While I don’t typically consider myself a fervent mobile gamer, observing the platform’s evolution and its software, particularly in recent years, has been truly captivating. We’ve journeyed from mobile games firmly rooted in the somewhat monotonous landscape of timed activities, through a surge of low-cost, simplistic life simulation options, and an extreme array of trivia and puzzle projects, to sophisticated alternatives like Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. We’ve even seen excellent ports such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Balatro, and many more. Despite a prevailing stigma among PC and console audiences that mobile gaming is inherently inferior, it has become a far more impressive and admirable landscape than it once was.
I mention this because the next significant expansion in the world of mobile gaming comes from Ubisoft. After delivering Rainbow Six Mobile, Ubisoft is now poised to offer The Division Resurgence, a mobile-exclusive iteration of the popular series that strives to preserve the franchise’s authenticity without the inherent advantages of PC and console platforms. And surprisingly, it represents a commendable effort toward achieving such lofty ambitions.
First and foremost, when evaluating The Division Resurgence from a macro perspective, it effectively delivers the fundamental pillars that define a The Division experience. There’s tight, thrilling third-person action-oriented gameplay, allowing players to approach combat situations tactically. The emphasis remains on looting and progressively enhancing power by acquiring better equipment and upgrading existing inventory, all tied to a color-coded rarity system. An open world is available for exploration, where you’ll encounter enemies in the streets while navigating to and from key, thematic story missions. The familiar element of extraction linked to the Dark Zone, where you can either strike it rich or leave empty-handed, is also present. A strong focus on social play allows for undertaking various missions solo or teaming up with friends. The point is, there’s a wealth of content here that immediately signals this is unequivocally a The Division game, despite the inherent limitations of the mobile platform.
Ubisoft’s development team has done an excellent job in delivering a fluid game (even if it’s far from visually stunning) that offers challenging yet rewarding gameplay. Whether you’re playing with touch controls—which mirror most mobile shooters with the left side of the screen primarily for movement and the right for aiming and key inputs like reloading and ability use—or utilizing a connected controller, the action is intense and explosive, clearly designed to offer a robust challenge. Enemy artificial intelligence is smart and will put you to the test, with flanking maneuvers and armored or shielded threats rushing you to prevent passive cover-based play. You must remain vigilant, leveraging level design, your abilities, and resources to survive certain encounters, which is more than many mobile games can claim. Similarly, while I wouldn’t profess to adore the touch-screen aiming controls, they function quite effectively here, though controller-based action is undeniably superior.
When you combine effective core gameplay with the freedom of an open world—which, by mobile standards, is quite impressive—add a comprehensive story, detailed looter-shooter systems, deep progression and build crafting, and offer all of this for free, it’s hard not to recognize the brilliance of The Division Resurgence from a consumer’s perspective. This isn’t to say there isn’t room for improvement; there is, including perhaps slightly less aggressive enemies, as combat (though I appreciate the challenge) is currently rather demanding, to cite one example. But much like Diablo Immortal, if established PC and console developers aren’t dedicating their resources to more player-centric platforms, then a project like The Division Resurgence serves as the next best thing. Without spending a dime, you gain access to what is effectively a foundational version of the core series. It’s a compelling compromise for a game you can enjoy on a 7-inch device during your commute.
However, this brings me to some of the game’s more serious issues. The Division is an inherently complex experience, both in its presentation and gameplay structure. Navigating New York and engaging in intense firefights loses much of its luster on a smartphone screen, especially if you’re not using an ‘Ultra’ or ‘Max’ model device. In my experience on an iPhone 16 Pro, the game ran beautifully, but I struggled to fully discern all the on-screen action due to the small display, further cluttered by two thumbs attempting to aim and snipe enemies from over 30 meters away. There is simply too much information to effectively manage within such a confined screen space.
Similarly, regarding the game’s structure, it hasn’t been incorporated in a way that series regulars will fully appreciate. New York is an open world, which is impressive for mobile devices, but it often feels less like an engaging open world and more like a series of lifeless blocks and streets you traverse to reach the next mission, occasionally stopping to clear out enemies that have spawned 20 meters away. Missions then funnel you into distinct arenas where groups of enemies are thrown at you as you move through unique ‘combat bowls.’ The gameplay often evokes action games from the early 2000s, where everything felt very methodical and formal. While this functionality is a testament to mobile gaming reaching this point in its evolution, it’s a significant departure from modern gaming standards.
Finally, we arrive at my biggest grievance: The Division is already a complex series that demands considerable effort, time, and thought to optimize builds, learn where to find the right items, and understand how to exploit game systems. Now imagine this combined with a multitude of features typical of free-to-play mobile titles. We’re talking about tons of menus dedicated to daily and weekly quests, shops with overwhelming monetization, battle passes, and far too many currencies and resources that simply clutter the entire experience. The fact remains that there’s always a catch, and a game as comprehensive as The Division Resurgence, with all its gameplay variations and reflections of The Division formula, cannot be offered for free without incorporating these often anti-player systems.
Ultimately, what we get with The Division Resurgence is quite similar to Diablo Immortal. At its core, it’s a highly ambitious and impressive video game that represents a considerable improvement over many offerings on the mobile platform. However, it’s simultaneously weighed down and hindered by the inclusion of intrusive and demoralizing mobile-specific elements that continue to give the platform a bad reputation. Does it function well as a game you can jump into for 20 minutes at a time during your commute? Absolutely. But could you sit and play The Division Resurgence for hours on end, eventually accumulating hundreds of hours of playtime, as is easily done with its console and PC counterparts? No, it lacks both the structural depth and long-term appeal to be such a title. Therefore, we’re discussing an above-average mobile game, but also another clear example that mobile, despite its advancements, still lags behind other platforms.