One of the advantages of owning an Android smartphone or tablet is a larger selection of mobile games available—compared to the Apple iPhone. Google isn’t as restrictive as Apple with the types of apps and games that you can download, so you’ll always have a wider range of gaming experiences.
However, there are millions upon millions of apps available to play on the Google Play Store, so it may be intimidating to find a good place to start. That’s where we come in.
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We rounded up the top 10 free and the top 10 paid games (20 in total) for your Android mobile device. So whether you like simple, yet challenging puzzle games, in-depth strategy MMO (massive multiplayer online) games, or just looking for something fun to play every once and a while, you’ll find a great selection of games worth playing, below:
TL;DR – These are the most popular Android games
Free Android Games
Paid Android Games
Most Popular Free Games
1. Monopoly Go!
Monopoly Go! is one of the most popular games on Android for a few reasons, it’s a classic that’s easy to play, quick to learn, and just flat out fun. This is the “Go!” version of the board game, which is faster-paced and more ruthless—instead of just bankrupting your opponents, you also have to destroy their properties in this take-no-prisoners mobile game.
2. Roblox
Roblox is the ultimate online community! This is an app that combines games and social media where you can create your own games and experiences, discover other player-created games, and build just about anything they can imagine. It’s also a virtual space where you can meet and chat with others.
3. Twisted Triangle
For those who love a good puzzle game, Twisted Triangle is here to keep you busy as you work to undo all of the knots and sort the ropes in the correct order. It’s easy to play with just the right amount of challenge in its puzzles.
4. Royal Match
Save the kingdom! Royal Match is a match-three puzzle game where you match royal items to clear levels to save King Robert. Once you clear a level, you get coins to upgrade, decorate, and rebuild your kingdom.
5. Subway Surfers
As its name suggests, in Subway Surfers you collect coins and surf the subway system in a fun, colorful fashion. Play as Jake, Tricky, and Fresh, who are trying to escape the Inspector and his dog.
6. 2248 – Number Puzzle Game
The app 2248 – Number Puzzle Game is easy to pick up and learn, but difficult to master. This is a swipe-and-match puzzle game where you match and merge identical numbers to clear a level.
For example: If you match four blocks of the number two, then four blocks merge into one number eight block, and then you try to match that with other number eight blocks around it, and so on and so on in sequence. The more you match and merge, then the more you can clear levels.
7. Duet Cats
Duet Cats is a fun (and incredibly adorable) rhythm game. All you need to do is control both cats and make sure they’re fed as the food drops down to the tune of the music in the background. It even has fun features where you can build your own cat tower, listen to remixes of popular songs from the cats, and much more.
8. Block Blast Adventure Master
Block Blast Adventure Master is a puzzle game that’s a mix between a traditional block game and a grid game. Just place the blocks in the square to create a solid line. Once a line is created, it disappears to make room for more blocks. Think of it as a drag-and-drop version of Tetris without the falling blocks.
9. Magic Tiles 3
If rhythm-based games are up your alley, Magic Tiles 3 will have you tapping and swiping tiles to a wide variety of music, from pop to jazz. To play, you simply need to tap the black tiles and avoid the white ones to the tune of what you’re listening to. They have over 1000 songs to work through as well, an online mode, weekly tournaments, and a band mode where you can play with other instruments.
10. Weapon Craft Run
In Weapon Craft Run, you simply need to shoot the obstacles that appear in your way. Along the way, you also collect chargers to load and can eventually upgrade your gun for a new approach.
Most Popular Paid Games
1. Minecraft ($7)
At $7, Minecraft is where you can explore anywhere and build anything in an open sandbox game. Your journey and experience are all up to you! You can use blocks, items, and other materials to build your home or your village, while you can also craft weapons to defend your home or hunt animals to eat or farm. The game is only limited to your imagination.
2. Bloons TD 6 ($7)
Defend your home from invading “Bloons” in Bloons TD 6 for $7. You can use an army of hero monkeys, structures, towers, bridges, and other devices to prevent balloon-like “Bloons” from traveling from one side of the map to the other. The more Bloons you pop, the more coins you make for upgrades, extra lives, and more.
3. Five Nights at Freddy’s ($3)
With the upcoming Blumhouse film releasing in October, there’s no better time than now to play Five Nights at Freddy’s. This version is remastered from the PC version as well. Play as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza who needs to carefully watch the cameras and keep an eye on the animatronics there. Their behavior has become a bit unpredictable at night, so you’ll need to be careful as you strive to survive five nights.
