15 best shooting games for Android

You really can’t get more action than you get with shooting games. Whether they’re third-person, first-person, or somewhere between, you’re usually in for tons of bullets, explosions, and mayhem. It’s been one of the more difficult genres to get going on mobile since shooting games depend so heavily on precision. That’s difficult to do on a touch screen.

This list has first and third-person shooters with a variety of different mechanics. We also recommend Fortnite, even if you must install it outside the Play Store.

The best shooting games for Android

Ailment and Endurance

Price: Free / Up to $2.49 (each)

Ailment is a mix between a shooter and a dungeon crawler RPG. Players explore the world, find loot and gear, shoot up the bad guys, and engage in some truly intense action combat. The graphics are retro-style, so it’s not the prettiest game we’ve ever seen. Still, the mechanics are solid, and the controls are easy enough to learn. Players can also find hidden Easter eggs, bring NPCs along for the ride, and more. Endurance came out in 2020 as a sort of prequel to Ailment, and it’s just as good as Ailment, if not a little better. These are two excellent shooting games, and we highly recommend them.

AirAttack 2

Price: Free

AirAttack 2 is a top-down aerial shooter and a pretty decent one. The game plays like the classics do. You go level to level, taking down opponents, bosses, etc. However, this one has surprisingly good graphics, simple controls, and a survival mission mode for those who like an extra challenge. The game also includes daily rewards, five airplanes, various upgrades, Android TV support, external gamepads, mice, and keyboards. Oh, did we mention it’s offline capable as well? This is one of the good ones in the genre.

Cover Fire

Price: Free

Call of Duty: Mobile

Price: Free to play

Call of Duty: Mobile is the current king of the shooting games genre. It is insanely popular and has enough game modes to keep things interesting. There is a 100-player battle royale mode along with your classic team deathmatches. Players unlock gear, popular characters, equipment customizations, and more over time. It’s an online shooter, so there are social elements as well. The game has the occasional bug, and the game HUD has a bit of a learning curve. Otherwise, it’s a safe, popular option for shooter fans.

Major Mayhem 2

Price: Free to play

I became captivated by the original Major Mayhem game, which introduced a side-scrolling shooter experience that allowed players to target and shoot at any moving object. The sequel, “Major Mayhem 2,” enhances its forerunner by introducing new missions filled with hundreds of adversaries to defeat and numerous hostages to rescue. This game features seven distinctive firearms, each offering its unique style of play to keep the experience fresh. I’m particularly drawn to the vibrant graphics and find the gameplay to be quite relaxing. It’s the perfect game for those moments when you’re short on time or energy to devise complex strategies. Simply start up the game and dive into the action.

Critical Ops

Price: Free to play

Critical Ops is one of the more popular shooting games out right now. It features decent graphics, online multiplayer, tons of various weapons to pick up, and weapon skins to add a bit of customization. The control mechanics are fairly typical for a first-person shooter. Playing a shooter on a touch screen always has a learning curve. Even so, it shouldn’t take long to figure everything out. The developers are quite active with this project, so it gets frequent updates and improvements. We really like it. Infinity Ops is another decent game with many of the same elements but more sci-fi.

Garena Free Fire Max

Price: Free to play

Garena Free Fire Max is the latest game in a series of battle royale shooters. It plays as many other battle royale shooters do. You and 49 other players drop down onto a deserted island and duke it out until only one player remains. The battlefield shrinks to encourage players to make their way to the center. The game also features decent graphics and social play with up to four-player squads and syncs with your existing Firelink account.

It’s free to play, but most of the purchases are cosmetic. This one hit the ground running and is one of the most successful and popular shooters these days. The previous games are still pretty decent, but this one is the best among them.

Into the Dead 2

Price: Free to play

Into the Dead 2 is a fun shooter hybrid. The game also includes infinite runner-style mechanics. You basically run through a giant horde of zombies forever. Survival is the goal. Some of the game features include decent graphics, a variety of weapons, a dog companion, some tower defense mechanics, and multiple endings. This is definitely something a little bit different in the shooter space. However, it’s a surprisingly deep game considering that it’s freemium.

