The game genres that won't drain your battery

Not every game is a battery vampire. If you're low on charge but want to play, some genres are far kinder than others.

Puzzle games are the obvious winner. Most of the screen sits still while you think, so the processor barely works. Turn-based strategy is similar; nothing moves until you decide it should. I've squeezed hours out of these on a nearly dead phone.

On the other end, anything with constant 3D motion, live multiplayer, or flashy particle effects will eat your charge fast. Endless runners are fun but ruthless on the battery.

Farm sims and management games land somewhere in the middle. They look busy but often don't render much in real time, so they last longer than you'd guess.

When we tag a game as battery-friendly, this is what we mean: you can play a real session without watching the percentage tick down in fear.