Best Android games in 2024
What Google considers the best Android games probably won’t align with the title most gamers are looking for. Android Police has rounded up the games that are worth playing, offering a hand-picked selection that spans about every genre, ensuring there’s a game for you. Games aren’t our only focus, so if you’re looking for the best Android apps, we have a roundup for that too.
Action
Apex Legends Mobile
Since almost everyone else has brought or is bringing their AAA shooter to mobile, it was only a matter of time before Electronics Arts created a mobile version of Apex Legends. This is a ground-up remake for mobile, which means there is no cross-play with the console and PC game. However, you can play against friends on iOS, so there’s still some cross-compatibility.
But what’s especially crazy is that the game plays incredibly close to the real deal and feels similar. But since this mobile version is its own thing, you can expect unique events and characters for mobile that the mainline game won’t see. Best of all, the game is monetized fairly, so you can’t pay for an advantage, just cosmetics, which is definitely appreciated.
Apex Legends Mobile
ELECTRONIC ARTS
ACTION
Price: Free
4.3
Download
Alto’s Adventure
The Play Store is rife with auto-runners and endless-runners, and there are definitely a few good ones, but Alto’s Adventure is easily one of the best. Sure, a sequel is available, but the original is where perfection lays. It’s an incredibly simple setup. Snowboard as far as you can while completing goals. Once you finish a goal, you earn currency, which can be used to unlock new riders. And some of these riders offer better handling and speed, which means the more you unlock, the more currency you’ll earn, snowballing until you complete the game.
The graphics are gorgeous, the controls are spot-on, and the gameplay loop is addictive. Best of all, you can pay to remove the annoying ads, which is the best way to play, totally unencumbered.
Alto’s Adventure
Noodlecake
ACTION
Price: Free
4.3
Download
Slime Labs 2
Neutronized is a solid mobile developer that has been launching quality Android games for some time, including Lost Yetti and Little Fin. However, our favorite release from the studio was Slime Labs, an adorable physics-based platformer. Since we loved the first, now that a sequel is available, it’s now our go-to puzzle platformer on Android.
You can play for free as the game is ad-supported, and if you prefer a premium experience, you can remove those ads for $2.
Slime Labs 2
NEUTRONIZED
ADVENTURE
Price: Free
4
Download
Among Us
If you’re familiar with the tabletop game Werewolf or Mafia, you may be familiar with the social deduction gameplay of Among Us. While the title didn’t get much attention upon release, it gained traction once some streamers started getting views while playing it. As you can imagine, streamed social deduction games are fun to watch, so Among Us got wildly popular.
So if you’d like to play a multi-layer game where cooperation and backstabbing are prerequisites, a game that almost always results in drama among those playing, you’ll probably get a kick out of Among Us. The game is fairly monetized, plus it’s free to play, so there’s definitely no harm in giving it a try.
Among Us
Innersloth LLC
ACTION
Price: Free
3.7
Download
Call of Duty: Mobile
What would a best-of Android game roundup be without one of the popular free-to-play shooters on the list? Seeing that Fortnite is no longer available on the Play Store, Call of Duty is the obvious choice for today’s roundup. Sure, PUBG is still cruising along, but there’s no denying Call of Duty: Mobile is the cool kid in the group. It’s newer, and, well, it’s freaking Call of Duty. Classic maps are included for those feeling nostalgic, along with a battle royale mode that mirrors the gameplay found in every other battle royale.
Monetization is greedy but primarily cosmetic, though cheating is an issue. But what competitive mobile game doesn’t struggle with this problem? More or less, Call of Duty: Mobile does an okay job bringing the primary characteristics of the popular shooter from consoles to mobile, though all the familiar issues that plague the majority of F2P mobile games are present.
Call of Duty Mobile Season 7
Activision Publishing, Inc.
ACTION
Price: Free
4.3
Download
Castlevania: SotN
The term Metroidvania was coined to describe Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This is a classic PS1 game from Konami, a direct sequel to Rondo of Blood, and it’s still heralded as one of the best Castlevania games ever made. Konami brought the title to mobile in 2020 as a surprise release, and the port is fantastic. Not only does it run great, but controllers are supported, which means you can play this just like you did on the PS1, with tactile and responsive controls, which are necessary to beat this challenging game.
