The Android might be seen as some as a poor man's iPhone but it couldn't be farther from the truth. With solid telephony options and a great platform for app development to boot, the Android is home to many games. Here are 25 free games for the
#25 NinJump
Another entry from the team that produced Paper Toss, ninjas in this game must fight their way to the top, while avoiding bombs, squirrels, shuriken, birds, and other ninjas. Taking out three like enemies in a row grants a mega-jump bonus, and objects can be combatted mid-air when jumping back and forth. Ninjas can grab hold of shields to become temporarily invincible, and send enemies flying. This game also features leaderboards, and the ability to post scores directly from the game to Facebook and Twitter, so trounce your friends at will!
#24 Live Blackjack
Live Blackjack is a new incarnation of this classic casino card game. The premise, for anyone who is unfamiliar, is simply to get the cards in your hand to add up to 21, or as close to it as possible. Players can log in and play online with Facebook friends, as well as earn chips and bonuses for daily logins.
#23 3D Tilt Labyrinth Free
This is a far more zen experience than many of the other games listed here. Choose from several difficulty levels of maps, or even mazes, but the object is always the same: Steer the marble into the goal. Timeless, relaxing, refreshingly simple.
#22 Alchemy
This simple, but highly addictive combination game begins with four elements: Water, fire, air and earth. These can be combined to form many other compounds. Initially, these are quite obvious. Water and earth make swamp. Earth and fire make lava. These compounds can be combined with other base elements, but they can also sometimes be combined with one another, and herein lies the challenge. Smoke and alcohol beget whiskey. Energy and swamp make life. What happens when life and whiskey combine? Only the Alchemist knows for sure!
#21 Mahjong
Combining strategy, luck and skill, this classic matching game is both very simple and frustratingly difficult at once. Newly incarnate in mobile form, players must match pairs of identical tiles to remove them from the board, revealing hidden tiles underneath. The game is not over until all tiles have been removed from the board. Featuring over 80 tables and the availability of hints, this is a good way to learn this ancient game for players that have not tried it in the real world yet.
#20 Memory Trainer
This game is designed not only to be challenging, but to increase the player's capacity to remember pieces of information over time. Studies show that if we actively work to keep our memory functions in good working order, it can help combat memory loss and potentially even dementia in old age. This game features training levels with increasing difficulty that feature a variety of mini-games, many of which stimulate visual memory with timed picture matching. Others ask players to remember phone numbers or semi-ridiculous errand lists, which are entertaining all by themselves. Think of Memory Trainer as an exercise course for brain cells instead of muscles cells, and get to it!
#19 Checkers Free
For those that enjoy classic boardgames but are not into the complexity of chess, there is a viable substitute to be found in checkers. Enjoy the simple, structured strategy of checkers and play either with a human friend or against a challenging AI. The overall rendering of this game is downright appealing, from the sound effects to the visuals. If it's checkers you want, this is the app for you!
#18 Chess for Android
The game of kings is now available for Android! The tradition of human players battling AI is a bit more historical within the game of chess than many other games, but it's also a good way to learn the game thoroughly without the hassle of facing off against more advanced players too soon. Grind on "Chess for Android" a while, then go surprise the neighborhood chess bully!
#17 Glow Hockey
It's just like table hockey, only smaller! Glow Hockey features several difficulty levels and simple, appealing graphics. Since the "goalie" is controlled via touchscreen, gameplay is almost exactly how it would realistically be if players were facing off on a physical, tiny air hockey table (if such a thing can be said to be realistic).
#16 Sudoku Free
This is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the matrix game that is often referred to as a crossword puzzle for numbers. This particular version features four different difficulty levels and a fairly self-explanatory interface. The best feature here is that if players are interrupted, or device runs out of battery power, the game resumes just as it was with no lost progress the last time the app is opened. Though it may not seem like an issue for the Sudoku novice, just wait. The importance of this feature will soon become apparent!
#15 X-Construction Lite
For anyone who enjoys games like World of Goo and Fantastic Contraption, X-Construction offers a similar experience for mobile gaming. Players are given a predetermined amount of various types of materials with which to build a bridge. The only goal is to get the train safely across the bridge, though it can still be highly amusing to watch the train wreck in slow motion when the bridge design isn't quite structurally sound!
#14 Word Up
This one is for the word nerds! Word Up is a search game that is played against the clock. This Boggle clone makes good use of the touch interface by allowing players to trace over the letters on the board to form words. Beware: even though each round is quite short, it is possible to lose hours to this one!
