If you’re anything like me, then when you’re riding along on a bus or a tube becoming steadily more and more bored of the dullness of your journey, you probably like to pass the time by enjoying a few games on your gadget.
Now, though I’ve found very few problems with the Apple series of tech, out of a pure sense of unexplainably gratuitous loyalty, I’ve always opted for Android-operated goods. But the fact is, many consumers are doing the same and really getting to grips with Google’s system, so why break the bias of a lifetime now?
This just leaves one question remaining then: What are the top Android games to own? Luckily, I’ve compiled a comprehensive collection of the most fun to the most humourous titles available on the Google Play Market.
1. Slot Machine
Remember the time you got wasted in Vegas, got married to a drinking buddy you met on the strip whilst completely blotto and then won the jackpot on the slots before…oh no wait, that was from a movie.
Slots isn’t the most glamourous orexhilarating game to engross yourself in – especially if you’re not playing for real money – but its simplicity makes for effortless victories that will, at least, brighten up your day (if not turning you into a gamble-a-holic somewhere down the line.)
There are added incentives to purchase virtual luxuries with your virtual money also, so you can get your buddies involved to see who can boast the bestfantasy spoils.
Cost: Free
2. Minecraft – Pocket Edition
Minecraftis essentially Lego model-making on your blower. Now you can relive the idle days of your youth by creating entire worlds to your specifications whilst…say…attending to some business in the lav. Block that image out.
The interface is as basic as they come so as not to exclude even the most technophobic of tech users. The sky is the limit with what you can interact with on screen and the game’s capabilities are neatly listed pictographically at the bottom.
Build it up, knock it down and rebuild it till your heart’s content. After all, they do say that, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Cost: $8.00
3. Words With Friends
Words With Friends boasts the most downloads and highest ratings of any word-based game you can download. Scrabble has been resuscitated to bring this app that is as educational as it is entertaining.
What’s more is the fact that you can communicate with your online opponents, via the chat bubble, as if sitting next to them in your living room, making it a more interactive experience. I’m just glad that this game has got people reading again, so to speak.
Cost: Free
4. Football Manager Handheld 2012
I spent weeks and weeks on this game; I’ve got it on my Laptop collecting dust because it’s just so much more user friendly on my mob. FM2012 is a must-have for soccer fans who watch matches from the unbearable remoteness of their living room armchairs, yelling at the players on their TV screens in the hopes that, somehow, they’d hear their cries of “SHOOT!”
You can play across leagues in three continents, competing in several domestic and international tournaments as you control every aspect of your team to helm them to the top. Training, transfers, press conferences; you name it, you do it – how you want and when you want. Total control, Mourinho!
Cost: $8.00
5. Burger
Ahh, the allure of working 12-hour shifts behind a steamy greasy grill.Burger puts the gamer in that position, against the clock and an influx of hungry customers with very particular palettes.
It’s another one of those games that is so uncomplicated that you just get involved in it and completely neglect your actual job.
Attack Mode is all about one-off speed. On Career Mode, however, the levels become progressively more difficult as you gain success until you soon find yourself having to piece together entire meals at a time. Just be sure not to put the burger in the coke, okay?!
Cost: Free
6. Draw Something
This game is so universally age appropriate, it’s unreal. That’s its major selling point (besides the fact that it needs no selling point because it’s free). Anybody can play it and everybody usually loves it.
The aim is to take turns bringing words to life by drawing them out whilst your opponent susses out what it is without the added pressure of time constraints.
Draw Something is artsy and funny; perfect for recreational use and cheap giggles.
Cost: Free
7. Predators
You’ve seen the films; you’ve memorised the legendary movie lines; now you get to submerge yourself in the situations.
What makes this game a little unconventional is that you play the bad guy rather than the hulking hero. You’re the gadget-laden classic Predator out to collect the “trophies” that are the severed heads of the finest hunters from earth and your Predator superiors.
The films made the Predator’s job look like a walk in the…jungle. With an enormous supply of alien gadgetry at your disposal, will you be able to master the craft quickly enough to avoid becoming the spoils of a muscular testosterone-filled Austrian?
Cost: $1.00
8. Paper Toss
Many of us have played this game in reality, rather than on our devices. The makers were aware of this so, aptly, they’ve set the thing in an office environment that awards your unruly behaviour.
I’d be lying if I said that Paper Toss wasn’t a lot like the Basketball Shoot app. Where it does differ is that there are a lot more hindrances you have to account for such as varying distances and winds as a result of wickedly-positioned cooling fans.
Piss off your co-workers over 6 exciting levels or just see what score you can tally before your boss returns.
