Updated on March 11th, at 14:30: With the news that Sony is shutting down PlayStation Mobile later this year, we thought you might appreciate this feature about the best games on the service.

Grab these great games on your Vita or compatible Android phone and activate your device, and you'll be able to play these games long after Sony's fledging App Store has bitten the dust.

Original story follows…

We don't blame you. It's not the world's most refined or streamlined platform, meaning you have to sift through lots of rubbish before you find those real gems.

Let's be honest: you've probably not bought a single PlayStation Mobile game yet, have you?

That's why we've put together the following list.

There ARE some great games on PS Mobile - and, by extension, PS Vita - you see. And you really ought to give a few of them a try before you dismiss PS Mobile completely.

After reading the following paragraphs, you may well end up wondering why you'd avoided PS Mobile in the first place. Switch Galaxy

By Atomicom

In this fast-paced space racer, you switch between lanes to collect credits and dodge coloured gates. It's nippy, and very slick.

Haunt the House: Terrortown

By SFB Games

You play a ghost who must possess items around a house to scare off the people living there. So, rattle dinosaur bones, play musical instruments, and generally scare the bajeepers out of them.

Chimpact

By Yippee Entertainment

You like monkeys and catapults, right? Chimpact is all about firing a chimp up a tree, dodging thorns and grabbing bananas along the way.

Aqua Kitty - Milk Mine Defender

By Tikipod

Imagine if the classic game Defender was set underwater, and you'll get a rough idea of how Aqua Kitty plays. Hugely entertaining, hugely replayable.



Cubixx

By Laughing Jackal

Cubixx was originally a PSP minis title. It's essentially a reworking of the classic arcade game Qix, and it's rather stylish.

Life of Pixel

By Super Icon

Here's a nice cheap platformer for you to sink your teeth into. Life of Pixel might be short, but there's plenty of jumpy fun to be had here. The gameplay harks back to titles from the good old days.

Gun Commando

By Green Hill

Retro-styled shooters can be a mixed bag, so I'm happy to report that Gun Commando is stellar. It straddles the line between the old and the new rather wonderfully.

Surge

By FuturLab

At first glance, Surge may appear to be a simple colour-matching game. Half an hour into play, mind, and you realise it's anything but. You're gonna have to remove blocks as more come rumbling into view, you see.

Cardboard Castle

By White Bird Productions

A fearless knight is out on a mission to save some damsels. You know, as all the best knights tend to do. You interact with your brave knight's surroundings to help him forge a path.

Rymdkapsel

By Grapefrukt

A minimalistic strategy game with a whole world of hidden depth. You keep a space station safe from attack, while investigating strange pillars dotted around the word.

Forevolution

By Pygmy Studios

A real-time strategy game with awesome mind-boggling visuals. The circle of life and creating species through evolution are at the core of this game.

Samurai Beatdown

By Beatnik Games

If you like slashing things, then Samurai Beatdown is going to be the slash-a-thon for you. It's also got some rhythm-action elements, just in case you get bored of slicing.

Rock Boshers DX

By Tikipod

Rock Boshers DX is a demake of the PC shooter Red Faction, which is really all it should take to convince you to download this game yesterday.

Cosmic Clean-Up

By Ripstone

Space is a dirty place. There's debris, rocks, and all manner of filthy floating stuff out there. In Cosmic Clean-Up, it's your job to get it all cleaned up. Good luck with that!

Out of Mind

By Thomas Hopper

There aren't enough platformers on this list, I reckon. Let's address that right now. Out of Mind is a freaky adventure filled with wall-jumping, scary-looking enemies, chiptune music, and strange faces all over the place.

Dungeon Bandit

By Rocking Pocket Games

Every gaming platform needs a good old-fashioned dungeon-crawler on it. Meet Dungeon Bandit for PS Mobile. We're talking non-linear progression and tons of levels here, chap.

Passing Time

By Honeyslug

If you're a bit sick of the same old console football franchises, you should try Passing Time. This is a football game all about the art of passing. Rather than the whole foot-to-ball experience.

Super Skull Smash GO!

By Thomas Hopper

Coins! Skeletons! Low-res visuals! On each of Super Skull Smash GO's levels, you're challenged to collect coins and chuck skulls around the place.

Quiet, Please!

By Nostatic Software

Sometimes, all you want is a little peace and quiet, right? Quiet, Please! is a short adventure puzzle game in which you attempt to stop all the noise going on around you. Shush!

Super Crate Box

By Vlambeer

It's impossible to fully grasp just how addictive Super Crate Box is until you play it. The game revolves around collecting crates for points, rather than killing enemies. Although you'll want to do the latter, too, to stop the hordes from overwhelming you.