#13 Pac-Mac Championship Edition
While this is a demo version of the full game, it's definitely enough to get players hooked and wanting more of this arcade classic. Help Pac-Man eat his way to cherries, pretzels, and victory as he avoids the ghosts, Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde, who chase him through his labyrinth.
#12 Fruit Ninja Kaka
For fans of the iOS game Paper Ninja, Fruit Ninja is a juicier option for Android. Gameplay is quite similar in that it involves slicing flying objects and avoiding flying traps, only the objects in question are fruits, and the traps in question are bombs. There's also a timed mode, which involves simply slicing as many fruits as possible to meet a quota. It sounds simple, but whoever is running the Fruit Ninja Kaka Dojo has pretty high standards for what qualifies as "enough fruit".
#11 Abduction
Ever played Doodle Jump? It's kind of that like, but with cows. Your cow buddies have all been abducted by aliens, and it's up to you to bounce your way into space in order to rescue them! A nice feature of this game is that it features several different difficulty levels, including one that is specifically for kids, which means that it also excludes any inappropriate or mature jokes. Which usually means "immature jokes". Which is precisely why we like it.
#10 Gun Bros
If any Android app could be said to be the "cadillac" of mobile games, Gun Bros would be it. Join the Freakishly Rugged Advanced Genetics Galactic Enforcement Division (F.R.A.G.G.E.D.) as they battle their enemies, the Tyrannical Oppressors of Life (T.O.O.L.)!
The graphics are among the best ever witnessed on any mobile platform, and combined with the gigantic guns and self-aware, snarky humor, this makes for an engaging experience. A word of warning, however: This game does require more storage resources than most in order to play, so serious fans might want to invest in a card for extra memory.
#9 PewPew
With a name like "PewPew", how could it be anything other than a retro shooter? This charming little game has the look and feel of asteroids, but with several different modes. The soundtrack is also quite catchy!
#8 Robo Defense Free
This tower defense game is one of the most popular options currently available for Android, and it's easy to see why. Tower defense can be maddening for many reasons, and critics of the genre often site pacing as an issue. However, this game keeps players on their toes and the reward/upgrade system is simple and effective as motivation to keep playing. The drag and drop interface is also completely intuitive for anyone who plays tower defense games on a regular basis. This game is perfect for fans of the genre, as well as those wanting to try it for the first time.
#7 Paper Toss
Many a bored office worker and prison inmate has passed time with the real life version of this game. Luckily, there's no need for either type of incarceration now that we have "Paper Toss" available on Android for free. Within three difficulty levels and three different scenes, players must fling a wad of paper into a trashcan while a fan blows at varying speeds, all from a first-person perspective. It's harder than it sounds, though— watch out!
#6 Classic Tetris
Another game that stands the test of time, this Russian favorite is no less enthralling with a touch interface, even though it might feel a bit odd at first to classic gamers. A recent update gives this game a more traditional color scheme that truly captures the retro aesthetic.
#5 Words With Friends
Finally, after months of waiting and rumors, "Words With Friends" is available on Android! Recently acquired by Zynga, this mobile "Scrabble" clone stays true to its original lexicon and board format, with cross-platform support for those wanting to battle their iFriends. As always, there is also the option to be paired with a random opponent, in case matches with friends are too slow!
#4 Solitaire
Some things will never go out of style. Though it's been known by many names (variations include "Patience" and "Klondike") people have been playing some form of Solitaire since the late 1700s, and now it's available on mobile platforms! This bundle features not only the titular classic card game, but also Freecell, Spider Solitaire, and Forty Thieves.
#3 Jewels
Swap the jewels back and forth to match 3 or more in a row. Sounds simple, right? Yes, but that doesn't mean it's not also completely addictive! There's something indescribably satisfying about the clacking sound these jewels make each time they drop from the sky after a chain is formed. For those who played this game back in the keyboard and mouse days, gameplay is somewhat improved with a touch interface, and the leaderboards are cross-platform, so players can compete even against friends with iPhones!
#2 Bubble Buster
Uh-oh. Your screen is full of bubbles. Time to clear it out! The only way to do this is by forming chains of three or more bubbles of one color, which will not only cause the chain to bust, but will clear any bubbles stuck underneath the chain as well. Don't let the first few levels fool you: This game's difficulty sneaks up quickly, and only increases with each level!
#1 Android.Angry Birds Lite
Why are these birds so angry? Those evil, green pigs are still up to no good! They've raided all the nests and stolen the eggs, and it's up to the player to get them back! Carefully take aim and fire these willingly weaponized avians towards the destruction of the pigs' pen. This physics-based puzzler was a classic the moment it was released!
