10 Best Mobile RPGs Available On Android

The RPG genre on console and PC enjoys ongoing mainstream success, with the likes of the upcoming Starfield, Final Fantasy XVI, and more showing off its variety. And even though mobile platforms are notorious for filling their app stores with shovelware titles plagued by microtransactions, it’s home to plenty of great RPGs.

Most of those titles are console and PC ports of prior video game releases – classic or otherwise – but have nonetheless translated well onto the mobile platform. From beloved JRPGs like Chrono Triggerto CRPGs like the revered Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, there’s an impressive level of variety on Android.

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Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

Often hailed as the best Star Wars game ever published, Knights of the Old Republic is also highly praised in the genre overall. Taking place in the now splintered-off Legends continuity and thousands of years before The Phantom Menace, Knights of the Old Republic puts players in the role of an amnesiac thrown into a heated intergalactic war between the Jedi and Sith.

While the game has certainly shown its age, it was acclaimed for its astounding level of role-playing depth. Player choice is rewarding via a morality system, on top of the customizable classes and composition of party characters.

Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster

All of the Final Fantasy games available on Android are at least honorable mentions for being some of the best RPGs on the platform, but the Pixel Remaster for IV is a particular highlight. It’s one of the best mainline Final Fantasy titles, and this remastered version – Android or not – is arguably the definitive way to play this classic.

The 3D remake is also a worthy shout, but this nails the nostalgic 16-bit experience. Final Fantasy IV was lauded for setting the new standard for JRPGs, with the game-changing Active-Time Battle system adding a layer of tension to combat and an engrossing, dramatic focus on high-fantasy storytelling.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II – The Sith Lords

Obsidian Entertainment took over for BioWare to develop the sequel, and Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords received impressive critical reception as well. Mechanically, the game doesn’t change much from its predecessor, but that mostly works in its favor.

Some tweaks might have been appreciated, but the change in characters offered enough gameplay variety, with the story, in particular, given high marks for being even more compelling and nuanced than the original game. This time, players take on the role of an exiled Jedi Knight trying to gather what forces of the Light Side remain against an empowered Sith Empire.

Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster

While there are many great Final Fantasy options available on Android, it’s still more than worth mentioning the Pixel Remaster for VI. Several games in the series are regarded as the best depending on the fan circles asked, but Final Fantasy VI is a common name thrown around for its game design, gameplay, atmosphere, and storytelling.

Taking place in a steampunk world inspired by the Second Industrial Revolution, players meet a slew of characters as they team up to fight a military dictatorship’s iron grip over the people. Its story has been praised for being emotionally resonant and poignant with its exploration of mature themes, and its gameplay for being friendly to newcomers without sacrificing any of its depth.

Chrono Trigger

While the Super Nintendo and original PlayStation era of games was something of a golden age for RPGs, Chrono Trigger is still a shining example of that time. Also published by Square Enix, Chrono Trigger is one of the best and most influential turn-based JRPGs of all time.

Complemented by Akira Toriyama’s (Dragon Ball) iconic art style, the story followed Crono as he and a cast of unique supporting characters travel through time to stop a world-ending threat, combining various genres and eras in its world. Like Final Fantasy VI, the gameplay was praised for being simple to grasp but incredibly engaging alongside its sweeping genre-bending plot.

Stardew Valley

Taking a more relaxed spin on the RPG genre, Stardew Valley is an equal part mellow and captivating life-sim RPG. It’s one of the best life-sim games in general as well as one of the most accessible, with the mobile platform lending itself well to the game. Stardew Valley sees the player play as a protagonist who inherited their grandfather’s farm.

From there, the player raises their farm, contributes to upgrading their community, and starts a family. Even so, there are multiplayer components and dungeon-crawling mechanics to flesh out the RPG side of Stardew Valley. It’s a rewarding game that offers immersion and bolsters great replay value.

Dragon Quest V: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride

Though the company is more well-known for the Final Fantasy franchise, Square Enix’s Dragon Quest series is another pillar and staple of the JRPG subgenre’s endurance. And like with the aforementioned Final Fantasy titles, several games in this series are solid picks to play on Android, but Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride is a particular standout.

The story was well-received for its (at the time) creative use of separating it into chapters that cover different eras, as well as for tackling emotionally impactful and relatable coming-of-age themes. Likewise, Dragon Quest V’s monster-collecting gameplay mechanics were applauded for how it successfully took its own spin on the feature that Shin Megami Tensei created – and that Pokémon would later popularize.

The Banner Saga

The action RPG and JRPG subgenres are perhaps the most popular takes on the overall role-playing genre, but tactical RPGs have seen a welcome return to the mainstream. Even outside the likes of Fire Emblem that helped re-popularize it, some smaller-scale games — like Stoic Studio’s The Banner Saga series – have made their own memorable experiences.

Set up with a striking fairy-tale-like art style, The Banner Saga takes place in a Norse-inspired fantasy world. The game was well-received for how player choice shapes the gradually converging story and the layered strategic combat. Should this entry satisfy prospective players, then picking up the rest of the trilogy is a must.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions

Often regarded as the greatest tactical RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was originally the PSP remake of the PS1 original. And until Square Enix decides to at least announce a remaster of the game, mobile platforms are the best place to relive this iteration of FFT.

Also widely considered by fans to be the best of the Final Fantasy spin-off games, War of the Lions features a gripping high-fantasy tale characterized by swords and sorcery, as well as tantalizing political intrigue. It’s admittedly not a game for tactical-RPG novices due to its notoriously punishing difficulty, but Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a rewarding experience for those looking to test their strategic mettle in its deep combat systems.

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

Serving as one-half of the “Metroidvania” subgenre moniker it helped coin, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is another bona fide classic from the PS1 era. Playing as Alucard, the vampiric son of Dracula, players go on a quest to defeat the vampire lord in his labyrinthian castle.

Countless have sung praises for the game since its release, as it was critically acclaimed for its tasteful amalgamation of the action-platformer and action-RPG subgenres. Controls and combat are tight, and the level design is masterfully intricate, as Symphony of the Night greatly rewards exploration and backtracking.

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