For decades, Nintendo exclusively released its games onto its consoles and handhelds. That is until 2015, when Nintendo announced an initiative to focus on mobile games. This was an exciting time for Nintendo fans, as all of their favorite characters and series would have the potential to be available from the convenience of their smartphones.
About seven years later, many of these Nintendo mobile games like Mario Kart Tour and Fire Emblem Heroes are still alive and well, though some are shut down for good. Dragalia Lost recently announced it would be shutting down, too. Nintendo has released a comprehensive list of mobile games in these past seven years, but only some of them are still alive and well.
Nintendo's Active Mobile Games
Nintendo has released a variety of mobile games based on different series. First came 2016's Super Mario Run, an auto-runner akin to Temple Run but from a 2D perspective that resembles the New Super Mario Bros. Games. It's a fun, casual Mario adventure that is easy to pick up and play in short bursts.
Then, 2017 brought players both Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. These games are similar to the mainline titles in their respective series, but with typical mobile game mechanics thrown on like stamina and in-game currencies. Mario Kart Tour released in 2019, and is a strong entry in the beloved Mario Kart franchise. This entry is unique in that it has many unlockable costumes for its large roster of characters, as well as many tracks based on real world cities - some of which are coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe via its Booster Course Pass.
Lastly is 2021's Pikmin Bloom, developed by Niantic - the team behind Pokemon GO. The shared DNA is very apparent. Like GO, Pikmin Bloom encourages players to walk around their communities, gathering Pikmin and planting flowers as they go.
Nintendo's Mobile Games that have Shut Down
While Nintendo does have many mobile games that are still active, a handful of the mobile games have been permanently shut down. First released in 2016, Miitomo was one of the initial games Nintendo announced for mobile. It was a fun title that allowed players to design their Mii avatars as well as their living spaces, and then visit friends to see what they've created. The game shut down in 2018.
Next up is Dragalia Lost, which first released in 2018 and is also the only original IP on this list. The game is technically still active today, but the developer recently announced that no new characters are coming and that the final story update will launch in July. The game is set to shut down some time after that.
The last mobile game Nintendo has shut down is 2019's Dr. Mario World. This was a mobile take on the Dr. Mario franchise , similar to other puzzlers on the platform like Candy Crush Saga. The game did not have a long lifespan though, as Nintendo shut it down in 2021.
The Many Mobile Pokemon Games
Aside from all these aforementioned games tied to franchises directly developed by Nintendo, there are many mobile Pokemon games. In terms of active titles, there are 2011's Pokemon TCG Online, which is an online Trading Card Game simulator that lets players scan in packs that they've purchased in real life. Pokemon Shuffle is a puzzle game that hasn't received new content since 2018, but the game is set to cycle through old content until 2037.
Pokemon GO is still very active today, though the game has suffered from controversy and questionable decisions from its developer. The other active games are Magikarp Jump, Pokemon Quest, Masters EX, Smile, the puzzler Cafe Mix, as well as the mobile version of Pokemon UNITE.
As for the Pokemon games that have been shut down, there are 2016's Pokemon Duel, which was a strategic multiplayer battler; and Pokemon Rumble Rush, which was a game involving toy versions of Pokemon that shut down a little over a year after it launched in 2019.
Nintendo has a large range of mobile games under its belt. Many of its iconic series, like Mario and Fire Emblem, have been represented, but it would be great to see other major players like Kirby or Metroid get a spotlight in the future.