I don't particularly like the gamified apps. I used Duolingo when I was visiting Vietnam, but I was visiting the south and it teaches the northern Hanoi dialect so some of what I learned didn't actually help when put into practice. I've also done some HelloChinese, but I don't know... The gamification ruins it for me, I think. It creates anxiety that I must get everything right and then I become avoidant and don't want to interact with it as much.

I've looked into taking a class at a university or something, but all the classes for Chinese in my area are remote. I have a much harder time learning that way and very much prefer being in a classroom environment.