For many (dare I say it, most) of us, lunchtime is a precious window. It’s a critical time in the middle of the day. It offers a much-needed break from work, meetings, and responsibilities. Are you just going to spend it eating a sandwich? Or are you after something a little more entertaining?

There are plenty of quick-play games out there which can be enjoyed in just a half-hour break. So, scoff down that sarcasm and boot up your laptop (or even mobile phone) and get ready for some proper entertainment.

Candy Crush Saga

It only makes sense to kick things off with a – big – hitter. Candy Crush Saga is a quintessential quick-play game. For more than a decade, its simple match-three approach has had gamers falling over themselves to play in life’s five or ten-minute pauses. If you’ve not played before then the aim is simple: match candies to explode them. The better you do, the more levels you progress through. You should be able to blast your way through a level in a matter of minutes. So, you can either keep blasting or switch things up and move onto another quick-play classic. The choice is yours.

Among Us

Fancy an intergalactic experience while you munch down your packet of chips? Among Us is the choice for you. This multiplayer has rocketed in popularity in recent years – and after just dipping your toes in, I think you’ll see why. Set in a spaceship where you’re divided into either Crewmates or Impostors, this game has tons to offer. Crewmates are put to work keeping the ship spick and span, while Impostors get to try and sabotage them. The catch is, if you’re an impostor, you mustn’t get caught. Depending on how crafty the team of impostors are, games can take as little as five minutes (though sometimes fifteen if you get a particularly crafty team). Another big plus of this game is you can play either with strangers who are randomly matched, or with friends. So, you could get the whole team involved one lunchtime.

A Night With Cleo

Sometimes you need to inject a little extra excitement into the middle of the day, and for me, that’s where slots come in. The chance to win a couple of dollars while enjoying some of the best graphics in the business? Very attractive! You’ll find a wide variety of slot games at Slots.LV but one of our favorites is A Night With Cleo. This game takes an altogether more alluring spin on the world of ancient Egypt, with Cleo (yes, Cleopatra) as the sultry main character. A single spin on this game takes just seconds, so it’s great if you’re really pressed for time. However, if you make it to the bonus round, give yourself a few minutes to be thoroughly surprised.

Subway Surfers

Back to the mobile classics and Subway Surfers is the next choice. This game is easy to get the hang of; after all, it’s just swiping left and right. However, like so many other swiping games (Tinder, we’re looking at you) it’s exceptionally difficult to master. If you’ve not played before, then Subway Surfers is an endless runner game, where you (a naughty little graffiti artist) need to escape the train inspector and his fearsome pooch. You choose to do this (perhaps a little unwisely) by skipping over the tops of train carriages. Swipe left and right to collect coins, jump obstacles in your way, and sneak some power-ups to keep you going. The endless nature of this game means you will eventually fall and get caught by the train inspector. However, it’s great fun while it lasts!

Flappy Bird

Ever wished you could fly away from that post-lunch meeting? Well, in this game you can – sort of. Flappy Bird is a true classic mobile game, where the aim is to keep a bird in the sky (and away from obstacles) through, well, flapping. You need to get the flappy bird through a series of pipes which start off fairly easily and gets progressively trickier. You’ll likely only be able to keep your avian adventurer in the sky for a matter of minutes at a time, so it’s perfect for a quick blast during your lunch break.

Wordscapes

And finally, want to give your brain an itch? Here’s a suggestion to get that grey matter moving. This word puzzle is like a combination of a word search and a crossword. You need to find as many of the hidden words as you can possibly make from any given set of letters (kind of like the New York Times’ “Spelling Bee” game). This starts off easy, so you’ll probably be feeling like a bit of a genius, but it gets harder – much harder. Give yourself a minute or two of this each lunchtime and you’ll be remembering words you didn’t even think you knew. If you enjoyed that, there are other hidden message games you can check out too!