Best Android Games Available Right Now
Android games have come a long way and there’s a lot to choose from. Here are the best Android games currently available.
Gaming on mobile has been improving at a far greater rate than any technology that came before it. Android games seem to hit new heights every year. We see more and more premium game releases that challenge what phones can do, and even free-to-play games are getting better and better. To be honest, mobile has some reasonably impressive titles. Console and PC are still the kings of gaming. However, a lot of console and PC games are also on mobile. Parity isn’t there yet, but it’s happening as we speak. Mobile gaming isn’t the casual-only basement platform it was ten years ago.
Without further delay, here are the best Android games available right now. These are the best of the best, so the list won’t change all that often unless something excellent comes along. We also would like to give honorable mentions to Monument Valley 1 and 2, Dead Cells, and The Room series.
Apex Legends Mobile
Price: Free to play
Apex Legends Mobile came out in 2022 and hit the ground running. It’s a battle royale shooter in the same genre as Fortnite and PUBG New State. However, this one came out relatively polished with some excellent controls, a few different game modes, and more interesting abilities. The base battle royale mode features 60 players across 20 squads. There is a ranked variant as well, along with a team deathmatch mode. You unlock new Legends as you play, and each Legend has its own set of abilities. It’s new, so it’s a little light, but it got over ten million downloads in its first month, and it’s honestly more fun than most other offerings in the genre.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Price: Free to play
Call of Duty: Mobile was our pick for the best Android game in 2019. We usually wait a while before adding a game, but Call of Duty: Mobile is so intensely popular with such a high rating that we added it more quickly than usual. The game has both a normal FPS online PvP mode along with a 100-player battle royale. That puts it in a rare category where it does battle royale like PUBG Mobile, but also regular FPS PvP like Critical Ops or Modern Combat. There is a surprising amount of stuff to do, and the gameplay mechanics are solid and smooth.
Genshin Impact
Price: Free to play
Genshin Impact is an action RPG game with gacha mechanics. Upon its release, it received wide critical acclaim for its impressive visuals and excellent gameplay. It looks and acts a bit like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but nobody seems to really mind. The game does have a party system, and you summon new characters through a gacha system similar to other gachas. However, the visual elements, gameplay mechanics, and the completely open world (complete with a glider) make the game feel a lot less restrictive than most in the genre.
Unless the developer messes this one up, it should remain excellent for a long time. You can play on PC or PlayStation as well with the same saved data, even if it is annoying to set up at first. Tower of Fantasy (Google Play) has some similar mechanics, but Genshin does it better.
GRID Autosport
Price: $9.99
GRID Autosport launched in 2019 and immediately became one of the best racing games for Android. It’s a premium game with no in-app purchases or advertising, a rarity in this space. The game also boasts excellent graphics, excellent controls, hardware controller support, tons of content to play through, tons of cars to unlock, and a variety of racing styles.
The game is a bit expensive, and it’s missing some smaller things racing fanatics tend to like, but it’s otherwise one of the best racing experiences in the Play Store. It doesn’t get updated frequently, which isn’t ideal, but it gets enough to keep it relevant. Riptide GP and the Asphalt series are also great racing games.
League of Legends: Wild Rift
Price: Free to play
League of Legends: Wild Rift is a 5v5 MOBA game. Mobile used to have a ton of these, but several kind of fell off over the last few years. League of Legends: Wild Rift is arguably the best of the bunch right now. Matches take about 15-20 minutes, and that’s a bit long for a mobile MOBA. However, the game is fun, you can’t buy wins, and the developers seem intent on making sure this one stays balanced.
It’s not perfect. Casual games sometimes have unbalanced teams, which can be frustrating. However, there isn’t much that can be done about it. This is a rock-solid MOBA in a genre where nothing has been consistent for a few years now.
Legends of Runeterra
Price: Free to play
Legends of Runeterra is one of the newer Android games on this list. It’s an online battler similar in scope to games like Hearthstone. Players collect cards and heroes, then build decks from those cards and heroes. You then battle opponents online. The game removes as much of the randomness as it can, and it leads to a good gameplay experience overall. The game includes 24 champions, a bunch of cards, and you can invite friends to duel with you as well. Hearthstone donned this list for a long time, but it’s time for a new champion in this space.
