Articles by Jordan Palmer

Android now has a whole new gaming scene, thanks to cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. We here at Android Central are very excited, and we’re sure that you are, too. We’ve already covered the best Game Pass games and the best controllers, but you’ll also want a phone that can get the job done. For that, we recommend the OnePlus 8, a veritable powerhouse with a fantastic display and long battery life to handle your cloud gaming sessions.

Best Overall: OnePlus 8

OnePlus regularly features in our lists of best Android phones and that’s for very good reasons. This year, OnePlus pulled out all the stops and went full-force with its newest flagship, the OnePlus 8. While it’s a great gaming phone in its own right when we’re talking Android games, it’s also the best device we can think of to get the most out of Xbox cloud gaming.

So why not the 8 Pro? We felt that despite the 8 Pro being an amazing piece of tech it’s a bit overkill for what Xbox cloud gaming offers. Since the wo…

Android gamers have a whole new world open to them when it comes to playing video games on their mobile devices thanks to cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, formerly known as Project xCloud. Right now, if you look at the full list of every game you can play, you’ll notice that you can choose from over 100, which might feel a bit overwhelming.

Luckily, we have your back, and we’ve picked some of the best ones of the bunch that we think you should check out first. This is by no means an exhaustive list — Microsoft has an impressive cloud gaming library full of excellent games.

You’ll see some games come and go; such is the nature of Game Pass. But we’ll be sure to update this when we can so that you always know which games to play on your phone. We also rounded up the best phones for Game Pass. And you’ll need a controller for basically all of the games (save a few) before you can dive in, so be sure to check out our picks for the best controllers for Game Pass on Android, …

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 a lot of 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 overall

Razer Kishi

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 passthrough so that you can charge your phone while you play. Overall, the quality is good with solid, clicky buttons and great ergonomics. This one is hard to beat.

$100 at Amazon

Retro style

8BitDo SN30 Pro

Got a hankering for a retro-style controller for your modern gaming needs? Then look no further than the new SN30 Pro from 8BitDo. Sporting that classic look wi…

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…

Put on your thinking hat for these games!

Smartphone touchscreen controls offer a unique opportunity for puzzle game developers. Our pocket devices are uniquely suited for clever puzzle games because they’re easy to pick up and play whenever you have a few free moments. If you’re looking for a game to test your brain, check some of these out.

And when you’re done here, be sure to check out our best games for Android!

The games

The Room series
Mini Metro
Bridge Constructor Portal
NYTimes – Crossword
Threes!
Twenty48 Solitaire
Monument Valley
Dissembler
Two Dots
Patterns
hocus.
Brain It On!
Hitman GO
Lara Croft GO
Deus Ex GO
Total Party Kill
Vectronom
Tetris
Thumper: Pocket Edition
The House of Da Vinci
Transmission
All That Remains: Part I
The Eyes of Ara
Hello Neighbor

The Room series

The Room is a widely celebrated puzzle franchise developed by Fireproof Games for mobile. There are four games in the series that each offer hours of challenging puzzle fun. They’re rem…

Bring the classic arcade action you remember to your phone with these great fighting games!

Fighting games have fallen to the wayside on the latest consoles (and the less said about the state of arcades the better) but for a long while, fighting games reigned supreme in the video game world. They were often the battleground where gamers showed off their skills in arcade tournaments or huddled around a TV with your best pals. Fortunately, the genre is still well-represented on mobile devices, with a great mix of ports and original titles to satisfy fans of fisticuffs.

Here’s hoping we see more ports of classic fighting titles but until then, enjoy these great fighters. And when you’re done here, be sure to head over to the best Android games list to check out some other great games!

The games

Shadow Fight 3
King of Fighters ’97
Mortal Kombat
Real Boxing 2
Injustice 2
Fighting Tiger – Liberal
Skullgirls
Street Fighter IV
Prizefighters
Real Steel World Robot Boxing

Shadow Fig…

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 …

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 …

And be prepared to die a lot along the way.

The Soulsborne franchise contains some of my favorite games of all time. FromSoftware’s masterpieces really clicked with me back in the days of Demon’s Souls and truly cemented themselves as favorites with the release of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. And Dark Souls III is my most-played of the bunch because I adore it so.

Why am I telling you this? Because our game this week is billed as a Souls-like for Android. Featuring third-person action and combat, a battle system focused on stamina management, and a sometimes brutal difficulty, Pascal’s Wager is perhaps the closest we’ll see of a Dark Souls/Bloodborne-like game on Android. Animus also comes to mind, and maybe we’ll talk about that series in a different week.

First things first: this isn’t Dark Souls on Android. It lacks the finesse, the incredible and obtuse storytelling, and excellent voice acting of the Soulsborne series. Pascal’s Wager is an admirable attempt at mimicry, but i…

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 …