MADFINGER shooting games

Price: Free to play (usually)

MADFINGER Games is one of the best developers for shooting games. They have a good collection of excellent games, including the Shadowgun series, Unkilled, and Dead Trigger 1 and 2. Unkilled and Dead Trigger are zombie shooters. You kill tons of zombies and zombie bosses and collect various weapons. The graphics are also fantastic. Shadowgun is more of a classic shooter with a campaign, online multiplayer, and other features. Some games are free, others are freemium, and some are pay-once experiences. You really can’t go wrong with any of them. The developer’s latest release is Shadowgun War Games, an Overwatch-style PvP shooter.

Modern Combat 5

Price: Free to play

Modern Combat 5 is among the most popular shooting games on mobile. It was originally a pay-once game until Gameloft turned it into a freemium game a while back. It has a large following and decent graphics, and many games are here for you to play. The usual campaign mode is popular, but a very competitive multiplayer mode exists. You can choose between one of six classes to play, each with its own perks and advantages. PUBG Mobile and Fortnite kind of overshadowed Modern Combat 5, but they are among the original mainstream shooting games for mobile. Modern Combat Versus is technically the newest game in the series, but it still needs a little work before we give it the title of best Modern Combat on Google Play.

PUBG: New State

Price: Free to play

PUBG: New State is the latest game in one of the most popular shooting game franchises on mobile. It takes place after the events of PUBG Mobile, so it’s sort of a proper sequel. Many of the game mechanics remain the same. The maps are significantly smaller than before, and the game has groups of 64 players instead of 100. There are also some extra mechanics like dodging. Finally, the graphics are better. Otherwise, it’s about 80% of the original PUBG Mobile experience.

The game is newer and has a few problems, particularly on lower-end devices. There is also a battle pass system that isn’t all that great. The game is fixable, and the mechanics are there, but those with low patience can still have fun on the original PUBG Mobile.

Sky Force Reloaded

Price: Free to play

Sky Force Reloaded is one of the best top-down shooters on all of mobile. Like most games in the genre, you pilot an aircraft and must muscle your way through many bad guys. The game also includes upgradeable weapons and armor, in-level objectives, and more. The graphics are surprisingly excellent, and the mechanics are simple to master. There are also buff cards and other things to help boost your chances of success and your score. It’s a lot of fun, and there isn’t much wrong with it.

T3 Arena

Price: Free to play

T3 Arena is a third-person hero shooter. It uses a more cartoon-like aesthetic and gives off some vague Overwatch vibes. The game includes, in its own words, dozens of game modes, including basics like deathmatches. The various heroes have differing abilities, giving you an edge in combat. This is one of those games where it’s more fun to play than it is to talk about, but we think most fans of shooters will enjoy this one quite a bit.

Xenowerk

Price: Free to play

Xenowerk is a third-person top-down shooter with an isometric perspective. The game includes 70 levels for players to clear. It uses a dual-stick control style where you need both to move properly. The game also includes decent graphics, various collectibles, special powers, and Google Play Games achievements and leaderboards. It also works with most hardware controllers if you want to go that route.

There isn’t a lot wrong with the game, to be honest. It’s a bit older, meaning some controls and mechanics don’t feel quite as polished as newer shooting games if you go with the on-screen controls. Otherwise, it’s a serviceable shooter that scratches that itch pretty well.

Zombie Gunship Survival

Price: Free to play

Zombie Gunship Survival is one of the more unique shooting games on the list. Technically, it’s a first-person shooter. However, you’re mounted in a helicopter and gunning down hordes of zombies from the air. The fun black-and-white graphics and the oddly satisfying gameplay make for something a little different in the genre. Some of the game features include various types of zombies, a tower defense and strategy game element to the mechanics, and plenty of stuff to unlock. This game had a bit of a shaky start, but it seems to be in the zone now.

If we missed any of the best shooting games for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.