Once you’d have to lug around a single handheld Donkey Kong unit in your pocket, but recent advancements in technology now mean you can load scores of games onto your mobile or tablet computer and embark on a gaming odyssey of epic proportions.

The question is, on which games should you drop your hard-earned dollars? Here are The New Daily’s top picks to look out for this year.

Tales From The Borderlands

Release date: TBA
Hot on the heels of their award-winning The Walking Dead game series, the next outing for Telltale games is an episodic graphic adventure into the popular world of Borderlands, with much anticipated, Tales From The Borderlands.

Set in the days after Borderlands 2, the game will be released in episodes, each one affected by your actions from previous episode. Expect post-apocalyptic eccentrics, bloodshed and general mayhem; all the things the series has become immensely popular for.

Family Guy

Release date: TBA
Developed in conjunction with the minds behind Family Guy, this free-to-play game features a story meta-arc that allows players to create and explore their own environment (to a point), with in-game ‘microtransactions’ to allow faster progression.

It’s also rumoured to feature voice talent from the show (it would be a huge misstep if it didn’t), including Seth McFarlane, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein and Seth Green – basically, the entire Griffin household. Get your fart jokes ready!

Available on iOS and Android.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Release date: TBA
For anyone gagging for a new collectable card game, something to throw every waking minute into, leaving your friends wondering if you’ve taken a vow of silence, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is for you.

A one-on-one, turn-based battle game, players throw down cards – virtually speaking – casting spells, summoning minions and equipping weapons for their forces to wage bloody war on their enemy. Choose your game mode and your hero, select your cards and stroll out onto the battlefield. Power and glory await you!

Available on iOS and Android.

Final Fantasy VI

Release date: Out Now
The long-awaited remake of everyone’s favourite, nay, the undeniable leader of RPG gaming, is here: Final Fantasy VI has finally made the leap to mobile gaming! While a few tweaks to character control and combat have been made, this re-release is every bit as stunning as the original – including animation based on the original character designs.

For those fond of the original, it’s a nice piece of nostalgia. For first-timers, it’s a highly accessible foray into the massive world of Final Fantasy.

Available on iOS and Android.

Bloodstroke

Release date: Out Now
Are you ready for slow-motion white doves? Of course you are! John Woo, the director of such dove-congested movies as Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II and Hard Boiled, has turned his talents to producing the new top-down action game, Bloodstroke. And isn’t it a beauty.

Already earning rave reviews, what makes this bloody saga worthy of a download is the art direction. Woo has employed a monochrome colour scheme, with splashes of red used to illustrate targets and bloodshed. Needless to say, the screen goes entirely red at regular intervals (cue: When Doves Cry).

Available on iOS.

Another Case Solved

Release date: Out now (iOS), March 3 (Android)
There’s a citywide crack down on sweet treats and it’s up to you, our intrepid private detective, to solve cases and get to the bottom of this saccharine situation. Using a combination of witness interviews, crime scene clue gathering and good ol’ fashioned deduction (or, abductive reasoning, if you’re a purest), solve a series of mysteries and earn the gratitude of your fellow candy-starved citizens.

Great for lovers of Sherlock, and fun for the whole family.

Available on iOS and Android.

LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters

Release date: Out Now
Red Five, standing by! Fans of the real-world LEGO Star Wars Microfighters can now take their tiny toys with them wherever they go, with Lego Star Wars: Microfighters for iOS.

Step into an X-wing fighter and fly for the Rebellion, or slide into your TIE fighter to take on the galaxy’s rebel scum. Blast through LEGO bricks and hordes of oncoming enemies, doing battle across planets Hoth, Endor, Yavin and Geonosis.

And did somebody say, ‘Millennium Falcon?’ Don’t be a Jek Porkins – get it today!

Available on iOS.

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition

Release Date: Out Now
Another in the trend of remakes for mobile platforms, Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition has been rebuilt from the ground up for iOS specifications, and doesn’t it look great. Combining both the original’s Shadows of Amn and Throne of Baal storylines, this edition of Baldur’s Gate II draws you into the world of Forgotten Realms, as you battle foes and attract allies in your quest to retrieve your soul from the forces of evil.

The glorious widescreen gameplay will entrance you faster than you can say,
“I’ll come to the meeting in a minute; I Just need to defeat this dragon.”

Although on the upper end of the price scale, this game will bring back many happy memories.

Available on iOS.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Release Date: Out Now
Sonic? Check. Vehicles that change from car to boat to plane? Check. Cult characters from SEGA games? Check. The mobile version of the popular console game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, puts you and your friends in the driver’s seat of the all-new transforming vehicle, racing on tracks inspired by popular games, as any number of characters from the world of SEGA. Basically, this game is inspired by the best bits from other iconic games, making it one truly addictive game.

Available on iOS and Android.

The Witness

Release Date: TBA

Jonathan Blow blew (no pun intended) gamers’ minds in 2008, with the release of his independent puzzle game, Braid. A slew of awards ensued and Blow earned a stack of kudos and cash. Snap forward to 2014, and Blow is on the verge of releasing a follow-up 3D exploration-puzzle game, The Witness.

You play the game’s protagonist, stranded on an island with only a series of puzzles to … no, don’t think for one moment it’s that simple. Blow has commented that the problem solving process in the player’s mind goes beyond simple ‘rote puzzles.’ Intriguing, eh? Just remember not to throw your iPhone/iPad against the wall out of frustration when you get stuck.

Available on iOS.