Best Android Games for 2023: Gaming Experience

In the last decade, the monstrous rise of smartphones can be easily seen, and how it has impacted the functioning of the world itself. Dominated mainly by the two major players, Android and iOS, mobile gaming has also taken an enormous leap forward, which could be seen in parallel with smartphones taking over the world. 

What could only be dreamt of concerning gaming on the phone in the initial days, starting with Snake back in the day, has become a reality today? The quality of these mobile games and their experience is so unreal today that they can even compete with the PC and console games. 

Many games are launched yearly, especially in Android, which is a very high number. But not all of them are superior in quality or at least good at what they are supposed to do best, and it is not easy to sift through them all to find out which exactly is what. But with the help of Android’s official Play Store and its charts and popularity, some of the games have gained year after year. Here is a curated list of 2023’s best Android games that are out there right now, going into 2023.

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Best Android Games for 2023

The following list has been carefully curated to do justice to the readers of this title and the fans of mobile games in general so that they know exactly what to try out first and what not to since there is a large ocean of games to pick from. The 25 best Android games for 2023 are:

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Among Us

Back in 2020, when the whole world was in lockdown, and all of humanity was made to remain strictly within the confines of our homes, various activities and games were sought to manage the uneasiness that had prevailed. Among Us is a game that became one such quarantine pastime. 

The game title is more catchy than some others, but it made people dig it somehow. It is also not one of those high-end, graphic-intense influential games but rather a minimalistic, two-dimensional game with simple gameplay. It is set in a spaceship wherein a group of astronauts (that is, who a player takes form as in the game) is working together to fix something wrong with the ship. Basically, Among Us’s storyline is a classic tale of the good versus the bad, as is usually the case with a social deduction game. 

If you are new to the world of Among Us, you must check out how to play Among Us to be a master of this game.

Call of Duty: Mobile

One of the most famous and arguably one of the two best shooters Android games in the market right now, even though it debuted only a few years ago, Call of Duty: Mobile is guaranteed a prominent place in this list as one of 2023’s best games. 

Not to forget that Call of Duty was already a household name in the gaming world; thanks to its PC and console-exclusive games, the expectations were sky-high for the game, and when it was released, it was one of the biggest launches ever. Its Battle Royale mode makes it the most popular in its segment, although the rest is a ported version of the game to fit into the smartphone world. 

The graphics involved are top-notch for a smartphone game. There are a lot of in-app purchases, though, which makes it questionable for a specific section of the fans, and yet, that does not make it any less popular or the quality it provides to the users. 

Check out the Call of Duty Series in Order to enjoy all the games of this series.

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Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is for those who are into the fantasy world and the adventures that come along with it. It takes the players into the world of Tevyat and the events waiting to happen as the game goes deeper into the story. 

It is an open-world game, so it has the perks of letting the players roam around and do the stuff they want to, other than the game’s tasks themselves. The game is the character’s journey across the world of Tevyat and how they navigate through fun, friendships, and some battles to the finish line. 

It is a wholesome experience with a beautiful presentation and a terrific soundtrack that complements the storyline well. To begin with, it is a free game but requires purchases for the upgradation of any tools or characters. 

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Apex Legends Mobile

Yet another battle royale shooter in this list is this year’s latest addition, Apex Legends Mobile. Like the other big giants from the console-gaming world, it was high time Apex Legends made its foray into mobile gaming. But unlike the rest, this game was developed specifically for smartphones from scratch, with its benefits and disadvantages. The idea behind the battle royale setup is still the same. 

But because it is custom-made for mobile devices, it has a set of new characters apart from retaining the original lead characters and their respective skill sets and other features, such as a third-person view, which is unique. The controls have also been redesigned, making for a better smartphone gaming experience. 

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Ludo King

If one game has stayed in the Top Charts of both the Google Play Store and the App Store, then it is Ludo King. Similar to Among Us, it picked up pace in gaining popularity during the coronavirus-hit locked-down world. 

This became the go-to game for smartphone users looking to keep them away from the prevailing chaos. The fact that it existed as a real-life board game for years before it made its way to our devices also speaks volumes about the legacy of the original Ludo over the years. 

Now with the mobile game’s ability to engage with friends or random players online or just the people who are physically present with you, it has gone notches higher in its likability and popularity. The rules and the gameplay are the same as the board game. 

If you love playing Ludo online, then you should also try Ludo Boss on Frolic. It is a fun game which allows you to earn real money just by participating in Ludo tournaments and competitions. Invite your friends, create customized tournaments, and let the fun begin with Frolic. 

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Asphalt 9: Legends

Ever since the inception of Android as a mobile operating system and the advent of gaming, this game has existed, and even today, this game continues to be a popular and best Android game. Asphalt 9: Legends is the ninth and the latest installment in this renowned Asphalt series and is still glorious and able to provide the adrenaline rush to the users that it has come to be known for over the years. 

