Top 10 Steam games we want to see on iPhone, iOS, and Android

Unless you’ve been glued exclusively to mobile gaming for the past eight years (if so, exactly how much Snake did you play in 2004?), you’ve probably encountered Valve software’s digital distribution behemoth Steam.

Following on from the the massive cross-platform hit of Portal 2, raking in cash and critical accolades in equal measures, Valve is reportedly giving serious thought to a move into iOS and Android mobile gaming.

More intriguing for smartphone gamers, though, is how Valve’s console-crossover experiments hint at a future where an incarnation of Steam could potentially run on your mobile – giving handset owners a chance to rediscover a treasure trove of PC gems on their device.

Not all Steam games would make a smooth transition to mobile phones, though (the thought of playing peerless sci-fi shooter Half-Life 2 without physical controls simply chills the blood).

So Pocket Gamer has painstakingly trawled the service’s latest releases and illustrious back catalogue for ten titles that current iOS and Android handsets could run with just a few nips and tucks.

A no-brainer, really, considering Portal 2 is currently topping UK software charts, but those who’ve already sampled Valve’s mental masterpieces will know they’re obviously not an ideal fit for phones.

Yet, the tale of soothing-voiced robot lunatic GLaDOS, and her persistent need to test the resilience of a sole human subject through a series of death-trap chambers, is too darkly funny and stunningly original to pass up.

The process of navigating the FPS platformer’s levels and firing off portals (wormholes that enable you to move yourself or objects around the chambers to unlock exits) works nearly as well with a console pad as the traditional PC keyboard and mouse combo.

Running Portal or its superior sequel on an iPhone, an iPad, a Honeycomb tablet such as the Motorola XOOM, or 4.3-inch screened phone like the Samsung Galaxy S II, with Gameloft-style dual analogue sticks, is certainly possible.

Some sort of aim-assistance would help with trickier levels, though.

One neat controller alternative would be to use on-screen taps to fire the portal gun for extra accuracy, with swipes undoing your last actions.

If the control scheme above pans out, then porting zombie slaughter-fest series Left 4 Dead should be a doddle.

Admittedly, getting the four-player co-op working on 3G could put a crowbar in the Steamworks.

While there are stacks of undead-themed games available for mobile gamers - such as the excellent Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies - none has the insanity of Valve’s bloody love letter to the zombie apocalypse B-movie genre.

Few games can emulate the sheer terror induced by hearing the nearby sobs of a witch, who can be startled by just a careless glance with a flashlight and tear your team to shreds in seconds.

While the full-fat campaign modes of the original would be hard to replicate on current iOS and Android technology, it’s easy to imagine the first game’s end of level sieges working beautifully on mobiles.

The frantic panic of fending off seemingly endless hordes of enemies from a less than secure safe house sounds like an addictive spin on the series that could be a killer smartphone app.

Although it debuted on Xbox Live, indie sensation Braid found a comfortable second home on Steam thanks to a port that’s nearly as smart as the game’s revolutionary twist on the 2D platforming template.

Based on screenshots alone, Jonathan Blow’s masterpiece looks like any other platformer – with enemies to jump on, ladders to climb, and keys to collect from precarious spots).

But its lush, hand-painted backgrounds, pastoral soundtrack, and – most importantly – unique time-travelling control system make Braid a daring, intelligent puzzle game that’s still stacks of fun to play.

To run on iOS or Android, an accurate virtual D-pad would be essential for basic movement, along with tap controls for jumping and ‘Rewinding’ or ‘Fast forwarding’ time (the key to solving Braid’s mental gymnasium of challenges).

Android also has the advantage over its peers of supporting a wide-range of physical controllers - like the Game Grip or Wiimote - which would instantly alleviate any touchscreen woes the normal controls would present.

Put simply, it doesn’t take time-travelling powers to know Braid would be a massive hit on mobile.

One thing Valve has always encouraged through its support of the PC indie gaming scene is experimentation. This ethos is, arguably, best demonstrated by art horror title The Path.

Developed by Tale of Tales, the creative duo behind the obscure walk-granny-around-tombstones-before-sitting-her-on-a-bench-‘em-up The Graveyard (released on Steam and iOS), the game is essentially a grown-up spin on the Red Riding Hood fairytale.

A series of sisters all take a risky stroll through the woods to Grandma’s house, but any straying from the titular path causes you to become dangerously lost. Only following subtle audio and visual clues, like a giggling girl in white running between the trees, can help them find a way out.

Although 'way out' for Tale of Tales means deeply Freudian encounters with manifestation of each girl’s lost innocence (from an amorous wood cutter to an actual snarling werewolf) followed by repeated disorientating trips around a psychedelic grandma’s house, so it’s not much of an escape for the faint of heart.

Player movement interaction in The Path is pretty limited so, with a little optimisation to the graphics and the addition of virtual joypad controls, this could easily be one of the most imaginative, unforgettable handheld titles out there.

