Games against AI players take 20-plus minutes, more than anything else on this list, but there’s very little downtime involved. The false 3-D perspective also helps them cram a lot of buildings onto your screen without crowding it. It also has built-in warnings if your workers are going to riot or you’re going to lose resources before the next turn. There is a lot going on in this game, and too much accounting for my tastes, but the app takes care of that stuff for you, so you can focus just on playing the game itself.

Through the Ages is a 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) style game played out with cards, where you try to build a civilization, complete wonders for points, beat opponents with your military, improve your government, and ensure that your workers don’t riot. It even has a legitimately funny joke buried within it. Here’s a game I haven’t played on tabletop because it’s so long and fairly heavy, but the app is stunning, featuring by far the best tutorial I’ve seen.

Clue board game online multiplayer