Best Google Play games for Android

If you enjoy playing games when out and about — and don’t fancy carrying a bag for your Nintendo Switch — then the natural choice is to look to mobile games. Google Play has hundreds of free and premium games to play through, but that choice can be paralyzing. If you’re stuck trying to decide what games to download on your Android phone for those precious moments when you’re waiting for a bus, taking a walk, or avoiding people in the workplace bathroom, then this list is for you. We’ve put together a variety of ten games available on Google Play, so no matter what your tastes are, you’re bound to find something new here to enjoy.

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is the obvious choice, as long as your device is modern enough to run it. Genshin Impact looks beautiful and is a deep action RPG, one you can make progress well into the late game without ever having to spend money on the prospect of earning new characters. You’ll easily be able to create a full party of relatively powerful partners, and then you have the rest of the adventure ahead of you.

Pikmin Bloom

This is a brand new game, and therefore its longevity remains to be seen, but if you want to get into a low-effort communal game at an early point, now is definitely the time to play Pikmin Bloom. 

In Pikmin Bloom, you’ll be amassing an army of pikmin critters by growing them as you take steps around your home and outside. Perfect if you’re already a dedicated Google Fit user.

League of Legends: Wild Rift

League of Legends is one of the biggest MOBAs and esports in the world — if any of those words are appealing to you in the slightest, then you have to download League of Legends: Wild Rift. 

Wild Rift offers a slightly simplified and touch-focused approach to the traditional MOBA formula but still requires all the skill and strategy that the version of the game you know does. If you’re already an LoL player, this is the perfect way to refine your skills when away from your PC.

Reigns

Reigns, Reigns: Her Majesty and Reigns: Game of Thrones are all excellent Tinder-likes that you can play on mobile. It takes the infamous dating app formula of swiping left and right, but these are all weighty decisions. Pleasing the noble class, the people, the church and your bank account is a tough job, but someone has to do it. Winning in Reigns is difficult, but you’ll get there if you just keep playing — though don’t be surprised if you get beheaded along the way.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is the quintessential farming simulator. It has simplistic pixel art graphics, catchy tunes, deep gameplay, a cast of equally loveable and despicable characters — everything you need for a classic TV drama, plus gameplay. You can lose hours or even days to this charming game regardless of what platform you play it on. Just don’t get mad at us if your productivity drops.

Florence

Florence is a short yet incredibly memorable story. It’s about love, sadness and the challenges we all face in our relationships. Despite only lasting around 30 minutes, you will never forget playing it, making it well worth the low asking price. If you’re the empathetic type and are interested in a cathartic cry, then you can consider this to be essential.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley is a critically acclaimed classic, and to this day is still essential to have on your mobile device. If you’ve already played it — good — you should take a look at Monument Valley 2, a sequel that innovates and at times improves on the original that has been a mobile classic for years. This is a perspective puzzler that will completely change how you see stages, and how you can play them, depending on what angle you’re looking at them from.

My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge

My Friend Pedro: Blood, Bullets, and Bananas is a fast-paced riot of action, involving pulling off sick skateboard tricks while blasting enemies and ricocheting bullets off of metal surfaces to slay from a distance. If that sounds good, then My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge is a more portable version that you can easily run on your Android device. It has all of the action of the main game, with a touch screen interface that’s easier to deal with. Even if you’ve already played through the console version of My Friend Pedro, give this mobile version a look as it is entirely different, from the level design to the visual style.

Bad North: Jotunn Edition

Strategy outside of the MOBA space is hard to come by on mobile, partially because our chunky fingers aren’t really designed for the precise inputs that you see in games like StarCraft. But Bad North: Jotunn Edition is built around the touch screen, and what that results in is a small-scale RTS where you use your units and the landscape to your advantage to fight off hordes of invading enemies. Smart uses of your forces will allow you to overwhelm much larger groups of enemies, but poor tactics will end in your getting run down quickly. That’s what we all look for in a strategy game, right?

Pokémon GO

Do I even need to explain this one? Five years on from launch, Pokémon GO is still going strong, and the community is just as vibrant as ever. If you log in regularly, you’ll see gyms switch over constantly, and people really do come out in droves for Community Days, especially after being restricted so heavily during lockdown. Like Pikmin Bloom, this is another game from Niantic that is just a good excuse to go outdoors and be active more often. Dedicate an hour every weekend to walking around a local park and playing, and you’ll see fast progress both in the game and in yourself.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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