Building a library for five-minute sessions

Most of my phone gaming happens in gaps — a queue, a wait, a coffee break. Games that punish you for playing that way don't last on my home screen.

The best short-session games save your state instantly and let you leave without penalty. No forced tutorials the third time you open them, no timers ticking against you while you're away.

Turn-based and arcade games win here. A quick run of an arcade title or one move in a strategy game fits perfectly into a small gap. Anything with long non-skippable intros loses.

I keep a small rotation: one arcade game for pure reflex, one cozy builder for winding down, one turn-based thing for when I want to think. That covers almost every mood a spare five minutes brings.

Curate ruthlessly. If a game doesn't earn its place after a week, off it goes. Your phone and your attention are both limited.