← Back to portfolio
Published on

TabTimes’s 25 Best Android Games of 2013

A record number of high-profile and indie Android tablet games made their debut in the Google Play Store this year, making 2013 sweeter than Jelly Beans and Kit Kat bars combined. At this point, however, the total number of delectable tablet-friendly games could send you into a sugar rush.

That’s why we narrowed them down the best Android tablet games to 25. You will be able to max out the fun you can have without maxing out your tablet’s storage capacity.

rymdkapsel

The flat design of rymdkapsel didn’t make it any less appealing when the minimalist strategy game made its mobile debut this summer. In fact, the bare-bones design is what made this curious-looking RTS game so unique. Building a space station, generating resources and defending against several waves of enemies looks plain, but it’s just plain fun.

Android 
https://play.google.com/store/...
$3.99

https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$3.99

Super Hexagon

Despite the name, Super Hexagon is all about controlling a tiny triangle. It just happens to hover around a hexagon in the middle of a screen. Waves of incoming walls spin toward this centerpiece, and the object of this game is to navigate the triangle to the portion of the wall that has an opening. It sounds simple at first, but it becomes maddeningly difficult as the tempo increases.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$2.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$2.99

Real Racing 3

Real Racing is such a good looking series that Apple often invited the developer to demo its new games on stage at its press conferences. It really showed off whatever new hardware the company was unveiling. Real Racing 3 showcases the graphical prowess of Android tablets with ten real-world tracks and almost 80 licensed cars. The other big difference between Real Racing 2 and Real Racing 3 is that developer Firemint became the EA-owned Firemoney Studios. As expected, the game is now free-to-play.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

Breach & Clear

Looking for an Android game that takes advantage of your high-end tablet hardware? Look no further than Breach & Clear, a tactical shooter from former Call of Duty creative strategist Robert Bowling. All of the authentic military ties are here, but the game’s 20 missions require much more strategy than Activision’s run-and-gun Call of Duty gameplay. That’s easy to pull off thanks to Breach & Clear’s isometric and 3D perspectives.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$.99

A Ride Into the Mountains

A Ride Into the Mountains may be the closest Android tablet owners get to playing a game that has the same energy as PS2 classics Ico or Shadow of the Colossus. Its gameplay also includes attacking enemies while seated on a galloping horse, though A Ride's sole focus is on archery. This makes aiming necessary to master. The only problem is that once you’re fully accustomed to this inspiring game, it’s almost over. The only thing we want is more.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$.99

Asphalt 8: Airborne 

While Real Racing 3 has dominated simulation racing games on mobile devices, Gameloft’s Asphalt series has done the same for the more wild arcade racing subgenre. Asphalt 8: Airborne amps up the excitement even more than the previous seven games by adding an overabundance of ramps for jumps, spins and even barrel rolls. Yes, ‘Do a barrel roll’ even applies to  Lamborghinis these days.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

10000000

10,000,000 is the magic number players must reach in order to attain their freedom in this hybrid dungeon crawling RPG puzzle game. It’s an interesting blend of genres that results in plenty of loot collecting and monster fighting, all executed by sliding rows and columns in an equally fun matching game. So while there are countless dungeon crawling role-playing games posing as something fresh and exciting on Android, this game actually delivers 10 million times over.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$1.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$1.99

Anomaly 2

Right away you can tell that Anomaly 2 improves upon the destruction-filled alien invasion graphics found in Anomaly: Warzone Earth. It’s especially true when playing this sci-fi “tower offense” game with a Tegra 4-equipped Android tablet. But deeper in, you’ll discover a more robust single-player campaign mode and an addictive multiplayer mode. If your friends buy into this sequel, its tower defense vs. tower offense multiplayer mode is worth checking out.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$1.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$.99

Rayman Fiesta Run

Rayman has long been a favorite of casual gamers, and he’s just as likable in the tablet game Rayman Fiesta Run. That’s because the gameplay wisely involves automatic running along with player-executed jumping and punching just like its predecessor, Rayman Jungle Run. We still aren’t sure how this almost-two-decades-old video game character with no arms and legs moves so quickly, but we’re confident his colorful cast of co-stars and environments could give Sonic the Hedgehog a run for his money.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$2.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$2.99

Containment: The Zombie Puzzler

If you’re like us and believe that everything is better when zombies are added, then you’ll like the Android tablet game Containment: The Zombie Puzzler. This is more than a matching game with a visual tweak, as the point is to obliterate zombies by ganging up on them with four of the same type of unit, whether they are cops or snipers. Kill methods really show the developer’s humor through and through.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/... 
$.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$.99

Dots: A Game About Connecting 

At first, Dots looks dated with ridiculously simple graphics and not much action on the screen. But then you realize you have 60 seconds to connect same-colored dots and you instantly forget about the aesthetics altogether as the timer ticks away. The fun doesn’t stop there. The developer included multiple game types including a unique gravity shuffling mode and power-ups that boost your score - with strategic use, of course. Best of all, we like the local pass-the-tablet multiplayer mode.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

