Study reveals Minecraft the hardest mobile game ever

According to a study by Mozillion, Minecraft: Pocket Edition tops the list as both the most searched for game and the one players need help with and try to cheat the most.

Noting that mobile gaming has now surpassed PC and console, Mozillion's study analysed over 130 of the most popular mobile games to determine which titles take the longest to complete, which were Googled the most, and which ones players need the most help to play through.

Mozillion's findings reveal Minecraft: Pocket Edition had almost 25 million Google searches between January 2021 and January 2022.

The game is a slimmed-down version of Minecraft. The original launched in 2009 and has since become the best-selling video game of all time.

In addition, Solitaire retains its longevity as the second most-searched-for game with approx. 16,600,000 searches per month.

In third place is battle royale-style game Free Fire, with 13,600,000 searches. Free Fire was also globally the most downloaded game in 2019, setting a record for global daily active users in August 2021 with 150 million.

Minecraft also ranks first as the game players need help with and try to cheat the most. Mozillion looked at Google searches for [game name] tips, [game name] cheats, and [game name] walkthroughs and found a combined 61,000 average monthly searches worldwide from players looking to make progress in their games.

However, 49,500 of these are looking for 'cheats' alone.

In second place is the augmented reality game Pokémon Go, with 30,560 searches a month made by those looking for quick tips for the game. Mozillion notes that while the game's premise may be straightforward, there are many tips and tricks to becoming a Pokémon pro.

Stardew Valley ranks in third place, with players searching 24,600 times per month on average to advance their farming abilities on the game.

As for games that take the longest to complete, Mozillion says the slasher-style horror game Dead by Daylight tops the charts when looking at the main story, in total taking around 635 hours to complete, or more than 26 full days.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the second-longest game to complete, with a time of 401 hours, followed by Player Unknown's Battlegrounds in third place, which takes 168 hours and 53 minutes to play from start to finish.

Classic card game Solitaire is revealed as the quickest mobile game to complete, taking users just 5 minutes on average to play from start to finish.

Honor of Kings (also known as Arena of Valor) follows in second place, taking just 19 minutes to complete, with Helix Jump closing the top three with a completion time of one hour.

"The mobile gaming industry has eclipsed the PC and console world, and this overwhelming success has in turn pushed smartphone tech forward in leaps and bounds," Mozillion founder Len Leeson says.

"Some of the world's most popular PC and console games are now available in mobile form, with graphics that are indistinguishable from the original, which is a testament to just how advanced mobile technology is with every new phone release.

"Many handsets boast large, ultra-high-definition screens, vast amounts of internal memory and lightning-quick processing speeds that give owners a true gaming experience in the palm of their hands.

"Whether you prefer to spend hours creating new worlds on Minecraft or slicing produce in Fruit Ninja to pass a few minutes, we're a long way from the days of Snake.

"For big fans of mobile gaming, I always suggest looking at the technical specifications of any phone prior to purchasing, whether a new phone, or refurbished phone, in order to ensure an enjoyable gaming experience.

The top 10 most searched for mobile games are:

1. Minecraft (24,900,000)
2. Solitaire (16,600,000)
3. Free Fire (13,600,000)
4. Among Us (11,100,000)
5. Genshin Impact (7,480,000)
6. PUBG Mobile (4,090,000)
7. League of Legends (4,090,000)
8. Brawl Stars (2,740,000)
9. Subway Surfers (2,240,000)
10. Pokémon Go (1,500,000)

The top 10 most difficult games:

1. Minecraft (61,000)
2. Pokémon Go (30,560)
3. Stardew Valley (24,600)
4. Genshin Impact (17,900)
5. Subway Surfers (15,020)
6. 8 Ball Pool (12,700)
7. Homescapes (12,380)
8. Terraria (9,900)
9. Clash of Clans (9,870)
10. Among Us (9,140)

The 10 games which take the longest time to complete:

1.  Dead by Daylight (635 hours, 3 minutes)
2.  Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (401 hours)
3.  Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (168 hours, 53 minutes)
4.  PUBG Mobile (124 hours)
5.  Hearthstone (Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft) (104 hours, 14 minutes)
6.  Granblue Fantasy (100 hours)
7.  Brawl Stars (94 hours, 25 minutes)
8.  Pokémon Go (93 hours, 32 minutes)
9.  Minecraft (89 hours, 7 minutes)
10.  Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links (85 hours)

The 10 games which take the shortest time to complete:

1.  Solitaire (5 minutes)
2.  Honor of Kings / Arena of Valor (19 minutes)
3.  Helix Jump (1 hour)
4.  Super Mario Run (2 hours)
5.  Clash Royale (2 hours)
6.  Love Live! School Idol Festival (2 hours)
7.  Mario Kart Tour (2 hours, 15 minutes)
8.  Fruit Ninja (2 hours, 30 minutes)
9.  Arknights (3 hours)
10.  Flappy Bird (3 hours)