A racing game is always at the top of the list for any gamer in general, and when it is the pinnacle of racing, it indeed is supposed to woo, once again, the enormous fanbase that it has gained all these years. 

The race tracks that feature in the game have become even more impressive, and it helps the users take complete advantage of the intense graphics involved and make for an incredible racing experience.

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Alto’s Adventure

It is among the best strategy games for android. The initial bloom in the Android gaming world was due to the launch of endless/infinite-runner games such as Temple Run and Subway Surfers. And there have been tons of such games in the market ever since. But this game, Alto’s Adventure, is one of the best games in the genre. 

The gameplay does not get any simpler than this. The player gets to navigate through the world of the game on a snowboard, and if the goals are met successfully along the way, without crashing into any of the hurdles in between, that is basically what the game is about. 

There are different characters to pick and choose from, but they will need to be unlocked with the points earned by completing goals. As one character is unlocked after the other, they offer better overall control, making it easier to achieve the goals when one goes deeper into the game. 

The graphics are good enough for a game of this scale, and it is a free-to-play game to begin with. There is also a sequel to this called Alto’s Odyssey. 

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Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO is a game that exploded onto the scene when it was launched. It immediately caught almost everybody’s eyes, so much so that there used to be a bunch of people at every corner of the street with their phones in hand playing this game almost all the time. 

It lets the players hunt for their favorite Pokemon characters and their surroundings, which is the long and short of it. But the initial version was so full of issues that it has taken quite some time to become as stable as it is today. Nevertheless, it did not make a dent in the game’s popularity since then, and the fans of the game have remained true to it to date. 

It is worth noting that Pokemon GO is arguably the most popular Android game that incorporates augmented reality, which is precisely what has steered the game to the fans in the first place. The gameplay is so unique and intriguing that, even today, not many other games can match it. 

You must try this game, if you are looking for the best games for girls.

Sky: The Children of Light

The first thing about this game that immediately catches one’s attention is the name of the developer behind it - thatgamecompany. Such a name is intriguing and shows they have something different to offer to the gaming world. They are primarily into independent art games, which show with their three previous outings, and this game is no exception either. 

Sky: The Children of Light is an MMO - abbreviated as a massively multiplayer online game set in a paradise-like world in the sky. The visuals are pretty stunning, the soundtrack is as soothing and mesmerizing as it gets, and it sits so well with the storyline and the gameplay. 

The characters can walk, run and even fly across the world and the communication in this game is not so much of the verbal kind but through signs and emotions. 

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Real Cricket 22

For an Android market as big as India, cricket games are a must-have in this cricket-crazy country where people follow the sport religiously and to the extent of letting it dictate their lives. The developer of this game, Nautilus, is based in India, but the sport is also quite popular outside of India. So, cricket games were slowly emerging as Android smartphones took over the world. The best of the lot is Real Cricket 22. 

It is a series that has existed for a while now, and this is the latest addition to it. It has the closest-to-real-life simulation of one of the most popular sports in the world. The players have a variety of modes and tournaments to choose from and can even try their hand at reimagining the big tournaments that happen in real life. 

The improved graphics are there for people to see, and the player contingent has grown wider and updated to date. The commentary is also much improved, thanks to the inspired work of some actual experts. 

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Shadow Fight 4: Arena

As a standard two-dimensional game that implements the common player-versus-player model, the Shadow Fight series has existed for years. The newest installment in the franchise is Shadow Fight 4: Arena. 

In this version, the game is more into online gameplay than its usual stick-to-the-storyline gameplay in its predecessors. It features a set of interesting characters to be the player’s choice, with which they navigate the game as they advance. The controls have evolved over the years and become better. 

And this time, the player can have a team to engage in the fights, making it all the more interesting to be a part of. The more talked-about aspect of this game is its reward system. The rewards are accumulated as the game goes deeper and can be used for the upgradation of players, their skills, or both. 

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Garena Free Fire Max

The ardent fans of the original Free Fire have been waiting so long for this gigantic update as its true successor. It took quite some time, but it was finally launched. There was a massive spike in improvement on the graphics front and the overall performance as well. 

It is a familiar game that players need to switch to; instead, they can save their progress and continue with it on this new version. More than anything else, that was reason enough for the fans to celebrate it. Finally, an Ultra HD is included in the game, but it requires the players to have a phone that supports it to enjoy that feature. 

The animations have also become better and more engaging than they used to be. The gameplay at its very core remains the same as any other battle royale game, including the same level of action and fun that comes along with it. It was a great update in every sense of the word and worth waiting for. 

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Into the Breach

It is now time for a strategy game to feature in this list and the first of that kind has to be Into the Breach. Of course, this is in no way a premium, high-end game. Its graphics are entry-level and simple, but it is exactly that because of this; it is a fairly popular game in its segment. 