Into the Dead

Into the Dead is a proper zombie game for Android tablets that has players running for their life in a zombie apocalypse. Survival is the name of the game and picking up weapons is the best way to defend yourself from the onslaught of brain-eating 3D undead. There’s no real-time multiplayer mode here, but Facebook-integrated leaderboards do offer players some companionship in this post-apocalyptic world. That and a tremendous amount of ads that are worth navigating through to keep playing.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

The Blockheads

Creative types will find more crafting games in the Google Play Store than just Minecraft: Pocket Edition. Check out the similarly styled The Blockheads that, graphically, looks like a 2D spin on the pixelated survival game by Mojang. The minor gameplay differences offered by eschewing 3D make this game even more tablet-friendly than the almighty Minecraft.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

GTA: Vice City

Since the recently launched Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Android offered more bugs than carjackings, tablet owners are best advised to check out the more stable (not to mention more affordable) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This Miami-based GTA game puts the 80s back in style, from new wave music to pink hues and Scarface references. It’s one of the best games from Rockstar, and even though it’s now 11 years old, it shouldn’t be missed.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$4.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$4.99

Reaper

Reaper isn’t as grim as its name suggests—its tiny, pale Black Swordsmith protagonist is even surrounded by colorful pastel backgrounds. His sword-slashing animations are also not all that violent and the RPG gameplay is only surface deep. What’s left is graphics that have a whole lot of 2D charm and casual role-playing leveling up to match. It’s an aesthetically pleasing RPG game built for the mobile audience (finally!).

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

Pudding Monsters

“From the creators of Cut the Rope” should immediately sell you on ZeptoLabs’ new puzzle game, Pudding Monsters. Instead of helping Om Nom eat candy, this game requires players to combine pudding monsters into one mega monster to defend against always-hungry humans. Even though the pudding personas aren’t as lovable as the monster from Cut the Rope, Pudding Monsters is addictive after one or two levels just the same.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$.99

Gear Jack

The popular black-and-white indie game Limbo isn’t out for Android devices, but Gear Jack fills that void with a similar 2D landscape. Its dark platforms require excellently timed jumping, as do the gears and chainsaws than never cease to slice and dice. What makes Gear Jack stand out on its own is that it’s an auto-runner with left and right slide and jump mechanics. It also has hints of color that give it a slightly different visual style. We still want Limbo on Android, but this will hold us over.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/app/g...
$.99

Ingress

Over one million Android installs can’t be wrong. Ingress is the augmented reality game from the Google-owned developer Niantic Labs. It uses Google’s excellent mapping software to overlay a sci-fi world throughout the globe. Just about anywhere you go, fictional portals can be claimed. Claiming open portals, or stealing enemy portals, usually requires visiting landmarks or local hotspots in town. Yes, it’s a game that gets us out of the house—and, yes, we like it.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

Super Stickman Golf 2

Everyone’s favorite physics puzzler posing as a golf game has returned in the form of Super Stickman Golf 2. It features 20 courses that are even crazier than the first game thanks to moving obstacles, portals and magnets that change the fairway into an unfairway. Going a few rounds in the turn-by-turn and online multiplayer proves that this sequel is the most fun you’ll ever have at golf.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$2.99

Hero Siege

Games that “require high-end devices” are great news for tablet owners with premium hardware compared to rinky-dink smartphones. Hero Siege is one of those games. It lays down aggressive enemy battles and epic boss fights, something we want to see more of on Android tablets. With randomly generated levels and a total of 40 different enemies to hack-n-slash, this game is bloody and a bloody good time.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

Kami

Kami’s simple colored-paper folding aesthetics and calming Japanese music contrasts well with the tense feeling the puzzle gameplay can bring. Folding out colored paper in as few moves as possible is quite daunting in the 45 included puzzles of the paid version.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
$.99

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
$1.99

Dead Trigger 2

Dead Trigger 2 is the sequel to the only zombie-filled first-person shooter that we found functions well on Android tablets. So now that’s two zombie-filled FPS games we like. With controls that work and graphics that work overtime, it’s games like this that shrink the gap between mobile gaming and console gaming.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

Juice Cubes

Angry Birds creator Rovio made Juice Cubes much more cute that its flagship series' red-feathered mascots. These delicious, fruit-filled squares present a matching game challenge that is as (filled with) fluid as it is fun. In addition to being a competent puzzle game, Juice Cubes offers more than 215 levels, meaning the juice won’t stop flowing once you get addicted to this free-to-play game.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

FIFA 14

Just like FIFA 14 on consoles is optimized for next-generation consoles, the mobile version souped-up when played on tablets. It’s easy to tell that the graphics are superior to FIFA 13. Less obvious is that the controls work better too: tap to pass, touch to shoot and hold and drag to move are all executed more easily this season. With FIFA Ultimate Team mode available, upgrading shouldn’t be a question for soccer fans.

iOS
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

Android
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free

Respawnables 

Even though Zynga has fallen on hard times, it’s still making some great mobile games that we swear we played by other developers before. Case in point, Respawnables brings traditional third-person shooting gameplay and gives it a cartoon twist. Team Fortress, anyone? But in this case, the Valve-made shooter isn’t coming out for Android anytime soon, so Zynga is actually filling out mobile needs with such a game.

Android
https://play.google.com/store/...
Free

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ap...
Free