The quiet art of one-handed controls

Most of the time I play games with one hand — on a train, in a queue, waiting for a kettle. Games that demand two thumbs and precise timing just don't fit that life, however good they are.

The titles we rate highest tend to share a trait: they respect the way people actually hold phones. Big Bass Splash uses simple swipes, Neon Drift Rush is a single hold-to-drift button, and both are better for it.

Designers who ignore this end up with controls that feel cramped. If your thumbs are covering half the screen, something has gone wrong.

When we test, we always try a game one-handed first. If it survives that, it survives real life.