It is a turn-based tactical game that offers enough for the users to invest. The fact that the players are left with so little to play a game out of makes it challenging. It involves building and maintaining one’s grids, fighting battles, and marching to other territories, mostly islands, attacking and offering protection. One can not view the whole game right at the beginning itself as it needs unlocking as the game progresses. 

And interestingly, Netflix is the team behind its existence and is also on the Netflix Games platform. But the only downside is that it needs a Netflix account to play in the first place.

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Civilization VI

Civilization VI, 4X (Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate, in that order) is a popular strategy game that is widely played on computers and gaming consoles. And these Civilization games are some of the best titles in this genre. But it is only with this variant, Civilization VI, that this famous series is setting foot in the mobile gaming world. 

This free version comes with a limited base game and needs the player to make in-app purchases to play the full game with all its potential unlocked. But the base game itself is a treat to play, and the gameplay is an experience on its own. 

It does require top-of-the-line phones for the game to function at its best, though, because its graphics are on the heavier side, and it also takes up much of the phone’s RAM. 

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League of Legends: Wild Rift

League of Legends is a well-established title in PC gaming and consoles. It is highly competitive, and how the players battle one another is different. But what if the same game is remodeled for mobile gaming? How effective would that be? 

There is a roster of characters, or champions in this context, for the players to choose from and for the available roles, as it is a team game. Once the entire team is formed, the 5v5 matchup happens, and the game takes off. The newly reimagined on-screen controls make the transition from the PC version to this mobile port so difficult. The game may not be it for the newcomers, but it still is a perfect fit for the die-hard fans of the original game. 

The fact that this game has got much more accessibility when compared to the actual League of Legends has more to do with the availability of tutorials almost throughout the game for every single thing that needs one.

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Arena of Valor

Of all the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games out there that are successful and worth giving a shot at, this will qualify as one. Tencent, the name behind the mega-blockbusters such as PUBG Mobile, is also the creator of Arena of Valor. 

It is a real-time strategy game wherein the primary task is to form a team and wreak havoc on the enemy towers, one after the other, before the central core of the opposition is also destroyed to the ground. Just like it is the case with any other such game, going deeper into the game means leveling up constantly, and that means more skills and weapons acquired along the way to help play the game more effectively. 

The fans of DOTA and other games of its caliber can relate to this quite well. Owing to all the points mentioned above, it is easily one of those eye-catching and addictive games in the Android market. 

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Monument Valley

Some games are commercially successful. Some other games are insanely popular. And some others are critically acclaimed and win awards. As much as it sounds like a rarity, Monument Valley truly belongs to the third category. It is a puzzle game that poses mind-bending puzzles in front of the player and asks them to navigate successfully to the finish line. 

Thanks to its incorporation of optical illusion into the development of the puzzles across the game, each one looks far more difficult than it is.

The basic task of the player is to help take the princess character through these mazes that involve smart thinking and efficient ways of making moves. In any other case, the character is stuck in one place until it is booted out for the player to try again.

The game is made up of levels designated by different monuments, every one of them. It all comes to the player’s ability to interact with the environment they are put in to figure out a way forward. 

The graphics and the animations are fairly minimalistic yet stunning in their own right and aptly supported by an incredible soundtrack. It has a sequel called Monument Valley 2, which came out later and is equally great.

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Kombinera

Another game of puzzles that features in this list is called Kombinera. It is a two-dimensional game wherein the primary goal is to control the different types of balls in different colors coming right at the users that need to be fused to finish the levels and move up the ladder. 

Every one of these levels is different from one other, and what needs to be done is indirectly fed to the players for their progress to keep growing. The game’s design is so intricate that if a player is stuck in any of the levels, it would be almost impossible to move past that. It is frustrating that way. 

There are hundreds of levels in total, and throughout the game, different balls come into play with different sets of powers that correspond to the level one is presently in. There are also a few levels at the beginning where it teaches the player about the ins and outs involved in the game and gets them accustomed to the nature of its gameplay. 

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Minecraft

Minecraft is one of those insanely popular games, so much so that it would be considered a sin not to be aware of it. Almost everybody knows Minecraft, and most of that population has probably played the game as well in its PC versions and gaming consoles. Hence, this mobile-exclusive game will look no different in the eyes of the public, either. It is an open-world sandbox game where players can do things according to their whims and fancies. 

One has to master the art of block-building to qualify as a worthy contender in the game. It has the same retro look that has come to be respected and loved over the years, and in place of actual physical controls, this game uses on-screen controls that have been devised carefully. 

It is mostly an online game where players across the globe lock horns with one another but there is also the possibility of playing with friends if they are all connected to the same Wi-Fi network. 

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Shadowmatic

The concept of shadow puppets forms the crux of the gameplay here. This game, Shadowmatic, is a one-of-a-kind puzzle game that has a unique way of putting forth puzzles for the players. 

