Articles by Jordan Palmer

When it comes to playing games via Microsoft’s new beta service, once known as Project xCloud, you’ll need the best phone for streaming. There are also many titles to choose from, so be sure to check out the best Game Pass games you can play on your phone. But for controllers, there’s plenty out there that will do the trick. These are our picks for the best around.

Best controller overall

Razer Kishi Mobile Game Controller

Staff Pick

The premier option when it comes to true mobile gaming, the Razer Kishi turns your phone into a Switch-like machine. When not in use, it folds up small, perfect for shoving in a bag. It also has a USB-C pass-through so that you can charge your phone while you play. Overall, the quality is good with solid, clicky buttons and great ergonomics. This is one of the best controllers for Xbox Game Pass.

$67 at Amazon $70 at Best Buy $90 at Microsoft

An incredible option

GameSir X2 Type-C Mobile Gaming Controller

The Gamesir X2 controller is on…

Best answer: The public preview for Project xCloud ended on Sept. 11, 2020. Now, cloud gaming has moved to beta status for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers while Microsoft spins up its resources to meet the incoming demand. However, if you’re a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you can download the new Game Pass app from the Play Store, pair up a compatible controller, and get gaming!

Full cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate list

A Plague Tale: Innocence
Ark: Survival Evolved
Astroneer
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Batman: Arkham Knight
Battlefield V
Battletoads
Beholder Complete Edition
Black Desert
Blair Witch
Bleeding Edge
Blinx: The Time Sweeper
Bloodroots
Boyfriend Dungeon
Breathedge
Bridge Constructor Portal
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Call of the Sea
Carrion
Carto
Celeste
Children of Morta
Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition
ClusterTruck
Code Vein
Conan Exiles
Control
Crackdown 3 (campaign)
Cricket 19
Crimson Skies: High Road to Reven…

Best answer: The public preview for Project xCloud ended on Sept. 11, 2020. Now, cloud gaming has moved to beta status for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers while Microsoft spins up its resources to meet the incoming demand. However, if you’re a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you can download the new Game Pass app from the Play Store, pair up a compatible controller, and get gaming!

Full cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate list

A Plague Tale: Innocence
Ark: Survival Evolved
Astroneer
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Batman: Arkham Knight
Battlefield V
Battletoads
Beholder Complete Edition
Black Desert
Blair Witch
Bleeding Edge
Blinx: The Time Sweeper
Bloodroots
Boyfriend Dungeon
Bridge Constructor Portal
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Call of the Sea
Carrion
Carto
Celeste
Children of Morta
Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition
ClusterTruck
Code Vein
Conan Exiles
Control
Crackdown 3 (campaign)
Cricket 19
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Cris Tal…

Stay motivated on your journey to a better you.

Fitness is a life-long journey full of ups and downs. Sometimes you may suffer an injury, or life just gets in the way. But, whatever is going on, it’s never too late to start or restart. The end goal, after all, is a better physical and mental version of yourself.

Though you can go it alone, some of the best Android fitness apps can offer help, guidance, and motivation to keep you going strong. There is integration with the best smartwatches for fitness, making it easy to keep track of all of your workouts. And when you’re done here, be sure to check out our awesome roundup of the best apps for Android.

The top 3 apps

1. FitNotes
2. Nike Run Club
3. JEFIT

More options

Google Fit
Fitbit
Runkeeper
Strong
Workout Trainer
Map My Run
7 Minute Workout
Zombies, Run!

What are the best fitness apps for Android?

The Play Store is full of fitness apps that give you workout ideas and help you track your progress. There are so many,…

Stay motivated on your journey to a better you.

Fitness is a life-long journey full of ups and downs. Sometimes you may suffer an injury or life just gets in the way. Whatever is going on, it’s never too late to start or restart. The end goal, after all, is a better physical and mental version of yourself.

Though you can go it alone, these apps can offer some help, guidance, and motivation to keep you going strong. There is integration with the best smartwatches for fitness, making it easy to keep track of all of your workouts. And when you’re done here, be sure to check out our awesome roundup of the best apps for Android.

The top 3 apps

1. FitNotes
2. Nike Run Club
3. JEFIT

More options

Google Fit
Runkeeper
Strong
Workout Trainer
Map My Run
7 Minute Workout
Zombies, Run!

