Great strategy games that run on old phones

Plenty of readers write in with older phones, worried the genre has moved past them. Good news: many of the best strategy and tower defence games are surprisingly light.

The trick is that these games lean on systems, not graphics. A clever tech tree costs nothing in processing power. Games like Casinacho Games and Lantern Line Defence ran fine on the older test device I keep around for exactly this reason.

Watch out for particle-heavy effects and huge unit counts, which are the usual culprits for slowdown. Many games let you turn effects down in settings, which can rescue an otherwise stuttery experience.

Before you buy or download, check whether there's a demo or a free tier. Nothing beats trying it on your actual phone rather than trusting a spec sheet.