The preliminary objective of this game is to use the objects available at one’s disposal to form particular shapes on the wall with the help of the light source that goes on to mean or represent something. The puzzles are not always easy to solve, especially for kids for whom this game is said to have been primarily developed. Because it requires a certain level of spatial understanding and the way it works to be able to solve them all. But hints are also available everywhere across the game, which helps. 

There are as many as a hundred levels in the game, sometimes too much for a certain section of the target audience. Conversely, the gameplay is quite simple, and it is easy to let ourselves invest in it. Also, the on-screen touch controls are like a match made in heaven for this type of gameplay. 

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Gwent

Being one of the most popular card games in The Witcher universe, Gwent has finally made its way into the market as a standalone game and straight away into the Android platform. 

The storyline goes somewhat like this - the player is initially asked to pick a faction, a portion of the organization, and then given a pool of cards to build a deck right from scratch. Every section is predefined with a certain theme and its specific properties. And when the built deck is ready, a best-of-three-round game will be played. The scores will be kept, and the highest scorer is the one for victory. 

The rewards system in this game is also worth mentioning since it is very progressive and helps unlock so much more content in the game, eventually making the players more equipped to meet the demands of the game. It is certainly a must-try option for people who are into this stuff and, more noticeably, the fans of The Witcher. 

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Pac-Man 256

Launching as a possible spin-off of one of the most popular, legendary, and oldest video games in history, this Pac-Man 256 is a new-age game developed exclusively for the world of smartphone gaming. Taking over the premier endless runner reins back from the newbies, the game is now back with a renewed design, having moved away from the original box-like map to a three-dimensional map that is still coated with a retro look now for the Pac-man to do his usual thing. 

The number 256 in the game title suggests the number of pellets that needs to be eaten consecutively. It features the tried and tested formula of the classic endless runner model at its core, and it shows. There are also in-app purchases available for the upgradation of skills and weapons if such a need ever arises. The coins earned as rewards can also be doubled with the support of these microtransactions. This game provides you with an all-around experience that is also majorly fun.

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Lara Croft GO

Yet another household name in the gaming world is Tomb Raider, and the lead character in it is Lara Croft. This Lara Croft GO is a puzzle game with a calming nature, much like Monument Valley. Adopted obviously from the Tomb Raider universe, the world it is set in is quite familiar to the fans of the original game. The touch controls are simple and easy to figure out on the go. It is not exactly just a puzzle in the true sense of the word because it involves killing enemies as part of the gameplay. 

It does get a bit tougher as the game goes deeper, but in the end, it will still be easier to find a way out of every such situation that the players find themselves in this game. Sometimes, they will have to try again and try harder. But there is no upgradation of characters or skills or even weaponry as it would kill the spirit of the game. The world where the game is set in is beautiful. 

The animations are smooth, and the graphics are enough to make the players think that it, after all, is a game from the Tomb Raider universe. 

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Pokemon Unite

When this game was first announced, it did not create a storm as one would expect to be the case with a high-profile game. The teaser trailers did not help either, setting up the fans on course for a potential disappointment. But it was starting to feel like a lot of fun to play with when it launched. 

This is not exactly a MOBA game, but not so away from that either, so it is not easy to slot this into a particular genre. The gameplay follows the familiar pattern of a team of five players (or characters) battling another team. There are these designated scoring zones for the two teams battling it out. 

The goal is to keep defeating the opposition Pokemon and use the scoring zone to gain points and keep leveling up. That means an increase in skillsets and energies. Each Pokemon character has different characteristics, such as navigation moves, attacking moves, and the powerful abilities that come along with them.

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Implosion: Never Lose Hope

Implosion: Never Lose Hope is an intense, action-packed game that certainly belongs to the premium, high-end spectrum of the mobile gaming world. This comes from the makers of games such as Deemo and Cytus II, which are all much nicer, lighter games to begin with. 

They turned the tables around with this one, proving they have a thing for versatility. The controls are mostly simple, as with almost any other mobile game. Different combinations of controls bring out different types of attacking moves, which helps the player perform effectively in combat. The “villains” in this game are mostly aliens and can be dealt with without much fuss. 

There are various levels that the player can explore by making significant progress and collecting items and rewards while they are at it. Thanks to its wonderful graphics, the overall gameplay is an immersive experience, and the players will always find themselves raring to go for their next fight in the game. 

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Conclusion

“To each their own” is a popular phrase that is widely believed by people worldwide. Be it opinions, problems, or when it comes to choosing what’s best for them, even if it is just Android games in this particular context. 

The games featured in this list mostly make up most of the best games in the Android world. It only proves that the best games do not always have to be the biggest, highest-end ones, featuring the greatest of graphics but can be too good at what they are set out to accomplish in the first place instead.