In 2015, just about everyone has a smartphone of one kind or another. But how good is a smartphone if you use it only for texting or calling? Here’s five must-get free games for passing time on the bus or spicing up boring nights.

#1: Geometry Dash

For iPhone and Android

Geometry Dash, despite the name, has nothing to do with math. You play as a small square that jumps from platform to platform avoiding spikes and drops as you try to complete this impossible game. Seriously. The free version of the game contains a pretty decent seven levels – which is more then enough, as you won’t be able to win them all in a lifetime. This game is nearly impossible. The player taps the screen to make the square jump through a seemingly endless path of disaster. The game would be pretty easy if you didn’t have to restart the entire level after every death. This game will have you sweating as you try tirelessly to complete the levels, not letting restarts stop you.
In the end, Geometry Dash has a strange addictive quality to it, even if it is impossible. I challenge you to try your hardest to get by the first three levels – although I’ve beaten the first two, the third will be the death of me.

#2: AA

For iPhone and Android

Recently, a lot of games on smartphones have taken the form of simple, incredibly frustrating games that you see just about everyone playing. Previously it was Temple Run, then Flappy Bird, then 2048… and now it’s AA. AA is as simple as its name suggests — the game revolves (literally) around a large, spinning black circle in the center of the screen. The circle is adjourned with “extensions” of a sort — black lines with a small black circle on the end. When you tap the screen, you add an extension to the circle, and the goal is to add all of your extensions to the circle. However, if your attempted addition touches any of the other extensions already on the circle, it’s game over.
It may sound complicated, but the game is as simple as Flappy Bird — the only control is a tap of the screen. The game becomes increasingly harder as levels go on, adding changing rotation speeds for the big circle, backwards movement, and more extensions to add. I’m only on level 26 out of a seemingly endless supply of levels, and I’m already ready to yank my hair out. It’s a good time-consumer for moments when you’re walking from class to class or waiting for your friends at lunch.

#3: Clash of Clans

For iPhone and Android

Clash of Clans isn’t a new game – actually, a surprising amount of people already play it. I just started recently, having been influenced to get it by a certain hilarious Super Bowl commercial (Thank you, Liam Neeson), and boy, was I surprised. The game, like most free games, is relatively simple: The player runs a clan of warriors and spends in-game coins to create a town, defenses, and an army to crush other players in online multiplayer. The game requires an internet connection (unfortunate to some in buildings like the high school, making it a better game to play at home when not busy. Building everything from units to buildings requires real life time – from a few seconds up to an hour. The player can’t play nonstop, so it is suggested to get on occasionally, start some building, then get back on later when not so busy to find a finished town ready to be defended. The game is simple, addicting, and fun, and is recommended to anyone who wants to play a fun game at the expense of a a bit of time.

#4: Shadow Fight 2

For iPhone and Android

This app is more obscure than the others on this list – which is a shame, considering it is also the most fun on the list. Shadow Fight 2 is a side scrolling fighting game. You play as a ninja, Shadow, who is trying to save his land from evil… or something like that (I didn’t really follow the story all that well). The game’s controls include a button for kicking, a button for punching, and a joystick for moving. But with just that, you get a fighting game so smooth it makes Mortal Kombat look like it was made by ten-year-olds. You pick fights and fight one-on-one with a health bar for you and your opponent. You can spend in-game coins to get new armor and helmets, and choose from a selection of over 200 different weapons, ranging from staffs, throwing stars, swords, and spears. The game gives you a sense of accomplishment when you knock an opponent out with a slow-motion kick to the head, easily making up for the frustration you feel when you are unable to win a fight against a tougher enemy. In terms of length, the game contains an absurd amount of content, with six chapters in the main story, each chapter containing hundreds upon hundreds of fights against unique enemies with their own fighting styles and weapons. I got this game almost two weeks ago, and I’m still in the second chapter, and I play as much as I can during the day. Played right, Shadow Fight 2 will last you for over a month, a month filled with fun battles, unique enemies, and an intriguing story. I suggest Shadow Fight 2 to everyone, even those that aren’t fans of fighting games.

#5: Vector

For iPhone and Android

By the makers of Shadow Fight 2 comes a less fun but equally awesome game based around the increasingly popular sport of parkour. The story involves a futuristic society where everyone is seemingly under mind control by a totalitarian government. Your character somehow breaks out of this mind control and tries to escape by jumping from rooftop to rooftop, escaping guards with parkour skills as incredible as your own. The free version contains over twenty levels of parkour-based action, with jumps, rolls, dives, slides, and flips guiding your character across rooftops as you try to avoid being caught by a tailing soldier. Sliding up on the screen makes him jump, sliding down on the screen makes him slide, and that’s all you need to survive this incredible game. The full version contains many more levels in different areas, but I can only suggest getting the full version to those who enjoy the free version. As with all these games, I suggest giving it a try. What’s the harm in getting a free game? If you don’t like it, just delete it.