There were so many good games released on the Play Store in 2022 we couldn’t possibly fit them all into our long-running roundup of the best games on Android. So we’ve gathered the 20 best Android games launched in 2022 into a handy roundup so that everyone can easily catch up on all the brilliant releases this year.
2022 saw a fantastic range of games come to Android, from the indie masterpiece Vampire Survivors to the port of the classic RTS Total War: Medieval II. There’s something for everyone this year, so if you’ve recently been gifted one of the best gaming phones, today’s roundup has you covered with the latest and greatest games to put your new device to the test.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors crept onto Steam in late 2021 but didn’t truly take off until its full release in October 2022. The Android launch was a pleasant surprise, swiftly becoming a smash hit, especially as it was released for free with minimal/optional ads.
Vampire Survivor’s retro bullet-hell gameplay is incredibly addictive, and you’ll find yourself glued to your phone for hours as you unlock new combinations of items and discover new areas. It has no right to be as addictive as it is, but if you’re going to download one new game this year, make it Vampire Survivors, you can expect hours of fun that’s intuitive enough that anyone can pick up the game and enjoy it.
Marvel Snap
Marvel Snap is one of the best card games on Android right now, thanks to its accessible but competitive gameplay. It bucks many of the trends established by competing digital card games to create an original experience that’s a breath of fresh air for the genre.
Despite a slow progression system, Marvel Snap has one of the fairest approaches to monetization we’ve seen from a F2P game. Cash is mainly spent on different art for cards, but for those who don’t want to pull out their wallet, every base card can be unlocked for free. Plus, matches wrap up quickly, which means you can jump in and jump out with ease, and since the gameplay isn’t gated by how big your wallet is, Marvel Snap is easily the most accessible competitive CCG available today.
Into the Breach
Netflix Games had a rough start when it launched in 2021 with just five titles. Since then, the library has grown in leaps and bounds, offering original titles alongside ports of popular PC games. Into The Breach is one of the best, offering tight, tactical combat that keeps you coming back for more.
While we wish Into The Breach and the other Netflix-exclusive games on this list were accessible outside of a Netflix subscription, we can’t deny that subscribing gives you access to some of the best games on Android. If you haven’t played Into The Breach since its launch on PC in 2019, the Android release was accompanied by its first major feature update making this the best time to pick it up again.
Apex Legends Mobile
Multiplayer FPS games are a dime-a-dozen on the Play Store, but it’s hard to recommend many of them confidently, thanks to iffy monetization. Apex Legends Mobile may suffer from dodgy touchscreen controls, but grabbing one of the best Android controllers is a quick way to improve the situation. Just like the console/PC version, all purchases revolve around cosmetics, keeping multiplayer fair.
For fans of the PC version, Apex Legends Mobile is sure to satisfy, though this is a standalone version. Due to the smaller screen, it incorporates a few tweaks that make it more accessible to newcomers and less frustrating for veterans. Overall, this game is easily one of the best FPS shooters on Android in 2022, and since it exits as its own code base, new characters are modes unseen in the console game are available on mobile.
Papers Please
Papers Please was initially released on PC 9 years ago to universal acclaim. The game places you in the role of an immigration inspector who decides who to let into the fictional communist state of Arstotzka. Let the wrong people through, and you’ll lose your job; let too few in, and you won’t earn enough money. Either way, your family will suffer.
Papers Please is a deep, thought-provoking game that makes you question your ethics repeatedly. There are no correct decisions here, just difficult ones, which is what makes the game so enthralling. Few titles explore such heavy subjects while also offering a boatload of fun.
Finding Paradise
Another port of an older indie game, Finding Paradise is one of the best RPGs on Android. It’s a stunningly beautiful adventure that offers one of the best stories you can find on the Play Store. You won’t find any skills to level or monsters to defeat here; just an absorbing story presented through charming pixel graphics.
The Android release also comes with new features, including a music-box mode that allows players to access the entire soundtrack on command. So even if you played the game when it was initially released on PC, we recommend giving the Android version a try since it’s pretty cheap and comes with a few extra features. Plus, the chill gameplay lends itself quite well to mobile touchscreen play.
Reigns: Three Kingdoms
Reigns has seen many spinoffs since the original swiping game was released in 2016. The latest iteration, Three Kingdoms, brings the game into the titular era in Chinese history along with new features and innovations, making this release the best way to experience the Reigns franchise.
Alongside the classic Tinder-style gameplay, Reigns: Three Kingdoms adds online-ranked card battles. You’ll muster recruits from your reign and pit them against other players. Unfortunately, like Into The Breach, you’ll need a Netflix subscription to play.
Total War: Medieval II
Feral Interactive is well known for porting PC games to mobile, Linux, and macOS, and its work on the Total War franchise has brought multiple games to your phones, most recently Total War: Medieval II. While you’ll need one of the best budget Android tablets at minimum to fully enjoy the game, it’s worth the cost to play the game portably.
Recently, the Kingdoms expansion made its way to Android, rounding out the collection of Medieval II content on mobile. If you’re a fan of the Total War franchise or want to play a full-fledged RTS on mobile, Total War Medieval II is the best option on the Play Store, with tons of extra content to keep players busy for ages.