Cost: Free
9. Drag Racing
It’s just you, a suped-up muscle car and a sequestered strip of asphalt…oh, and an opponent across from you, desperate to kick your ass for your “pinks.”
Drag Racing proves that driving in a straight line is exciting but isn’t as easy as it first appears. There are loads of cars to choose from, plenty of add-ons and a whole lot of timing issues to take into account.
Play against the computer or online against friends in competitive battle for cash. After just half an hour of solid racing, you’ll feel like a bona fide member of Vin Diesel’s Fast and Furious crew.
Cost: Free
10. Sentinel 3: Homeworld
War, what is it good for? Well, playing, actually. The defence series continues with this high-octane, action-packed, graphically-gorgeous third installation that will blow your proverbials to smithereens.
Prepare to fight the hostile alien threat with a huge cache of weaponry, picking your preferred artillery for each specific battle. Earn dollars going across 20 campaigns and unleash your extra capabilities as you rise through the ranks of the force. Considering the game costs just $3.98, you get a lot of rather large bangs for your bucks.
Cost: $3.98
11. Where’s My Water?
Whoever would have believed that an alligator would love showering so much? Swampy does and he’s an impatient reptile, desperate to cleanse.
WMW relies on your knowledge of fluid dynamics in order to dig pathways in the dirt at the correct locations to divert the flow of water to Swampy’s bathroom.
Like Minecraft, I suppose, there’s just some nice feeling to be had from knowing that you have correctly constructed something – or deconstructed something in this case. Added bonuses and obstacles make sure that things aren’t all plain plumbing.
Cost: Free
12. 101-in-1 Games
It’s a lot like your attic – filled with board games and activities you’re waiting to bring out when the whole family is settled around the fireplace during a festive holiday.
The fact that it supports up to 14 languages tells you about the worldwide appeal of this collection. There are action, sports, shoot-em-ups and many more 2D delights that you can navigate quickly between like an emulator without the hassle of having to set up ROMs. It’s a very satisfying free app that would take around 101 years to get totally bored of.
Cost: Free
13. Live Hold’em Poker Pro
On the Google market, there are a number of Poker apps that you can download, but here’s a game that boasts around 25 million Android users have played it. It’s easy to see why the game is so popular: It’s completely taken advantage of the Poker revival and created a unpretentious forum for chatting with your friends whilst honing your skills at a game that demands patience, guile and the handy ability to lie until your pants combust.
Cost: Free
14. Punch Hero
The competitive creators at GameEvil are at it again with Punch Hero. 3D characterisations, vicious combos and adjustable difficulty modes mean that the game is as accurate as an actual career on the canvas. As you progress, you become more cultured, improving your strokes until you’re the next Muhammed Ali.
If you think the fun stops there, you’d be wrong as the game allows you to pimp your puncher out in cool attires courtesy of the added Costume Shop. Punch Hero succeeds in making it humorous to hurt someone.
Cost: Free
15. Order & Chaos Online
Okay, at $7.99, this game is a little steep in app terms – and it also requires monthly subscription commitments as all major MMORPGs do – but you can instantly tell, once you click ‘play,’ that this game is as adaptable and entertaining as some of its more eminent competitors. It’s a Gameloft game so you can expect high-end.
Skills, equipment, characters and settings are updated on a regular basis, the only real problem you may end up experiencing, is differentiating the fake world quests from your real-life problems…seriously…I just tried to hack my in-laws to death with a sabre.
Cost: $7.99
16. Grand Theft Auto III
I know that you’re probably thinking that this is a really old game now, with the series looking set to continue up to Grand Theft Auto XXVI, but spare a bit of change for the commemorative value of the third chapter which celebrated its 10th anniversary recently.
Besides the difference in controllability, this one pretty much matches up to the dedicated games console versions. It’s simply an Android adaptation of identical competence…but it’s still awesome!
Cost: $6.39
17. BackStab HD
This 18th century, balls-out action-thriller doesn’t have the most downloads of any Android app you’ve seen. However, I learnt long ago to never judge a game by its downloads and was pleasantly surprised by what the gameplay had to offer.
You play Henry Blake – a man betrayed by the English Royal Navy he was once part of. Now turned unfortunate swashbuckler, you slink warily around desperately seeking deadly revenge over your conspirators.
There are a number of cool stealth ninja type moves that you can use and the attention to environmental detail makes each chapter immersive.
Furthermore, much like GTA, you don’t always have to play just for the missions; you can just go around the jungles, beaches and towns picking up ill-gotten gains and prostitutes who try to swindle you out of those ill-gotten gains. Delightful!
Cost: $7.99
18. Dead Trigger
This takes me waaay back to my days playing House of the Dead on the much maligned Dreamcast.
