Great strategy games you can play in five-minute bursts

Strategy has a reputation for eating hours, but the best mobile ones respect your time. Tidewatch Command is a good example — its missions are short and self-contained, but the decisions inside them are genuinely tricky.

The trick these games use is separating planning from execution. You set up your moves at your own pace, then watch them play out quickly. That lets you enjoy the thinking without a huge time commitment.

If you've avoided strategy games because you assumed they'd swallow your evening, start with mission-based ones. You'll get the satisfying 'aha' moments without the marathon.

And don't be afraid to lose early. Losing is how you learn where the pressure points are.