Arcade games built for the two-minute break

Not every game needs to respect your progress with a forty-hour campaign. Some of the best mobile experiences are the ones you can start and finish while the kettle boils. Arcade games live and die on this — one clean round should feel complete.

What makes a two-minute game good is instant restart and instant readability. You should understand the state of play at a glance and be able to try again without a single loading screen in the way. Coin Strike nails this; so do a lot of the classic flick and reflex games.

I've started keeping a little folder of these on my home screen. When I've got a spare moment I open one, play a round, and put the phone down without feeling pulled into a longer commitment. That's the whole appeal.

If a so-called quick game buries its restart under menus or drip-feeds you rewards to keep you playing, it's missing the point. The best ones let you leave whenever you want — and that's exactly why you keep coming back.