Levelhead
Price: $6.99
Levelhead is a new platformer from Butterscotch Shenanigans, the same developer of Crashlands. Crashlands was on this very list for a good two or three years, and we expect Levelhead to be here for a while too. It’s a platformer with 90 levels, surprisingly satisfying controls, and some excellent humor. However, this one sets itself apart from others with its truly excellent custom-level building. Players can build levels and upload them to the game. Other players download them, and the most popular end up in the game’s prestigious vault.
Plus, the game has speedrunning features, and each level comes with its own leaderboard (even the custom ones). Finally, the game is cross-platform with cloud saves. It covers all of the bases for a mobile platformer. For real, this game is so good. It’s also free with Google Play Pass if you use that.
Minecraft
Price: $6.99 with in-app purchases
Minecraft is a popular game all around the world for people of all ages. For those who have never played, Minecraft puts you in a giant world where you mine, build, beat up bad guys, and do whatever you want. There is a survival mode where you must mine your own resources and food along with a creative mode that gives you unlimited everything. Frequent updates have added tons of new content and possibilities.
The game is pretty much on par with its PC and console counterparts. In fact, you can play on multiplayer servers with people on those platforms. There are in-app purchases, but they’re just for customization things like skin packs. It’s not only the best sandbox game on Android but also one of the best survival games as well.
Pokemon Go
Price: Free to play
Pokemon GO exploded onto the mobile gaming scene in July 2016 and immediately became of the best Android games ever. It’s an augmented reality game similar to Ingress where you walk around the real world, catch Pokemon, complete little side missions, battle other trainers for Gyms, and hit up Pokestops to restock on items. It beat virtually every record in the books as the world’s most popular mobile game. Many think the game has died off, but it’s been maintaining its active player base for the last few years and seems to be getting more popular.
Thankfully, the game gets frequent updates with new features. Some more recent features include an AR camera mode, new Pokemon, and a bunch of other neat stuff. Niantic also launched Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a Harry Potter AR game with similar mechanics. The two games stand alone atop the best augmented reality games on mobile.
Rocket League Sideswipe
Price: Free to play
Rocket League Sideswipe is one of the most popular and entertaining arcade games on mobile. It’s a 2D version of the popular PC and console game, but it still manages to be fast-paced and fun. Players drive around in cars and try to use them to score goals with a giant soccer ball. This version includes 1v1 and 2v2 modes, and most matches only take about two minutes to complete. That makes it an excellent time killer for folks who don’t want to spend five hours waiting for a good stopping point.
Some other game features include simple controls, offline matches against bots, some social features, and a season pass with a bunch of cosmetics to earn. It’s not the deepest game, but sometimes the most fun games don’t have to be super deep as well. If you’re looking for quick arcade action, this is about as good as it gets.
Sky: Children of Light
Price: Free to play
Sky: Children of Light is an excellent adventure game from 2020. The game features seven worlds for you to explore, a variety of character customizations to look how you want, some truly excellent graphics, and one of the most unique social experiences in any game. You can interact with players in the game without a voice or text chat (although text chats are available). Players get your attention to take you where you need to go by grabbing your hand and taking you with them. It’s preposterously adorable. There are a bunch of truly great adventure games here, but Sky: Child of Light is just something different.
Stardew Valley
Price: $7.99
Stardew Valley is easily one of the best premium games from 2019 and one of the best games overall. It’s a farming simulator with some RPG elements. You start out with a neglected farm and must rebuild it to its former glory. Players catch fish, grow crops, raise livestock, and interact with the various townspeople. You can even get married and have a family.
The retro graphics help keep things simple, but the game has dozens of hours of content. Plus, the controls are simple and most of the in-game interactions are charming and fun. It’s the best farming sim on mobile even if it’s not entirely realistic. It’s also free if you subscribe to Google Play Pass.
Streets of Rage 4
Price: $8.99 + $2.99
Streets of Rage 4 was one of the best games of 2022, and it’s good enough to be an all-time great. It’s an arcade beat ’em-up game that’s done in the style of the 1990s. You choose a character, walk through each level, and beat up bad guys while avoiding taking damage. The base game includes three different game modes, about a dozen characters, secret levels, hardware controller support, and multiplayer.
For an additional $2.99 (as an in-app purchase), you get access to the Mr. X Nightmare DLC. It adds three more playable characters, more levels, a survival mode, and character customization. We think it’s worth it to dish out the extra $2.99, even after paying the $8.99 charge for the base game. This is a great one, especially if you like old-school beat ’em-ups.