Sure, the touch controls work in a pinch, but you’re not going to finish the game using them, which is why controller support is so important. Hands-down, this is an excellent port of a fantastic game, and the price is totally on point. For once, Konami did something right.
Castlevania: SotN
KONAMI
ACTION
Price: $ 2.99
4.1
Download
Dead Cells
When it comes to roguelike Metroidvanias, Dead Cells is a name that’s often thrown around, and that’s because it’s a title that defines the genre. Thanks to the inclusion of controller support, the controls are spot-on, and even the touch controls are good enough to get you through the first few stages. Still, this is a challenging game, and death is a constant, but you’ll slowly progress as you unlock new weapons during your runs.
What’s nice is that the game supports high framerates, and those framerates are stable, making for a smooth experience. There’s even some extra DLC available when you finally beat the primary campaign, which means there are tons of content here that should last most players 30 hours or more.
Dead Cells
Playdigious
ACTION
Price: $ 8.99
4.3
Download
Pokémon UNITE
For the hardcore MOBA players, there’s League of Legends: Wild Rift, but if you’re only looking to dip your toe into the genre or simply require something a little more simple, Pokémon UNITE is one of the few highly-accessible MOBAs out there. Sure, the game is themed around Pokémon, and it’s clearly designed to appeal to children, but even if you find such things a little childish, there’s a lot of fun to be had with Pokémon UNITE.
You can easily play for free, and while the game is technically pay-to-win thanks to cash shop items that offer an advantage, it hardly matters if you’re looking to play casually.
Pokémon UNITE
The Pokemon Company
ACTION
Price: Free
4.5
Download
If you’re looking for more, check out our list of the best Action games on Android.
Adventure
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is an adventure game that might not appeal to everyone, thanks to its gacha design, but there’s no denying that miHoYo Limited raised the bar exponentially when it comes to the polish and content of free-to-play mobile games. The graphics in this Zelda-like adventure are superb. There are still very few mobile games that can compare a year later. The writing is also better than expected, and the game’s characters are detailed and interesting. Still, the monetization is greedy, and you’ll be bombarded with all manner of sales and other annoying in-game notifications. There’s also a lack of end-game content, and you’ll run into plenty of false walls along the way, purposefully slowing down your progress.
It’s a love it or hate it kind of thing, which will ultimately come down to how willing you are to put up with grindy gameplay that’s monetized poorly. Still, Genshin is a great-looking game that’s perfect for stress-testing new hardware, and there’s some fun to be had if you play casually, especially since there’s cross-save support across all supported platforms.
Genshin Impact
COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD.
ADVENTURE
Price: Free
4.2
Download
Pokémon GO
When Pokémon GO first dropped in the summer of 2016, it was a phenomenon. You couldn’t walk through a city without running into groups capturing Pokémon. It was wild, but Niantic squandered a lot of player goodwill with a buggy game that seemingly took forever to update to the more stable title we know today. Still, many people play to collect Pokémon, and while the monetization is greedy, it would seem the player base doesn’t mind. To this day, Pokémon GO is the most well-known augmented reality game out there, even with Niantic releasing new branded AR games at an even clip.
There’s no doubt Pokémon has staying power, so even though the game is often poorly managed, to the point many reviews are now complaining about lag, kids and adults still love it. While we wouldn’t call the collection gameplay the best, it is unique and addictive, which appears to be a winning strategy for Niantic.
Pokémon GONiantic, Inc.
ADVENTURE
Price: Free
4.3
Download
Streets of Rage 4
The Streets of Rage brawling series dates back to the 90s on Sega’s Genesis. Streets of Rage 4 is something of a series revival, released almost 30 years after the third game. And it’s phenomenal, including the Android port. You have your choice of new and classic characters, with exceptional art and music that adds up to one of the best brawlers released in years.
