 3DS, £31.99
4. The Legend of Zelda - A Link Between Worlds, 3DS, £32.97
5. PolyFauna, iOS, Free
6. Tearaway, PS Vita, £20.79
7. Pokemon X, 3DS, £32.89
8. TxK, PS Vita, £5.49
9. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, 3DS, £35
10. Injustice: Gods Among Us - Ultimate Edition, PS Vita, £29.98
