The best Android games

Wondering what the best Android games are? Whether strategy, roguelikes, deck-builders, Gachas, MOBAs, or point-and-click, the sheer range of great games available on the platform is mind-boggling. You could spend a good hundred days playing only Android games, and after, a friend would still pop out of the woodwork to recommend another one that you missed.

Variety is the spice of life, and the best Android games, in all their versatility, have a lot to offer you, including some of the best free Android games you can grab today. Also, as technology gets better, there are fewer and fewer limitations in terms of what our phones can run. So, we’ve created a list of our ultimate picks; be they games that started on PC, but are wonderfully suited for mobile, or the homegrown, which began right here on this platform. Whether you’re a fan of crafting in Crashlands, exploring the wide world of Genshin Impact, or side-shooting romps like Azur Lane, we’ve got something for everyone.

No matter if you’re at home, at a friends house, or out and about, our list of the best Android games will keep you flush with excellent content. We’ll keep this updated, too, so it’s well worth bookmarking this so you can refer back to it often. And if you’re looking for some specific genres, you can check out our picks for the best mobile RPGs or the best mobile Roguelikes.

Now, let’s get into our list of the best Android games you can pick up right now.

The best Android games:

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GENSHIN IMPACT

This free to play Zelda-inspired open-world RPG has quite honestly taken the world by storm, earning $100 million in its first two weeks of release, and now has the biggest Discord server ever. Genshin Impact sees you awake in the magical world of Teyvat, setting out on an adventure to find your lost godly sibling. The game lets you explore a massive world, and face off against fearsome monsters in RTS hack-and-slash combat. Alongside amazing visuals and a beautiful soundtrack, it’s no wonder that many consider Genshin to be one of the most ambitious mobile games ever. See our Genshin Impact review for more thoughts!

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Play Genshin Impact for free.

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Raid: Shadow Legends

If you’re new to the world of Android games, and want to know what the fuss is about over all of these gacha games, Raid: Shadow Legends is a great place to start. It’s a gorgeous RPG with plenty of heroes to collect, bosses to battle, and loot to gather.

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Play Raid: Shadow Legends for free.

Final Fantasy IX

This classic Final Fantasy title runs like a dream on Android. If you’re looking for a game with turn-based combat, an enthralling story, and some fun minigames, look no further than Final Fantasy IX (or any other Final Fantasy on mobile might I add). This version benefits from high speed and no encounter modes and the ability to autosave.

Crashlands

Craft, battle, and quest your way through the outlandish and vibrant world of Crashlands. You are stranded on an alien planet, and must hustle to retrieve your packages, as you become enmeshed in a nefarious plot of world domination. Learn recipes from the local sentient life, make new friends, discover ancient secrets and deadly bosses, and build your own home-away-from-home. If you love crafting and want to explore a huge world full of even bigger problems, this is the game for you.

among us

This social-deduction based indie game has risen to astonishing popularity in recent months after it caught the attention of the gaming community via popular Twitch streamers. And with the developer recently reporting 200 million downloads, it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. In Among Us, players must complete tasks to fix their ship, while also uprooting a murderer in their ranks before they are all wiped out. It’s incredibly fun, and best of all, it’s free on mobile.

PUBG Mobile

The original battle royale is on mobile, but PUBG Mobile is a strange one. A lot of people enjoyed the original PC game, because of a certain level of what I shall call, jank. People liked the glitches and weird unexpected stuff that happened. By comparison, PUBG Mobile actually plays very well, with regular PUBG Mobile updates adding fresh new content to the game, including the fresh, futuristic New Eden map. Undoubtedly one of the best Android games if you’re hankering for a battle royale – and best of all, it’s free to play.

Pascal’s Wager

Ever wished Dark Souls or Bloodborne were on mobile? Well, wish no longer as Pascal’s Wager is here to satisfy your dark fantasy urges. With a lengthy 20 hour plot, fairly big world to explore, multiple characters to recruit, and a wide variety of Lovecraftian-style horrors to beat, this mobile tribute to Soulsborne absolutely justifies its lofty price tag, and earns its place as one of the best Android games. See our Pascal’s Wager review if you want more info.

