The best of the best: 5 iconic Android games that got people hooked

There’s a difference between a popular and an iconic Android game. A popular game can, in some cases, quicky be forgotten, while an iconic game leaves a mark. It captivates players, inspires copycats, and gives gamers plenty to talk about. Usually, iconic games are the ones people who don’t even play games have at least heard of.

While there are several iconic games that were released in the last decade or some, I’ve come up with a list of the five best ones. The first one is my absolute favorite, while the rest are in random order.

Angry Birds

Simple, beautifully designed, and addictive. These are just a few phrases I can use to describe the game, which is a masterpiece of its time. Flinging birds into buildings and pigs to clear levels is fun, not just for kids but adults as well. Each bird has a different set of skills and makes quirky sounds while flying through the air.

Angry Birds, made by Finnish game studio Rovio, was the first game to hit a billion downloads on the Play Store in 2012. It was also the first mobile gaming franchise to reach over five billion downloads, a milestone that it achieved in 2022. Rovio knew how to capitalize on the popularity of its game, selling millions of dollars worth of merch and making a deal with a movie studio that produced a film based on the game’s main characters.

The original Angry Birds game has seen plenty of successors since its launch. While it’s not as popular among mobile gamers as it used to be, it’s still one of the most iconic Android games ever released.

Unfortunately, the original Angry Birds game is no longer available on the Play Store, but you can still play other versions of it.

Pokemon GO

The world just went crazy for this one. So much so that it became the biggest mobile game in the US within a week of its release, racking up 21 million daily players. However, its record was broken years later by Mario Kart Tour and Call of Duty: Mobile.

What made this game different is that it got people outside of their homes in search for Pokestops and Gyms. Streets and parks were filled with Pokemon Go players, which were just obsesed with the game. This created multiple issues, with people even getting in trouble for trespassing on private property.

I still remember the legacy media reporting Pokemon Go-related stories on a daily basis back in 2016. The game was so popular, it increased sales of power banks by 100% as people’s phones were running out of juice while playing the game outside.

Temple Run

Simplicity is one of the trademarks of an iconic game, at least in some cases. Temple Run is as simple as it gets, with very basic controls and one simple goal — keep running.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, though, as the speed increases over time, and you not only have to watch out for the demons chasing you but the obstacles in your way as well. Focus is paramount here, drawing you deeper into the game and making it even more addictive.

Temple Run was downloaded more than 100 million times in its first year and is still very popular today, more than a decade after launch. However, the free version has too many ads, although that’s the case for most games these days.

Clash of Clans

This iconic Android game was released in 2012 and is so popular that, more than ten years after its debut, it’s still among the most-grossing games on Android. It’s a simple strategy game in which you build a base with troops and then attack other players.

The game has recorded over $10 billion in revenue, which puts it among a tiny selection of games that have achieved this so far. The developer did spend a lot of money on marketing the game, though, as it ran ads on TV, including during the Super Bowl back in 2015, starring Liam Neeson.

More than a decade after its release, it still earns hundreds of millions of dollars per year and has a massive following.

PUBG Mobile

I don’t think this one needs an introduction. Most people have at least heard of it since it’s been talked about so much due to its popularity. There are many other games like it, including Fortnite, but PUBG Mobile is the best in its genre in my opinion. It’s among the highest-grossing mobile games of all time, with well over a billion downloads.

The multiplayer battle royale game was released in 2017 and has dazzled gamers worldwide. It’s action-packed and has a simple premise: the last man standing will be crowned the winner.

Winning is far from easy, though. I’ve played it quite a bit and never came close, but it’s still fun and interesting, even when you get knocked out in the first five minutes.

These are the five most iconic Android games of all time in my opinion although the list is subjective. There are plenty of other can could make the list, so let us know in the comments which ones you’d add and why.