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15 most addictive games for Android
What makes addictive games so addictive? Generally, they tend to be games that don’t take long to play. However, they provide a challenge of some sort that you want to master. Between mastering the game and trying to get high scores, a person can sink into a game for hours without realizing it. A list like this is a bit more subjective than most as different people find different game types addictive. Still, here are some that should fit the bill for a number of people when it comes to addictive games for Android.
The most addictive games for Android
Alto’s Odyssey and Alto’s Adventure
Price: Free to play
Alto’s Odyssey and Alto’s Adventure are two excellent arcade games. They are also both excellently addictive games. You ski down a massive hill and do a bunch of tricks. That’s basically the whole game, but there are obstacles, environment changes, and various items to collect. These games have beautiful colors and simple mechanics. They are also free to play and most people don’t need to pay anything. The developers make more money off of the advertising than they do off of the in-app purchases. These are excellent, easy to play, and addictive. You can check out our full review here.
Asphalt 9: Legends
Price: Free to play
Asphalt 9: Legends is the latest in a long line of arcade racing games. This one has the same basic mechanics as its predecessors with a few little extra things. The game is massive. You have a ton of cars to unlock, a bunch of events and levels to play, and a robust online multiplayer. These games are most noteworthy for their excellent graphics, simple mechanics, and addictive nature. Asphalt 8: Airborne is also still actively updated by Gameloft. You can go with either one. Those who want a premium racer that is also outstanding can try Riptide GP: Renegade.
Crossy Road
Price: Free to play
Crossy Road is this generation’s version of Frogger. You take a chicken, hop it across roads and streams, and try not to get hit by cars or fall into the water. It’s simple, family friendly, and just flat fun. The controls are simple as well. You can even play this on Android TV. There are a variety of unlockable characters or you can pay the in-app purchases to unlock them. There is also a Disney Crossy Road featuring a bunch of Disney characters. It also has online and local multiplayer modes for fun with friends. You can play for hours without realizing it and it’s easily one of the best addictive games for families.
See also: The best arcade games for Android
Cytus II
Price: Free / Up to $9.99
Ctyus II is easily among the best rhythm games on mobile right now. Yes, there are actually decent rhythm games on mobile. Cytus II (and its predecessor) are excellent examples. It has a variety of tap and swipe mechanics with an anime and J-Pop theme. It’s upbeat, fast paced, and it has plenty of songs to play. The free version has a decent number of tracks in various difficulties. You can purchase song packs as in-app purchases. They are permanent additions. You can play this one free if you have a Google Play Pass subscription.
Duet
Price: Free / $2.99
Duet is one of the most addicting games we’ve played. It’s a puzzle game where you play as two paint balls. Your job is to rotate the balls around falling platforms in order to get to the end of the level. Failing means your paint splats on the platform and it stays there so you can see where you messed up when you replay the level. You can get the campaign mode for free. The rest of the game modes will cost you $2.99. It’s simple and it should work even on older or lower end devices. It’s worth checking out!
See also: The best puzzle games for Android
Game Dev Tycoon
Price: $4.99
Game Dev Tycoon is an excellent simulation game. You basically build a gaming empire from scratch. Players start in a bedroom with a computer. Over time, they upgrade their gear, their skills, and their environment. Eventually, they grow into a massive game developer. It has a single cost and manages to avoid undesirable free to play elements. That means you are free to play as often as you want without any energy constraints. It’s a newer game, but it’s still pretty good. This game is also free if you subscribe to Google Play Pass.
Genshin Impact (and other gachas)
Price: Free to play
Genshin Impact is at the top of a very competitive genre when it comes to gacha RPGs. The game has a massive world, various characters to summon, and it’s actually fun to play in terms of mechanics. It mirrors a lot of features from Zelda: Breath of the Wild where you can explore an open world and use a glider to travel long distances.
Gacha RPGs are a fairly popular genre and a lot of people find the act of summoning characters addicting. That makes sense since it’s actually gambling a little bit, but if you have patience and don’t spend real money, it can be the fun kind of addicting and not the bad kind.