Just don’t expect a restful night’s sleep afterwards.

This writer has friends who work in the pharmaceutical industry, and their tedious tales of poorly mixed batches and failed Viagra alternatives don’t hold a candle to a few hours with the genius of Space Chem.

Released this year on PC, Zachtronic Industries's revolutionary design-based puzzle game is already earning plaudits from esteemed reviewers at the likes of Rock Paper Shotgun.

You take on the role of chemist working in the frontier colonies of space tasked with meeting production quotas, while also surviving encounters with sinister forces plaguing the corridors of the Space Chem company.

On paper, the basic gameplay of designing circuits for chemicals to travel down into specific machines to transform their composition sounds a little yawn-inducing.

But in practice it’s a game packed with dramatic ‘Eureka!’ moments where you strive to build ridiculously complex contraptions that somehow just about work.

Space Chem is about the joy of scientific discovery, and with its straightforward yet enticingly futuristic design and simple mouse controls it should take precious little formula tweaking to transfer to iOS and Android.

The screen-filling later puzzles might be a smoother fit on tablets.

Our first thought upon playing the Arrowhead Game Studios’s imaginative, often hilarious dungeon crawler was, “This would be great on a phone”.

After giving Dungeon Hunter 2 a thorough test-run on Android, it’s clear that touchscreens and monster slaying are a near perfect fit.

What Gameloft’s Diablo-aping title lacked in originality, however, Magicka makes up for in spades.

With tongue firmly in cheek, you play a wizard sent on a grand adventure by his boss Vlad who positively insists he is, “not a vampire” (spoiler: he is).

Some graphical trimming would be needed to run it smoothly, but with some tap-friendly potion placement and neat auto-aiming this could potentially leave iOS and Android gamers spellbound for many, many hours.

This one’s an easy sell for Steam on mobile. Who could turn down the chance to transform their favourite music tracks into rollercoaster style, beat-matched highways to race down, dodging rocks and hitting coloured blocks for points?

Seriously, who? You? Don't make me laugh.

Audiosurf is a rhythm-action game, with some cues taken from the Guitar Hero brand of hyper-addictive tricks. The wide variety of game modes, dazzling visuals, and replayability only limited by your collection of MP3s make it an irresistible prospect.

With gyroscope or virtual D-pad controls, combined with global leaderboards that compare your scores with every Audiosurf player out there, securing a smooth enough framerate would be the only hurdle for developers here.

Introversion Software was one of the first indie developers to get its big break through Steam, with Darwinia still being a poster child for deep strategy gaming on a shoestring budget nearly six years after release.

A fast-paced spin on the real-time strategy template forged by the likes of Command & Conquer, Darwinia is imbued with impressive retro vector-based visuals and a cute story of virtual villagers (Darwinians) taking on a deadly computer virus.

Its minimal wireframe aesthetic ensures low system requirements, but the game still musters a distinctive style, an engaging plot, and some brain-tickling RTS thrills.

The simple, tap to attack controls are also ideal for iOS and Android touchscreens and, if it’s a hit, multiplayer expansion Multwinia could be swiftly ported too.

In this red hot title you play a dragon terrorising villagers with your fiery breath and stealing all their gold. It's an irresistible premise.

Your dragon has one goal: amass as much treasure as possible before the timer runs out. Burning towns, castles, and crops all reveal hidden piles of dazzling gold to haul back to your nest.

Annoyingly, furious villagers can fight back with scarily accurate archers and there’s the small matter of other dragons (either AI-managed or controlled by real-life players) trying to build their own hoard by stealing yours.

Games of Hoard are generally short, lasting around ten minutes or less, so it’s perfect for bite-sized handheld play. Plus the charming, quite simple graphics are ideal for the lower specs of current gen phones and tablets.

With its quick to master gameplay and fun premise, Hoard would be a perfect fit for Steam on iOS and Android. It's already available on the PlayStation Network, too (suggesting that other ports aren't out of the question).

The chance to be an all-conquering entity that’s able to wreak untold havoc upon already troubled nations with just a click of the mouse won’t be new to players of, say, Black & White.

However, the opportunity to do it in the guise of a power-suited politician with the backing of the world’s governments is a new one.

Fate of the World is a follow-up to surprisingly popular educational title BBC Climate Challenge – a game that proved, once for all, that real people should not rule the world.

A deeper, far more polished effort, Fate of the World puts you in charge of the GEO, a made-up organisation created to actually do something about the crippling global environmental issues that threaten to sink our planet under icecap meltwater before toasting any survivors through gigantic holes in the ozone layer.

Playing the game in turns using a simple card-based system, you make constant tough calls on how to handle major political, economic, and social problems.

It’s a delicate balancing act of maintaining support from your member nations while also telling them at ‘Electric cars work, honest’ and ‘Wind farms are great, put one in the middle of London’.

It's already a cult hit on PC, and the simple interface and emphasis on thoughtful play over eye-melting visuals could make Fate of the World a real force of nature on your phone.