Candy Crush Soda Saga

If you like match-three puzzlers and are looking for a fun, free experience, then we can’t recommend Candy Crush Soda Saga enough. It’s the King of the genre on mobile, providing hundreds of levels of satisfyingly crisp gameplay.

Pokémon Go

While not an RPG in the strictest sense of the word, Pokémon Go does see you explore an open world in a more classic sense. This free, location-based game has you out and about in the actual world, catching Pokémon, and competing with other players to become leaders of your local gym. Many of you may have lost contact with the game after its surge in popularity a few years back, but it’s still supported with a fairly regular Pokémon Go update every now and then. It may be location-based, but it’s still one of the best Android games around.

Azur Lane

In this unique mix of RPG, 2D shooter, and tactical genres, you engage in easy and intuitive gameplay. As a side-scrolling shooter with beautiful anime graphics, you can build your own fleet from a choice of more than 300 ships as you break through enemy gunfire and defeat your foes. This fresh, free-to-play game offers up something very unique that will keep your thumbs busy for hours.

Bad North

In more Viking-based, mobile shenanigans, Bad North is one of the best strategy games on mobile. Adapting the classic tower defence formula, you and your units must defend islands from a fleet of rampaging raiders. The game features a wonderful simplicity, both in terms of visual aesthetic, and in terms of how you play. But as the islands get bigger, and the units multiply, things really start to heat up, and you find yourself having to put out fires left-right-and-centre – quite literally. Not only one of the best strategy games, but one of the best Android games too – see our Bad North review if you don’t believe us!

Terraforming Mars

Make the Red Planet green, in this corporation-based colonisation game. Yet another wonderful adaption of a great board game, Terraforming Mars sees you take the lead in planetary colonisation efforts, building and managing a tile-based map, and making the planet habitable through research and technology. A must-play for any 4x, or management simulation lovers. Interested? Take a look at our Terraforming Mars review.

Monument Valley

Undoubtedly one of the best games on mobile, Monument valley is a smart and beautiful puzzle game, which sees you navigating your way through shifting architecture. The concept is simple; you are presented with a structure, and your character has to make their way from the entrance to the exit. But a lot can happen in between those two doors. Monument Valley plays with space and architecture in such a smart way, using optical illusion and point-and-click play, as you discover your often surprising route through space. You wouldn’t have thought architectural puzzles would have such mass appeal, but Monument Valley has earned its place as one of the best Android games.

Hearthstone

One of the most influential deck builders on mobile, Hearthstone has you battling an opponent, using an ever-increasing mana pool to play cards, and escalate the battle. Attack the enemy hero and reduce their power to zero to win. But the sheer number of heroes, units, and spells you can employ is pretty crazy. Hearthstone even has an auto chess mode, called Battlegrounds, which is super inventive, and lots of fun. Though many would argue that Gwent or Legends of Runeterra are the best mobile deck-builders, Hearthstone definitely counts itself among the best Android games. If you want some guidance for the game, our Hearthstone decks guide can offer some guidance!

Sorcery!

Inkle’s aim has always been to create gaming experiences that can be enjoyed by everyone, whether they are gamers or not. It’s quite easy to see this in their interactive fiction work, such as 80 Days, but before 80 Days, there was ‘Sorcery!’ adapted from the Steve Jackson adventure books of the same name, ‘Sorcery!’ sees you adventuring to recover a kingdom’s lost crown, getting into all kinds of scrapes and scuffles, with your only recourse being either combat, or spells. The spell system in ‘Sorcery!’ is something special, and will get you out of all kinds of situations, provided you remember the three runes to cast each.

Vainglory

This free-to-play, arena brawler is based around choosing one of over 48 heroes, and bringing them to battle in any one of the game’s various modes. Vainglory is incredibly popular on mobile, and with great graphics, fast competitive play, and cross-platform multiplayer, it’s easy to see why.