The Android port is fantastic, and it offers all the features you’d expect of a console/PC-quality game, such as controller support, optimized performance that can easily hold 60FPS, and the post-release DLC with its survival mode. However, the DLC has an added cost on the $8 price tag (Mr. X’s Nightmare DLC is $3). So if you’ve yet to play this fantastic beat ’em up (make sure to check out the beginner’s guide), now’s you’re chance to play on Android, controller support included.
Streets of Rage 4
Playdigious
ARCADE
Price: $ 8.99
4.9
Download
Minecraft
Minecraft doesn’t need an introduction. Mojang’s open-world voxel sandbox content should be familiar to most. You can build like Legos in a free-play mode or jump into survival mode to grind your days away. Multiplayer content is a huge part of the game, and while the store is packed with all kinds of content to buy, at least the primary gameplay loop remains consistent.
Controllers are supported out of the box, and the touchscreen controls are plenty serviceable. All around, this is a solid port of a great game that offers hundreds of hours of gameplay. For the asking price, you can’t go wrong.
Minecraft
Mojang
ARCADE
Price: $ 7.49
4.6
Download
Card games
Dicey Dungeons
Terry Cavanagh is probably best known for Super Hexagon and VVVVVV, but his quirky card game Dicey Dungeons is also a strong contender, thanks to its enjoyable roguelike collectible card gameplay, often compared to Slay the Spire, as this is a solo experience designed for fun instead of emptying wallets, like so many competitive card games. This means you’re free to enjoy your purchase however you wish, and best of all, since this is a premium release, you get the full game for $5, and the developer included the game’s new DLC as part of this fee, which is a nice touch.
Dicey Dungeons
Terry Cavanagh
ROLEPLAYING
Price: $ 4.99
4.7
Download
Slay the Spire
What can I say? Card game fanatics love Slay the Spire. You see the name every time people ask for Android game recommendations, and for a good reason. Unlike many mobile card games, this is a solo experience, and it plays like a roguelike, where you’ll build a deck to set out on your adventure to see how far you can get. This is a game that many have spent hundreds of hours in. It’s basically endless if you’re into theorycrafting.
So if you’re sick of wasting time and money grinding through pointless pay-to-win cards games, perhaps it’s time to give Slay the Spire a try?
Slay the Spire
Humble Games
CARD
Price: $ 9.99
4.5
Download
GWENT: Rogue Mage
It would seem CD Projekt RED stumbled into the card game business with the launch of The Witcher 3, all thanks to its mini-game Gwent. Well, seeing that so many fans enjoyed the game, CD created a standalone title for competitive play. But as these things go, chasing the meta isn’t for everyone, and CD created Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, a standalone solo game based on Gwent.
Well, why launch one single-player-focused spin on Gwent when you can launch two? Gwent: Rogue Mage is an even newer release that offers Gwent’s familiar gameplay for solo play, and it’s a premium release to boot at $10. Yes, there’s an optional in-app purchase available, but this unlocks a few outfits and cards for the online version of Gwent. So despite the confusing mess CD Projekt RED has made of Gwent and its many games, Gwent: Rogue Mage is easily a title worth exploring if you prefer games of skill over those that demand constant payment.
GWENT: Rogue Mage
CD PROJEKT S.A.
CARD
Price: $ 9.99
3.6
Download
Looking for more card games? Here’s our roundup of the best card games on Android.
Puzzle
Angry Birds
That’s right; Angry Birds is back. This time as the original game under the Rovio Classics moniker, and it’s a premium release. Everything you remember is here, including the classic slingshot play, but now with new graphics fitting for modern devices, thanks to the ground-up rebuild in the Unity engine. There are over 390 levels to explore, spread across eight Angry Birds episodes, and reaching three stars in every single one of them will be quite the challenge. And if you’re looking to quickly get started with Angry Birds, check the linked guide.
What’s great is that there are no in-app purchases or advertisements to ruin the experience, as this is a premium release available for the low price of $1. It doesn’t get much better than that. So if you enjoyed the classic, make sure to check out the new remake.
# best android games free download #