Dead Trigger is a classic apocalyptical first-person shoot-em-up that allows you to do some seriously gory damage to your undead antagonists.
The range of weapons seems never-ending, as does the ways in which you can hurt these harbingers of hell.
The reason why the visceral action, in particular, is so fluent is because the game’s creators, MADFINGER, utilised top-of-the-line motion-capture technology to enhance the gameplay.
Ultimately, this game is great if you’re supressing any pent-up anger and just feel like going on a rampage. Play, Dead Trigger 2 APK for the update!
Cost: Free
19. The Bard’s Tale
I’m laughing just thinking about this game.
First of all, you’re not that picture book Prince Charming for once; you’re kind of an antihero; a reluctant Robin Hood out for…well…vice, quite frankly. You go through towns, villages and forests scrapping against various enemies on your quests and leave with booty (I mean in a pirate sort of way…and sort of in a Beyonce kind of way too).
Not to mention the darned thing has musical numbers throughout. It’s all very pantomime-ey but it’s refreshingly innovative for a game – ironic considering it’s set around about the 1600s.
One reviewer described the game as being what it would look like if “Monty Python were to make a game.” It was probably a bard who coined this very precise analogy because I couldn’t put it any better than that.
Cost: $2.97
20. Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus
Black Pegasus: Hailed as the best offering from the Modern Combat trilogy purely for its codename…Of course, I jest, but it is widely regarded as the best of the bunch. This is due, in no small part, to its smooth and adjustable controllability: The first had no basis to learn from when it was produced, while the third seems to have gotten it all wrong in this department by trying too hard to improve on the second which was more than satisfactory already.
Anyhow, as part of the elite Mustang Squad, you must attempt to thwart numerous political powder kegs by freeing American hostages and stopping a cell of terrorists. Yeah, I’ll get right on it after my morning coffee.
Cost: $7.99
21. Pocket Legends
This Spacetime Studios MMO is a ridiculously straightforward attempt at a complex gaming genre…so why on earth does it never get dreary?! You can believe the hype around it once you’re patrolling the fictional realms and concourses.
If you want to attack your opponent whilst on a mission, it takes the touch of a single button to either manually hack away or, by changing your controls, auto attack the nearest enemy.
Additionally, there are magical special abilities – designed for exacting maximum destruction – which you can pick up for your chosen character as you progress and level up.
Any time you’re on, look me up and we’ll take on the hordes; just add “Qu1tsEasily”. See you online.
Cost: Free
22. Angry Birds
These are some angry birds man; we’re not talking about those seagulls who lurk ominously over your head as you chow down on a sub, waiting to seize the scraps you drop. No! These are bad-ass mucker-trucking feather heads being shot out of a slingshot to avenge their stolen offspring.
Let’s face it, if you haven’t encountered this neat little time-killer already, then it makes me wonder why you’re even checking out this article in the first instance.
Everybody likes it mainly for its comic value, completely neglecting the fact that, like so manyother physics-based games, you’re actually learning the rudimentary principles of geometric sciencein your search for the perfect angle to achieve direct impact. I’m not suggesting that this notion will get you out of detention if you’re caught playing the game in school, however.
Cost: Free
23. Real Football 3
Many aficionados of “the beautiful game” have shunned the expensive commercial appeal of FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer to opt for this impressive offering.
Real Football does exactly what it says on the title screen, presenting the player with everything it takes to build a team from the grassroots (pardon the pun) all the way up to championship challengers’ level.
And, for the first time in a Real Football game, you can actually see that you are dealing with the genuine FIFPro licenced players. With everything this app provides you with, why spend on anything else?
Cost: Free
24. Temple Run
I’ve had a dream about being chased by evil demon monkeys once that was in no way as pleasant. Temple Run is a joy for anybody who has ever wanted to don Indiana Jones’ fedora and embody his perilous lifestyle.
The game requires meticulous timing, poise and balls of steel as a number of impediments, fashioned precariously along your route to safety, threaten to turn you into monkey chow.
If you collect enough gold coins, you can purchase power ups and new characters that freshen up the game…if only a little bit.
Cost: Free
25. Raging Thunder 2
Intense! Yeah, that’s definitely the best superlative I can bestow upon this racer.
The game executes undeveloped 3D graphics – the kind of 3D you got from the Sega Saturn – but what it lacks in finely-tuned facets, it makes up in supreme playability.
Many racing games have the tendency to try to become too lifelike and just end up being finicky and annoying. Racing Thunder 2 cares less about looking like you’re actually in a Porsche Carrera, and more about feeling like you’re driving a specially calibrated on hurtling directly into your opposition for the tackle. BOOM!
Cost: Free
Really great article mate!