4. Monopoly – Classic Board Game ($4)
Play the classic board game Monopoly on your Android smartphone or tablet for $4. You can play as the classic game tokens—such as the car, top hat, battleship, and others—as you travel around the board buying up properties, building houses and hotels, and collecting rent via Monopoly Money. The object of the game is to bankrupt everyone, so you’re the sole winner with most of the money and properties.
5. Stardew Valley ($5)
With more than 50 hours of gameplay, Stardew Valley—which is priced at $5—is a farm simulation game that has elements of open-world role-playing. Set in Pelican Town, you inherit a small house and a plot of land from your grandfather. You’re then tasked with clearing the land to grow a farm that’s full of all sorts of livestock and crops. Once you’re ready to harvest, you sell your goods to expand your farm and business with more upgrades, animals, and crops.
6. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 ($3)
Per its title, this game is the sequel to the previously mentioned Five Nights at Freddy’s. In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, you return to the security desk but have some new faces amongst the animatronics to keep an eye on. This time around, you have your own Freddy Fazbear head as well that you can throw on to fool the animatronics into leaving you alone, should they happen to enter your office.
7. Magic Research ($4)
In Magic Research, you play as the headmaster of a Magic academy with the goal of being as educated as possible in the field, and garnering enough fame to compete in the Tournament of Magic. There are over a hundred different spells to learn and cast, over five dozen secret storylines, and so much more.
8. Incredibox ($5)
From French game developers So Far So Good, Incredibox—which goes for $5 on the Google Play Store—is an app that’s a mix between a music app and a gaming app where you can make your own music. Just drag-and-drop the beats, effects, melodies, and even voices to create a bouncy hip-hop track with impressive and fresh visuals and animations.
9. Ultimate Custom Night ($3)
For those who want a more customizable Five Nights at Freddy’s experience, Ultimate Custom Night is well worth the purchase. It features 50 animatronics that you can mix and match and set to difficulties between 0 and 20, alongside special features like a challenge menu, unlockable cutscenes, and more.
10. Terraria ($5)
Terraria—which goes for $5 on the Google Play Store—is a 2D action-adventure sandbox game where you can dig, fight, explore, mine, survive, and build your very own world. It combines elements of platforming and exploration, while it’s described as a mix between Metroid and Minecraft.
What to Look for in Android Games
The Google Play Store is the primary place where Android users find and download games with nearly four million apps available. It may sound daunting to search for games, but Google’s most popular free and paid games lists are a good place to start. Here’s what to look for in Android games.
The first thing you should do is check to see if the mobile game you want to play is compatible with your Android device. Most apps in the Google Play Store require that your smartphone is running, at least, Android version 4.4 KitKat—which was released in October 2013. Older mobile devices might not be able to run most modern games.
You should also consider how much storage space is available on your device. While some games have small file sizes of only a few hundred megabytes, there are others that have very large file sizes of up to 20GB. Luckily, there are Android devices that are designed with an expansion card slot built-in. If you run out of space, you can always pop in a microSD card to add extra storage. But if your device doesn’t have an expansion slot, then you’ll have to delete a few apps, photos, or videos to free up some space or get a new smartphone with a larger capacity altogether.
Meanwhile, when it comes to price, the Google Play Store divides games into two categories: Free-to-play and paid. And while free-to-play sounds self-explanatory, it doesn’t mean these games are completely free. Free versions of games might have commercial breaks or some limitations to gameplay, while in-app purchases can upgrade or remove restrictions. For example: Cooking Craze: Restaurant Game includes in-app purchases for additional items and bundles, but purchases are not required to play this game.
Additionally, most paid games download to your Android device completely unlocked. But, it might also include in-app purchases for upgrades. For example: Monopoly has in-app purchases to unlock special editions of the game. There’s also a gaming subscription called Google Play Pass for Android users. Games available for the service include zero ads and in-app purchases, so you’re free to play without restrictions for $5/mo.
Finally, the most important thing about picking an Android game is if it’s fun to play. Whether you’re going to spend a few minutes or hours upon hours playing it on your smartphone or tablet, games have to look like a fun and immersive challenge to conquer.
Upcoming Android Games
Wondering what new games are coming down the pipeline on Android? See the biggest upcoming Android games for the latest.
Also see: the 20 most popular iPhone games right now.
Rudie Obias is a contributing freelance Tech writer and editor for IGN with a speciality in all things Apple products.