The Best Android Games of 2022

Gaming on Android

Gaming used to mean standing at a wooden cabinet with a giant screen that ate your quarters. Then it was sitting on your couch or at a desk playing console or PC games. And now VR gaming is hitting the mainstream. Still, people tend to gravitate toward the platforms most attainable to them, including their Android phones and tablets. Sure, you're supposed to use your device for critically important Android apps, merely there's always time for some fun. Just make sure not to waste matter your time and money on a less-than-stellar game.

Our Favorites

Our roundup is by no means a comprehensive or consummate survey of Android games. A market place as vast and vibrant as Google Play has something for everyone: lath games, word games, shooters, racers, runners, and even fantasy quiz RPGs. What follows is a list of the games that my fellow reviewers at PCMag and I take played and thoroughly savour.

Android gaming (and the Android app feel in general) was one time second tier, with all the top titles beingness either exclusive to iOS or launching months subsequently on Android. But Google Play has grown to the signal where information technology'south as strong a mobile games marketplace as the Apple tree App Store. These days, it's not unusual for great games to appear simultaneously on both platforms.

One interesting trend in mobile games is that some developers are porting titles that premiered on console or PC over to Android. The list of Final Fantasy games that you tin can play on a phone grows e'er longer, and even a nearly forgotten classic like Crazy Taxi now lives on Google Play. It shows that these games have solid concepts that can exist translated beyond but near any platform, and information technology'due south a testament to how far mobile devices have come as gaming platforms. It's besides super convenient to have your favorite games accessible any fourth dimension you accept a free moment, and anywhere y'all travel.

The Best Is Nonetheless to Come

As with all of our lists, this story is a work in progress. We'll update and expand information technology from time to fourth dimension and effort to keep it fresh, too, by cycling out titles that have already had their moment in the sun. Hopefully, every time you check back, there volition be something new and exciting to discover.

Don't run into your favorite? Drop united states of america a message in the comments. Like you, we're always hungry for new tappy time wasters and stress relievers, and then we'll take a wait.

Banner Saga

The Banner Saga
$9.99
This tactical, plow-based strategy game was a hit on the PC and has finally arrived on Android. Lead your party of Vikings through a gorgeous, mythic world and weave your ain legendary story. Though the price tag is steep, the rewards are worthwhile (read: purchase it). A sequel has recently invaded the Google Play shop, but you should offset your journey here.

The Boxing of Polytopia

Gratuitous

The classic Civilization series does exist on mobile, but I've found the experience tedious and generally unenjoyable. Polytopia takes the strategy genre and boils it down to its bones, adds a layer of quirky, low-poly art, and polishes the issue to a shine with addictive mobile play. It'due south a swell way to turn a quick trip to the bathroom into a half-hour journey of conquest.

Hearthstone

Blizzard Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft

Free
If last year y'all had told me that in the year of our Lord 2022 I would be playing a collectible-card game based on World of Warcraft (WoW), I would have told you that seemed correct, since I've been obsessed with Hearthstone for several years at present. With endless variations on a simple game, Hearthstone jettisons the strife and ridiculous expense of collectible-menu games and makes them fun again. Fifty-fifty as someone who isn't a fan of WoW, I found the game to be both accessible and light-hearted enough to suck me in.

Clash Royale

Free
The follow-upwards to the mega-hit Disharmonism of Clans, Clash Royale combines elements of Dota 2, tower defense, and deck edifice into a shockingly charming package. It'southward a fun and addictive mobile feel that tin can be played with just a thumb. You can even complete all those in-app purchases one-handed, too.

Dots & Co
Gratis
Two Dots was a breakout hit for mobile gaming, deftly combining simple, portable play with a stylish blueprint. Dots and Co isn't and then much a sequel every bit information technology is a riff on the first game, introducing new special abilities and challenges. It retains all the zen strategy of the original, with some new twists that make it feel fresh.

Kim Kardashian Hollywood

Kim Kardashian Hollywood

Free
Calm down, haters. Regardless of what you call up nearly Kim 1000 or casual gaming, Kim Kardashian Hollywood is an enormously fun, cleverly written, and enjoyably addictive striking that is worth your time. I have zilch to add to our review'southward excellent summation: "...basically, it'southward exactly similar Chiliad Theft Automobile: San Andreas."

Miracle Merchant

Costless
Phenomenon Merchant is a fantasy-inspired take on solitaire that requires a good deal of strategy to master, despite its simple potion-making premise. All the more, the game features bright and inviting visuals that are certain to delight. It's offline functionality and portrait-style interface make information technology corking for mobile platforms as well.

Monument Valley

$iii.99
Monument Valley is an incredibly beautiful game, proving that a mobile game doesn't need to be synonymous with cheap and shallow. In this meditative conundrum, you have to use optical illusions to complete each gorgeous level. Meditative, mysterious, and intriguing, it's a must-play Android game.

Pokemon Go

Gratuitous
2016 will be remembered for the deaths of many great entertainers, the collapse of Western democracy and, almost importantly, for Pokemon Get. Past borer into your location information and your camera, Pokemon Go puts the pocketable monsters in our earth. It's a lot of fun, and a great excuse to explore your community. While the fad has certainly faded, the game is better than ever.

Reigns

$2.99
Reigns takes the familiar swipe-right-or-left mechanic from Tinder and uses it to tell a strange generational story of palace intrigue. You'll go through many kings along the way—sometimes very quickly—while trying to serve your people, respect the church, and fight off enemies. Oh, and Satan is after you. With retro looks and simple but challenging play, Reigns is an instant archetype.

Spaceteam

Gratuitous
Set Lustrous Prismneck to Maximum! In Spaceteam, y'all and the other people in the room work together to navigate a spacecraft through various mechanical disasters. If you lot and your friends love the technobabble of Star Trek, and so you'll love this unique game.