The Google Play Store is home to many great Android games, and here is a list of 10 of the best ones. Of course, these are just some suggestions, and there are still many outstanding games out there. But if you are looking for something to play during this holiday, you definitely should check out the following titles:
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Even though it doesn’t bring the free-roaming racing experience that the Need for Speed franchise on console is famous for, Need for Speed: Most Wanted is still one of the best games of its genre on Android. It’s true that the tracks are linear, but the actual racing is fantastic.
You zoom through the dirty streets of a shady city to win various events that will earn you reputation and cash, which you can use to buy new cars.
The game features stunning graphics and intense soundtracks to get you moving. But most importantly, the controls are superb with responsive tilts and effortless drifting that will make you feel like you are playing OutRun 2 rather than a mobile game.
The Wolf Among Us
Telltale Games is famous for making episodic games with rich stories, and The Wolf Among Us is one of the best titles it has to offer. This is a violent, mature game that has you track down a murderer through the vile streets of the fictional Fabletown. Every decision you make carries weight, as it will not only affect what others think of you, but also the life and death of many.
The first episode is free, but the other four will cost you $14.99 (about Rs 1,050). It is no small amount of money to spend on a game, but it is totally worth it. Once you actually try it out, you will be dying to know what happens next.
Reigns: Game of Thrones
Reigns: Game of Thrones still follows the formula created by his predecessors Reigns and Reigns: Her Majesty, in which you manage a kingdom by making decisions through a Tinder-like swipe mechanics. However, as its name suggests, this game is set in the universe of the HBO massive TV show Game of Thrones.
You can choose several major characters from the TV show to play as, and swipe left or right to decide which course of action to take when presented with a problem. Be VERY careful with your choices, though, as more often than not one mistake will lead to you getting murdered in gruesome ways.
The idea is nothing complicated, but Reigns: Game of Thrones is surprisingly deep with excellent writing and tons of content to explore. The game also encourages exploration, as you can choose to do things differently than what the characters did in the TV show to see how things play out. Furthermore, its simple format and interface is perfect for the mobile platform.
Oceanhorn
Oceanhorn clearly draws a lot of inspiration from Legends of Zelda, but that is definitely not a bad thing when the result is one of the finest adventure games on mobile.
The story begins when you wake up to find that your father has walked out of your life, leaving behind only a necklace and a notebook. And since this is a video game, of course you decide that it’s time to embark on an adventure through the Uncharted Seas to explore various islands, interact with many characters, fight monsters, uncover mysteries and secrets, while trying your best not to get yourself killed.
The game lets you try the first chapter for free, but after that, if you decide that it is worth playing (which you most likely will), you shall have to pay for the rest.
Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery
This adventure game is all about exploration and discovery. With rich retro-style artwork and great soundtracks, Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery is just a gorgeous experience. The game is best enjoyed at your own pace, where you take your time to breathe everything in.
Unlike many adventure games that tend to give you tons of items in your inventory, Sworcery focuses more on the puzzles, which are restricted to just one screen. The solutions are often really abstract, and you will have to come up with creative ideas like manipulating the environment or even time to find them.
Even though the combat leaves a bit to be desired, Sworcery is still an evocative and rewarding experience well worth playing.
The Room: Old Sins
In The Room: Old Sins, you are tasked with investigating the mysterious disappearance of an engineer and his wife. As you follow the trail, you find yourself in a spooky attic. When you manage to turn on the lights, you see a peculiar dollhouse, and then suddenly a mysterious force sucks you into it.
It turns out the toy is actually a mini-reconstruction of a mansion, and now you are stuck in a Lovecraft-style horror adventure. To uncover the mystery of the place, you have to overcome many devious puzzles.
If you have played other “The Room” games before, then you know how good these games look and sound. If not, you definitely should.
Part Time UFO
Part Time UFO is a cute puzzle game featuring a UFO that is stuck on Earth after a crash land. But instead of trying to conquer the planet or finding a way home, this UFO decide to stay and make a living by taking pick-up jobs.
It’s a good thing, then, that this little UFO is fully equipped: It has got a massive claw designed explicitly for picking things up. And now, it is up to you to control the UFO to fulfill various tasks, from stacking deliveries on a truck, to building large structures.
It sounds simple, but if you have ever played a claw machine in real life, you know how infuriating those things are, and it is exactly like that in Part Time UFO. To succeed, you will need to overcome the game’s questionable physics, and there is even a time limit. The entire affair is just so ridiculous and silly that you can’t help but smile, despite all the frustration
Limbo
The word 'masterpiece' is often overused, but Limbo definitely deserves to be called just that. It is a platform game about a boy who has to navigate through many deadly traps and monstrous creatures in an eerie monochrome world to find his sister. The complicated puzzles, striking visuals, and creepy atmosphere all come to together to create an unforgettable experience.
Persephone
Persephone is another puzzle game where you are put in an isometric world full of hazards like spikes and poison darts and have to find a way to get to the exit. Usually that means you have to push objects around or trigger switches, just like any other puzzle game. However, the thing that sets Persephone apart from those games is that every time you die, you leave behind a corpse (up to 3 can be available at one time), and you can actually use these corpses as tools to solve the problem. For example, you can push your former shell into a spike pit to then walk over it. This unconventional and rather twisted mechanic contributes to making Persephone an outstanding game.
Alto’s Adventure
Alto’s Adventure is arguably the best endless runner game of this year. This game has many things to offer, but honestly, just the soundtracks alone is enough to earn it a rightful spot on this list. The music is so incredibly relaxing that you can literally listen to it for hours on end. On top of that, the gameplay is also very solid. You will control a character named Alto and snowboard across an endless range of beautiful snowy mountains, performing various tricks to earn high scores in the process.