Written By: Sakura Snyder, Staff Writer
TRENDING: Block Blast, Brawl Stars, and other mobile games have shown a spike in popularity throughout 2024.
Whether a student is utilizing their free time or simply procrastinating an assignment, it is not uncommon at all to see them open up a game on their phone. A few simple swipes can lead to minutes, or even hours, of mental stimulation and entertainment. But what are the names and history of these games that are widely addictive? And why have they gained such widespread popularity within a short window of time? To better understand the trends of 2024, these questions will be addressed.
Block Blast
A game akin to Tetris, Block Blast consists of the arrangement of blocks horizontally or vertically to remove them from the screen. Although created in 2022, this game became popular only recently over the past few months of 2024. It has become something of a national mobile sensation, actively played by a variety of high school students across online and in-person settings. On internet platforms, this game has been heavily discussed in places such as TikTok, where numerous creators have uploaded clips of themselves playing Block Blast. The game itself is set up through an incredibly addicting format—the colorful pop of colors and satisfying clicking sounds leave people only wanting more. Block Blast has already reached 40 million daily active users, which is incredibly impressive for such a short amount of time. This number will most likely continue to rise as 2024 comes to an end.
Brawl Stars
Brawl Stars, a fast-paced multiplayer battle mobile game, launched its release in December 2018. In the few years following, the game performed moderately well amongst targeted audiences. That was until 2022 when the game began its decline. Though the Brawl Stars creators may have lost hope during those moments in time, little did they know that the game would have its grand comeback in early 2024. With a consistent stream of updates that made the game only more popular, the game’s core aspects of team playing became especially quite the hit with male teen audiences. Because friends can play together against other players by joining each other’s groups, it creates a sense of community and camaraderie, contributing to the game’s rapid success.
Besides Brawl Stars and Block Blast, games such as Subway Surfers and Clash Royale have also seemed to gain popularity, though these are examples of games that have been more consistently popular over the years preceding 2024. In 2025, who knows what kinds of games will become sought after by high school students?