Disgaea 4
2022 was a bumper year for quality ports launching on Android, especially for strategy games. The hardcore SPRG Disgaea 4 made its way to Android in November, and despite the premium price, it is one of the best purchases you can make on the Play Store, and exists as one of the game’s best ports to date.
Even if you’ve played the original game, we recommend picking up the Android port of Disgaea 4. The addition of an auto-battle feature takes the edge off the grind, so this version is perfect for those who would rather focus on the narrative or end game. Ultimately, it’s never been easier to hop into a Disgaea game, thanks to the new QoL features added to the game.
Railbound
Amongst all the ports of high-profile PC and console games, it’s easy to forget the casual puzzle game genre. Railbound is the latest release from Afterburn studios, a company behind some of the best puzzle games on Android, like Golf Peaks.
Railbound puts you in charge of two adorable dogs as they attempt to travel the country via train. You’ll place tracks, delay trains, switch points, and utilize tunnels to help your trains reach their destination in the correct order. It’s an adorable but fiendishly challenging game, and it’s easily worth the asking price.
Isle of Arrows
Isle of Arrows is a brilliant puzzle/tower defense game from the creative director of Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO. It looks simple on the surface, but it offers hours of challenging entertainment for fans of both puzzle and tower defense genres.
Isle of Arrows is another game that exemplifies why your phone is the best place to find a good puzzler. Not only is Isle of Arrows easy to pick up and simple to understand, but it’s also interesting enough and challenging enough to keep you coming back for more.
Sigma Theory
Sigma Theory may not boast hundreds of thousands of downloads, but it’s a must-play for any fan of turn-based strategy games. It’s perfect for people that enjoy strategy on a macro level instead of micro-managing hundreds of units.
Sigma Theory comes from the developers behind Out There, considered by many to be one of the best roguelike games on Android. Unsurprisingly the developer delivered an excellent experience with Sigma Theory that easily deserves more downloads than it has.
The Past Within
Possibly the best co-op game of the year, The Past Within is a point-and-click adventure where you’ll team up with a friend to solve puzzles. Players are stuck in different timelines, so effective communication is the only way to progress to solve each puzzle.
The Past Within is relatively short, around two hours, but this makes it perfect for an evening in. Both players will need a copy of the game, but it’s cross-platform, so they can play on PC, Mac, iOS, or Android.
Dicey Dungeons
Fans of the deck-building roguelike mechanics of Slay the Spire will certainly enjoy Dicey Dungeons. As you might guess from the title, RNG plays a large part in the game, with the dice representing your character.
This RNG is part of what makes Dicey Dungeons so fun. You must build a deck that accounts for bad luck, which is harder than it sounds. The Android version of the game launched with new DLC in tow, so if you haven’t touched it since its initial release on PC in 2019, now is the perfect time to jump back in, and this time you can do it from the comfort of your phone.
Dungeons of Dreadrock
Dungeons of Dreadrock is akin to Isle of Arrows in that it’s a puzzle game wrapped up in another genre. This time it’s a dungeon crawler similar to classic Zelda games, where you’ll defeat monsters and avoid traps to save your character’s brother. It’s a fantastic game that’s the perfect way to wind down your evening.
Dungeons of Dreadrock isn’t a long game, but it’s engaging, charming, and challenging throughout. It rewards careful planning, so those not a fan of games that require quick reactions will find themselves at home here.
Dysmantle
The Play Store is filled with cheap survival games designed to deliver ads over meaningful gameplay, but Dysmantle bucks this trend by offering a premium experience with a unique catch. In Dysmantle, you can destroy nearly everything, from houses to trees, and you’ll need to do so to gather the necessary supplies to advance.
Unlike many of its brethren, Dysmantle isn’t plagued by ads and irritating monetization, which means this is a must-play for any fan of the survival genre.
Wreckfest
Some graphical errors may have plagued Wreckfest’s Android release, but it’s still a great port of the demolition derby racer offering some of the best racing on the platform. The Android version doesn’t cut out any of the content from its console or PC brethren, either, and despite some graphical downgrades necessary for mobile, it’s the same experience across the board, a full-fledged racer ported to mobile.
If you’ve yet to play Wreckfest, it’s smashingly good fun, thanks to its various game modes and innovative soft-body physics. Cars will deform realistically upon impact; as you might guess, this happens often. We heartily recommend this fantastic racer as long as you’re fine with a few graphical glitches.
Kombinera
A return to form for the brand, Kombinera is the latest release from Atari. You’ll control multiple colored balls simultaneously with the goal of combining them, but traps and obstacles stand in your way. Each color gets you past the respective-colored impediments, so you’ll need to plan carefully to bring your balls together.
Kombinera is, in many ways, the perfect puzzle game. It’s easy to learn but hard to master, and with 300 stages, you won’t be finishing it anytime soon.
Streets of Rage 4
Streets of Rage 4 is the latest release in the side-scrolling beat ’em up series, a franchise that began life in the 90s on Sega consoles. The fourth game, released in 2020, perfectly married the retro series with modern-day mechanics, finally making its way to Android this year.
Whether you’re a fan of the first three brawlers or just want to expeirnce a solid arcade action game, we can’t recommend Streets of Rage 4 enough. In a year packed with fantastic ports, Streets of Rage 4 stands out as one of the best.
