Games that won't drain your phone on a long trip

Battery life is the unsung hero of offline gaming. It doesn't matter how good a game is if it leaves you at ten percent before you reach your stop. Over the years I've kept rough notes on what drains a phone and what doesn't.

Turn-based strategy and tile puzzlers are the champions. Because the screen mostly sits still, the phone isn't constantly redrawing. Iron Frontier and Stack & Swap both barely moved my battery over an hour.

Racing games and anything with heavy 3D effects sit at the other end. Neon Dash Circuit is a blast, but it's the game I keep for when I have a charger nearby.

A few simple habits help: drop your brightness, turn off vibration, and use airplane mode. Airplane mode alone can add a surprising chunk of playtime, and offline games don't miss the connection at all.