Strategy games that fit a coffee break

Not everyone has a free evening. Most of my own playtime happens in ten-minute gaps, so I've gotten picky about games that respect that.

The key is savable state and short, self-contained missions. A tower defence map that takes eight minutes is perfect; one that demands a forty-minute endless run before it gets interesting is not. Big Rush Cast is on the other end entirely, with sessions you can end mid-swipe.

Look for games that pause cleanly and don't punish you for stepping away. Anything with real-time timers pushing you to come back on their schedule tends to sour fast when your life doesn't cooperate.

My commute rule: if I can start, feel like I accomplished something, and stop, all within one train stop, it stays installed.