Levelhead
Price: $6.99
Levelhead is the newest game on the list, comparatively speaking. It’s a platformer with a surprising amount of content. The game has the player delivering packages through ridiculous levels and the game’s humor makes it more enjoyable. There are 90 levels in the campaign mode along with a detailed level creator. You can create levels or download other people’s levels and play them.
There are also leaderboards for speedrunners, Google Play Games achievements, and cross-platform support along with cloud saving. The gameplay itself is ridiculously smooth and you can easily sink a lot of time into this without thinking about it. It’s also free via Google Play Pass if you have it.
Pocket City
Price: Free / $4.99
Pocket City is another excellent simulation game. It’s a little bit like Sim City. You create a city, build its infrastructure, keep everybody happy, and more. You basically know how these games go. Players build the city right and it basically runs itself and a poor build makes things very difficult. Additionally, the game includes support for both portrait and landscape modes, offline play, and some other nice stuff. It’s a single purchase game at $4.99 but there is a free version as well. It’s about as addicting as strategy simulators get.
See also: The best simulation games for Android
Pokemon Go and other Niantic games
Price: Free to play
Pokemon Go is one of the most addictive games out there. You play it in the real world instead of in your home. Players catch Pokemon, battle it out for gyms and prestige, hit up Poke Stops for supplies, and walk around the world while they do it. Niantic also has Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Ingress as two very similar real world games by the same developer. These games encourage players to go out and do the various game activities. The games can get their claws in you pretty good. Some people play these games religiously, even in the winter time or in otherwise inclement weather.
PUBG New State or Call of Duty: Mobile
Price: Free to play
PUBG New State and Call of Duty: Mobile (Google Play) are two of the most popular shooters out right now. PUBG New State is a battle royale shooter where you try to survive against 99 other players. Call of Duty Mobile is a bit more typical in terms of game modes, but it also has a battle royale mode. Both shooters are exceptionally competent with decent graphics, good controls (for a shooter), and plenty of addictive modes between them.
Fortnite is also a decent option if you don’t mind sideloading apps. We have a tutorial for that here if you want to try it.
Reigns, Reigns: Her Majesty, and Reigns: Game of Thrones
Price: $2.99 or $3.99 each
Reigns and Reigns: Her Majesty are two entertaining card games. They actually work a little bit like Tinder. A card pops up with a scenario and a choice. You swipe left or right to choose how to answer the scenario. You do it right and succeed or choose wrong and fail. It requires a fairly delicate balance. You can memorize the answers and succeed that way as well. Both games are $2.99 with no additional in-app purchases. All the games in the series cost the same or you can play them free with Google Play Pass.
SEGA Forever games
Price: Free / $1.99 each
SEGA has done an excellent job remastering a lot of older games. There are a swatch to choose from, including Sonic the Hedgehog, VectorMan, Gunstar Heroes, Super Monkey Ball: Sakura Edition, Kid Chameleon, and many others. Each game is entirely free with advertising. The premium version of each app is $1.99. These games are excellent for getting in touch with an older era of gaming. SEGA releases a few of these games per season so expect the game list to continually grow.
See also: The best retro games for Android
Sky Force Reloaded
Price: Free / $1.99
Sky Force Reloaded is the latest in the Sky Force franchise. They’re a series of top-down shooters where you fly into danger, blow stuff up, and try to survive through the end of the level. Additionally, there are little side quests you can do mid-level such as saving people trapped in the middle of combat. The game is beautifully done, it plays smooth, and there are plenty of things to do. That includes upgrading your ship to make it more powerful. It’s a ton of fun and it’s easy to play it over and over again.
Supercell games
Price: Free to play (each)
Supercell has some of the most popular games on all of Android. There’s a reason for that and it’s because they are addictive. Their games include Boom Beach, Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, and Clash Royale. Boom Beach and Clash of Clans are kingdom builder games and Clash Royale is a card dueling game. Brawl Stars is Supercell’s latest release and it’s a beat ’em up PvP game with MOBA elements. They are all relatively simple games with a ton of content and a lot of replayability. People play these games for years because they’re easy to play with short play sessions.
See also: The best kingdom building games like Clash of Clans
If we missed any of the most addicting 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!
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