What are the best fitness apps for Android?

The Play Store is full of fitness apps that give you workout ideas and help you track your progress. There are so many, it’s hard to sort through them all…

It’s an interesting topic to discuss.

As we look forward hopefully to 2021, just a few short weeks away, a lot of us are left wondering what the new year holds. We here at Android Central have already shared our thoughts on 2020 in our Year in Review series, but now’s it time to speculate about what’s coming next. My thoughts obviously turned to theories about changes in the Android gaming space, and something interesting occurred to me.

I already talked about how cloud gaming has some improvements to make in 2021 and beyond to become truly viable for most people. But while we can talk all day about what the likes of Xbox Game Pass and Stadia can do to be better, I think there’s something else we should ask ourselves.

With more and more games becoming available to stream thanks to cloud gaming services, there are bound to be duplicates with games already ported to Android, such as with Dead Cells. Does that mean we’ll see fewer mobile ports as some developers opt for using somethi…

I’m down for anything that feels like the OG Fallout games.

Nostalgia is a powerful, and sometimes dangerous, drug that we’ve dabbled with a few times here in the Android Game of the Week series. When approached correctly, it’s always nice to relive some memories from childhood or otherwise younger years.

It’s no secret that I’ve been gaming for most of my life, and I’ve played countless games throughout the years. Some of my favorites go way back to the classic CRPGs of the 90s and 00s, like Fallout, BioWare’s stuff, and the like. So when I was browsing through the Play Store earlier last week for something to write about today, I stumbled across a game I put in my wishlist so long ago that I’d forgotten about it. It’s called Atom, a mobile port of a CRPG over on PC, and I don’t know why I didn’t buy this sooner.

It’s been a while since I played a game that reminded me so much of the RPGs of my youth. I believe the last one I tried, and failed to finish, was Divinity Original…

We’re rounding up the best Android games you can play.

The best Android games

RPGs
Shooters
Puzzle Games
Platformers
Strategy Games
Sims
Racing Games
Sports Games
Augmented Reality

There are hundreds of thousands of apps on the Google Play Store, and many of them are games. In fact, games are so popular that it’s the first tab you see when you open the app.

If you’re looking for the best games available on the Google Play Store, you’ve come to the right place. To make it easy to find, we’ve divided this list into nine categories, which you can find in a handy jumplist that will take you directly to the page of your choice, from RPGs to Shooters to Strategy Games, Sports Games, and lots more!

Whether you’re new to Android and need some fresh, new games to start building out your Google Play library, or simply looking for the latest trendy games that are worthy of your time and attention, these are the best Android games you can find right now.

We update this list whenever …

Horrifying in its own way, this is pure gaming gold.

I love platformers. From metroidvanias to side-scrolling action RPGs, there’s a lot to love in this classic gaming genre. In the spirit of platforming goodness, it’s my pleasure to introduce our Android Game of the Week for this final week before Christmas: Limbo.

You’ve probably heard about it, and it features in both our best Android platformers and best Android games roundups. It’s a delightfully creepy game, full of shadowy surrealism that leaves you wanting more. There are definitely good reasons why this game is liked.

Limbo is over ten years old now, which is almost impossible to believe. It tells the story of a young boy who ventures into limbo to find out what happened to his sister. His journey is fraught with danger as he wakes up in a dark forest, and you’re left to figure out the context as you push forward.

It’s more accurate to label Limbo as a puzzle-platformer since it features plenty of puzzles to challeng…

Forget the ads and microtransactions and just play!

There’s something refreshing and low-stress about playing mobile games not entirely designed to get you to spend on in-app purchases. Honestly, I can say a lot for spending a couple of dollars upfront to get an entire game that you can actually enjoy from beginning to end without sitting through ads, being hounded to buy coins or gems, having to open crates, card packs or whatever.

I’ll spare you the soap box rant. We’ve gone through the Play Store and picked out a few games that cost a bit upfront, but are worth every penny. Here are the best Android games without those pesky IAPs!

The games

Stardew Valley
Vectronom
Holedown
Downwell
Reigns: Her Majesty
The Room series
Suzy Cube
Grand Theft Auto
Machinarium
Mini Metro
Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic
Evoland 1 and 2
JYDGE
Teslagrad
Titan Quest
The Banner Saga
Whispers of a Machine
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night…