The best new Android apps and games for December 2024

Many new Android apps are out there. Keeping track of them is tough, but we’re happy to do that hard work for you. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best new Android apps and new Android games available, focusing on titles that offer something different to the status quo. Be sure to visit our list of the best Android apps of all time, the best Android games ever, and our selection of the best new Android apps released in 2023 for more.

The best new Android apps and games for December 2024

1. Aggregator RSS
2. Clean As Duck
3. TED Tumblewords
4. Snaky Cat
5. PixelShot
6. Carrion

Aggregator RSS

An RSS aggregator with a dizzying number of sources and a clean UI.

• Price: Free
• Developer: AndreaA

Aggregator RSS flew under the radar this year. After my toils trying to find a reliable Google News alternative, I missed this absolute gem of an app hiding in plain sight.

The app is true to its name, offering users easy access to various news sources categorized by topic or industry. Once you’ve selected which to follow, the app presents a rolling feed of news items from its preloaded source lists. You can tinker with these, removing or adding your own sites. A read later feature helps you stow articles away for safekeeping.

I will say that Aggregator still feels like a relatively young app. It lacks an internal reader — a big shame considering its many sources — and the inability to easily remove a site from an article is another odd exclusion. That said, I’m nitpicking. The app is clean, swift, and free. If anything, it’s useful for discovering sources you enjoy reading.

Clean As Duck

This app will soothe your hate for household chores.

• Price: Free
• Developer: wilmo

Some people like chores, others hate them. Personally, I revel in them. I can’t start my day until I’ve checked all the boxes on my morning household tasks list. However, some chores that don’t require daily address are often forgotten. That’s where I’ve found Clean As Duck to be immensely helpful.

The app focuses on helping you collate, manage, and complete tasks that you may overlook otherwise. It’s stocked with several templates for daily, weekly, or less frequent recurring tasks that you can add to your personal to-do list. Have you remembered to clean your fridge’s coils, dust the radiator, or clean your windows? Clean As Duck will remind you (that you actually need to be doing these things).

While you could use a traditional to-do list app for chores or something like Obsidian, I’ve found a dedicated solution to minimize distractions. Clean As Duck’s purpose-built bones are perfect in this sense.

TED Tumblewords

A tile-sliding, word-forming, quick-thinking game from TED and Netflix.

• Price: Free / Requires an active Netflix subscription
• Developer: Frosty Pop / Netflix

Netflix has quite a mobile games library, and this latest addition will likely appeal to Wordle players who want a new challenge.

In short, TED Tumblewords is a tile-sliding game that encourages players to form word chains by unscrambling the letters presented. It’s a strange combination of Scrabble and Countdown’s word game but oddly addictive. Players can choose from many topics and play against others. The game also includes a ranking system and collectible cards.

Notably, unlike Wordle, Tumblewords’s gameplay is rapid, but daily challenges make it worth dropping in daily. I’m not sure if this title will stay on my frequently played list for a long time, though.

Unfortunately, as it’s a Netflix-published game, you will need a Netflix subscription to play it, but it’s well worth a go if you do.

Snaky Cat

Think Snake, but with cats and donuts and much better graphics.

• Price: Free / In-app purchases
• Developer: Appxplore

I have a Nokia 3310 lying in a box somewhere, and I’d love nothing more than to get it up and running again so I can play a few rounds of Snake. But I guess Snaky Cat will suffice for now.

This modern take on the classic title sees you playing as a particularly ravenous cat which grows ever longer the more donuts it consumes. The game also has a multiplayer element, but you’ll want to stay well away from them lest you become a pile of pastries yourself.

The gameplay is surprisingly slow, but that’s to its advantage. A scale-down skill tree element also allows you to increase speed effects and multipliers. And unlike Snake, Snaky Cat’s gameplay is split into timed rounds. I feel this somewhat breaks the game’s momentum but does lessen the chance of giant cat griefers bullying smaller kittens just getting started.

PixelShot

Pixel Screenshots for the Android masses brought by a third-party developer.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Aculix Technologies LLP

Pixel smartphones get some great exclusive features, and one of the more intriguing to land in recent months is Pixel Screenshots. It effectively turns the humble screenshotting feature into an AI-fueled database of your snips. PixelShot is a third-party app that brings a similar feature to other Android smartphones.

PixelShot stores and processes your screenshots, extracting any text from them and allowing users to search through them based on this information. It’s important to note that while most of the processing occurs on the device, some data is uploaded to the cloud. If you have personal information in your screenshots, it’s best to think twice about using it.

Carrion

Who says December is too late for spooky horror games?

• Price: Free / In-app purchases
• Developer: DevolverDigital

Finally, here’s an app I’ve been playing for a few weeks now in between Pokemon TCG Pocket binge sessions. Perhaps it’s not a good fit for Holly Jolly December, but it is hugely cathartic when the holiday season gets a little stressful.

You play as a massive monster blob trapped in a facility. You aim to eat as many minions as possible, wreaking havoc in your wake and growing ever larger. The mechanics are incredibly simple, and you’ll get used to the controls after a few minutes. The tight and twisty map adds to the charm, too.

Carrion is free to try, but you’ll need to purchase an unlock to access all the horror on offer. Happy Holidays!