Mario Kart Tour

That’s right, Mario Kart on mobile – and it’s free! Just as with Call of Duty: Mobile, simply the act of bringing a classic game to the mobile platform should be enough to impress. But Mario Kart Tour also brings your favourite characters, plenty of modes to play in, and regular content updates, meaning that they’ll always be more racing to do. Racing is a competitive genre, but Mario Kart Tour is one of the best Android games out there.

Alto’s Odyssey

Endless runners aren’t racing games in the classic sense, but you are still racing against something. In Alto’s Odyssey, it’s yourself. In the game, you move through each gorgeous generated map, completing a series of goals, which then allow you to move onto the next level. But Alto also features an endless mode, where you can just ride forever through an ever-changing map, which with beautiful architecture, and changing weather conditions, is a truly relaxing experience that you can play for free.

Downwell

Imagine the intentional monochrome dreariness of Binding of Isaac, crossed with the descent and escalation of Spelunky, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what Downwell is. In this dungeon descending roguelike, you play as a young boy, exploring a well for untold riches, his only companion, a set of gun boots. Pretty convenient for well-based exploration I’d say!

AFK Arena

With a beautiful art style inspired by Celtic mythology and a cast of characters with fun abilities, AFK Arena is not your typical RPG. Simply sit back and enjoy the ride as your heroes work hard to level so you don’t have to, only pitching in when it’s time to have some fun, enacting strategies in battles or exploring, and it’s free-to-play. We also have plenty of guides for AFK, including an extensive AFK Arena tier list and an AFK Arena codes guide.

Black Desert Mobile

If you’ve played the PC version, Black Desert Mobile is all the more impressive, especially considering it’s free-to-play at its base. How it manages to cram pretty much the whole experience onto your phone is impressive on its own, and that’s without mentioning the bevvy of additional improvements that allow it to play more comfortably on the small screen.

brawlhalla

If you’re looking for a fantastic, free mobile fighting game, you could do a lot worse than Brawlhalla. This port of the PC game sees you duking it out with up to eight other players online in a variety of modes, whether casual bouts, or ranked matches. Best of all, it’s free, and there are 50 distinctive characters to try your hand with. For more details, see our Brawlhalla characters list!

Asphalt 9: Legends

Undoubtedly one of the best racing games on mobile, Asphalt 9: Legends lets you collect cars and burn rubber on a variety of tracks throughout the world, for free. Its high-quality visuals as you race against opponents, smashing into their cars in slow motion, make it super exciting. The game also has a choice between auto-driving, where you only control the lane taken and boosting, and manual driving, just like the usual racing game experience. Asphalt 9 really does feel like a console-quality racing game on mobile.

call of duty: mobile

Distilling the classic COD experience onto Android and iOS, Call of Duty: Mobile is a fantastic first-person shooter, and you can play it for free. The game caters to all kinds of players, letting you choose an auto-fire mode or to manually aim and shoot, but TiMi Studios also keeps it updated with plenty of seasonal content, including new modes, weapons, skins, and characters. It’s a formula that has made Call of Duty: Mobile one of the most popular shooters on mobile, ranked among the likes of PUBG Mobile, and Garena Free Fire.

stardew valley

The popular Harvest Moon-esque farming RPG Stardew Valley is a fantastic game to play on Android. It sees you move to the country to take over your grandfather’s failing farm, grow crops, raise animals, and become part of the local community. You can even get married, explore the open world, fight monsters, or simply find a secluded spot to go fishing. If you’re looking for some relaxing simple life vibes, this is definitely a good option.

If you’re new to Stardew, feel free to browse our Stardew Valley fish, Stardew Valley coop, and Stardew Valley silo guides.

Neko Crush

This adorable game is all the fun of Candy Crush, but you also get to look after an adorable fat cat and decorate numerous buildings. There’s also a competitive element, meaning you can climb up a leaderboard to earn items and show off your skills to other players.

And that’s our list of the best Android games. We hope you find something fun to play. If you prefer Apple, why not have a browse at our list of the best iOS games?

Source: https://www.pockettactics.com/best-android-games