For PC gamers, the latest rave is auto-chess – a genre where players purchase units to combine and compose in an arena to create a team that auto-battles other teams in the race for victory.
In January, a mod for Dota 2 called Dota Auto Chess brought the genre to light, which has since taken off with other large gaming companies creating their own adaptations of the game.
One of these games is Teamfight Tactics, Riot Games month-old and increasingly popular rendition of Dota Auto Chess.
The game is currently available to play as a League of Legends game mode, which means to play, players will have to download and log-in to the League client, which is only available to Microsoft Windows and macOS users.
For a long time, players have wondered if League of Legends would ever adapt to a mobile version of the game, and while the rumor mill is always running with possibilities, it hasn’t happened yet.
With the release of Teamfight Tactics, the thought that LoL would bring something mobile to the table increased significantly.
According to the Teamfight Tactics event homepage, “TFT is a round-based strategy game that pits you against seven opponents in a free-for-all race to build a powerful team that fights on your behalf.”
Much different from the League of Legends MOBA game, TFT has a simple layout where players may have to apply quick strategic thinking, but there’s a lot less clicking required.
The auto-chess genre is perfect for expanding to mobile phones, and this can easily be seen with competitors in the field – such as Dota Underlords – who have already established a mobile platform.
While League of Legends has yet to jump on the mobile train, there actually is a way to play the game straight from your smartphone or tablet – and that’s using an application called Steam Link.
Steam Link is an app for popular gaming distributor platform, Steam, which allows users to link their Steam account to their phone. By doing this, users can access their desktop and stream Steam games directly on their mobile device – so how does this support League of Legends?
First, users must download and make an account with Steam on their PC if they don’t have one already. Next, locate the “Add a Game” feature in the bottom left-hand corner of the client. Choose “Add a Non-Steam Game” and wait for the computer to detect other available programs. After selecting League of Legends, the game will be added to the Steam game library.
Next, it’s as easy as downloading the Steam Link application, syncing up the PC and mobile device, and selecting Play on the League of Legends game (this might be easier to control on the PC to start).
From there, players can access the entire LoL client, giving the ability to jump into a TFT game right from a phone or tablet.
While the controls will take some getting used to and snagging the right champion during a carousel round may feel wonky at first, for players who have been dying to get their hands on a mobile version of TFT, there’s always a way.
Riot Games has yet to announce or talk about the possibility of Teamfight Tactics adapting to mobile, but with a growing player base and high success, it’s a likely thing to happen in the future.
For now, players can take advantage of Steam Link and auto-battle it out from anywhere in their home.
