Can real strategy work on a phone?

Strategy games and touchscreens have always been an awkward fit. Fiddly menus, tiny buttons, fat fingers. But a few games are finally getting it right.

Tide and Tower is our latest proof. It works because it was built for the screen, not ported to it. Placing buildings is a clean drag, and the whole board fits when you zoom out to plan.

The trick isn't dumbing strategy down — it's simplifying the inputs while keeping the decisions hard. You still have to think several tides ahead. You just don't have to fight the interface to do it.

If you gave up on mobile strategy years ago, it might be time for another look. The genre has quietly grown up.