Just a few years ago no one could have possibly predicted just how big mobile gaming was going to get. But right now, it’s got console makers like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft seriously rattled and wondering how they’re going to respond.
And within mobile gaming, it’s Android users who are starting to get the closest attention from game developers. That’s because more and more games are being downloaded onto these devices, and the gap between Android and Apple is steadily increasing.
This is great news for mobile gamers as it means more and more games are appearing and they’re becoming far slicker and more sophisticated too. Partly this is to do with the growing complexity of the devices themselves and partly with the effort that developers are putting into creating console-quality games that can be played on smartphones and tablets.
There are so many games out there now that it is becoming a real challenge to pick out the very best of them. But after taking a good look at all the ones on offer, here are five leaders in their individual categories.
Best shooter – Call of Duty
There was huge anticipation when it was announced that Call of Duty would be coming to the small screen – and it was more than satisfied once the beta testing was over and it finally appeared in all its glory. The transition to becoming a touchscreen firefight has been virtually seamless and it’s fast, frenetic and a whole lot of fun. There are plenty of references to the console version of the game and one of the greatest editions has to be the Battle Royale that was first introduced in CoD: Black Ops 4. By focusing exclusively on multiplayer games it combines this with the sort of play that fans love and the soon to be launched zombie version gives them, even more, to get excited about.
Best gambling – 888poker
The online poker phenomenon is one that’s taken the world by storm over the last couple of decades. Then, when the very first mobile sites started to appear it took things up to a whole new level. Without doubt one of the very best of these is 888 poker online. As you’d expect, the design is flawless, and the play is smooth. There’s the choice of both Limit and No-Limit Hold’em and for novices, the free play mode is a perfect introduction. You can choose to download the app or there’s instant play too and it’s all made even sweeter by a generous range of bonuses and other promotions for both new and existing players.
Best driving – Grid Autosport
In the same way that CoD left players stunned when it made its transition to mobile, Grid Autosport does the same for the driving game. Some reviewers have gone as far as saying that they’ve had to remind themselves that they’re actually playing on a mobile. The downside to this is that it’s going to swallow up a whole lot of memory – up to 6GB – but on the plus side, you’ll get a choice of 100 cars of every type and a wide range of circuits. It’s an uncompromising game so it’s a question of starting at rookie-level and gradually working your way up. But the experience is nothing if it isn’t enjoyable, especially when you get to master speeding round a slippery track in an open-top supercar.
Best RPG – Stardew Valley
This is an absolute must for anyone who loves creating games which also involve more than a little role-playing. Similar in some ways to other games like Minecraft, Stardew Valley also introduces some extra dimensions too. The storyline is simple – you have taken over your grandfather’s farm in Pelican Valley and the objective is to make it into a success. This involves growing and cultivating crops before going on to trade them successfully. But above and beyond that you can go off to perfect other skills such as fishing and foraging. There’s also the challenge of winning over the community to form friendships and alliances. And if this all sounds a little too safe for you there’s also a section of the game that involves completing quests in monster-infested mines.
Best puzzle game – Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
The trouble with most puzzle games is that they don’t exactly include much jeopardy. But this isn’t the case from this example, as the title suggests. The set up is simple to this multiplayer game. One player, the Defuser, has the task to make a bomb safe with the help of other players who have the instruction manual but can only describe its contents. The Defuser then has to follow their instructions. Rendering the bomb safe involves completing a number of modules. These include various tasks like making a way round a maze or deciding which wires are safe to cut. As time passes, the tensions increase as you’re also playing against the clock making it a truly gripping multiplayer experience.
Coin Master
This is a perfect game for those who want to mix building a village, upgrading, attacking other villages, and a huge slot machine altogether. This is a free mobile game, which is designed in a very catchy manner. The slot machine gives you coins, shields, attacks, and raids in order to upgrade your village and level up. The only problem in the game is that you have to wait for hours to get just a few free spins which is a big disappointment for players. Luckily you can get coin master free spins and coins by daily updated links, which are trusted and you do not have to register anywhere for those. This way you can also have access to the links from previous days and enjoy the game without the necessity of waiting for just a few free spins.
Of course, there are many more Android games in all of the categories, and everyone will have their own particular favorite. And the really good news is that we’ll be seeing more and of them in the future – and they’ll be even better than ever before. Game on!