Android gaming has been steadily getting better. Before, we had simple puzzle games and we could invite our Facebook contacts to be our friends in games. Multiplayer games used to mean just leaderboards. There are now a ton of games that support actual multiplayer play, including real time co-op or PvP. In fact, most games these days have some sort of multiplayer element in it. If you’re looking for something to play with your friends, here are the best Android multiplayer games! We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Dead by Daylight, a one versus four online multiplayer game with some unique game play mechanics.
AdventureQuest 3D
Price: Free to play
AdventureQuest 3D is one of the newer multiplayer games on mobile. It’s an MMORPG. It features most of the stuff that you’d expect. There are tons of quests to do, various classes, raid bosses, dungeons, and there is even some crafting. What makes this one stand out is that it has complete cross-platform support. You can play it on mobile or on PC if you prefer. There are chats, raids, and even PvP that you can play with other people. There have been a few hiccups since its release. However, it’s a solid option overall.
Asphalt 9: Legends
Price: Free to play
Asphalt 9: Legends is the latest game in Gameloft’s popular arcade racing franchise. It plays very much like older iterations. You unlock various cars, race against AI or human players, and compete in various types of events. The online multiplayer is above average. Matches are generally quick and you can race with any of your vehicles. The non-PvP content is vast. You can spend a lot of time playing this game before you reach the end. Plus, the graphics are actually pretty good and the mechanics are simple. Some complain that the mechanics are a little too simple, but this is an arcade game. Asphalt 8: Airborne and Asphalt Xtreme are also excellent arcade racing choices from Gameloft.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Price: Free to play
Call of Duty: Mobile is one of the newer multiplayer games on the list. It’s also surprisingly good. It’s an online FPS games with a variety of multiplayer modes. That includes classic Call of Duty death matches as well as a 100-person battle royale mode similar to PUBG and Fortnite. The game also features some mild gacha elements as you collect famous people from the game series and customize them with various weapon and gear skins. There are a few bugs here and there, but these should get ironed out over time.
Crossy Road
Price: Free to play
Crossy Road is an arcade platformer. Your goal is to cross various roads and streams without dying. Your goal is to make it as long as possible. It features a variety of playable characters and a local multiplayer mode. You and your friends can connect to a WiFi network and then play together in a created game. It supports two to four players. It’s not the most robust multiplayer ever. However, it is family friendly and a fun way to kill some time. It’s definitely one of the better local multiplayer games.
Legends of Runeterra
Price: Free to play
Legends of Runeterra is one of the newer Android multiplayer games. It’s a PvP style game with elements of dueling, card collecting, and auto battling. Players unlock cards, build decks, assign champions, and duke it out between one another. There are 24 champions and a bunch of cards. Additionally, the challenging but fun game play gives you ample opportunity to outwit your opponents. It’s F2P (free to play) friendly so you don’t have to spend money to have a good time. This game replaced Hearthstone on this list, but Hearthstone is still an excellent choice in this genre as well.
Minecraft
Price: $6.99 with in-app purchases
Minecraft is one of the most populars multiplayer games of all time on any platform. You’re dropped into a randomly generated world and then you can do pretty much whatever you want. The game includes cross-play with Xbox One and PC. That means you can play with your friends almost anywhere. The game includes three modes: survival, realms, and creative. Creative mode doesn’t let you die for any reason. Survival mode spawns bad guys, a food system, and you can die. Those looking for console level quality in a mobile game can’t do much better than this. It is actually a PC and console game as well. The game costs $6.99 up front. The in-app purchases are for character skins.
Old School RuneScape
Price: Free / $10.99 per month / $99.99 per year
Old School RuneScape is, obviously, one of the older multiplayer games on the list. This one is an MMORPG and a rarity in the Android space. It uses a subscription service rather than freemium elements to drive revenue and that’s not something you see everyday. The game itself is quite good. You traverse a huge world, perform many quests, find loot, trade with other players, and take on tons of bad guys. It has a large community and surprisingly responsive developers. There is a free version of the game that is a bit scaled down from its premium version. You really can’t go wrong either way, though. The game is massive.
Pokemon Go
Price: Free to play
Pokemon Go is one of the most popular multiplayer mobile games. Players roam the real world in search of Pokemon, gym battles, and Poke Stops to refill on items. The game is technically single player. However, gym battles, trainer battles, and just playing them is totally doable with groups of people. In fact, many people who play the game do so solely for the social elements. The player base isn’t nearly as big as it used to be, but many places have official Facebook groups for players to find one another.
PUBG Mobile and Fortnite
Price: Free to play
It didn’t take PUBG Mobile long to climb the ratings board for multiplayer games on mobile. It’s popular, fun, and it works pretty well on most modern devices. You drop onto an island with 99 other players. The last person standing wins. You find all sorts of weapons and equipment on the island. The borders also slowly restrict the size of the playable area. Thus, if you wind up way out in the boonies, the game itself will eventually kill you. Fortnite launched on the Play Store in early 2020 and it plays very similarly but with a build mechanic as well. You can play either one and probably have a decent multiplayer experience.
Riptide GP: Renegade
Price: $2.99
Riptide GP: Renegade is probably the best racing game available. The campaign mode is fun and has plenty of events. There is even a story line, multiple wave runners to buy and upgrade, and more. The online multiplayer option is above average. Up to eight total players can compete in head-to-head match ups. It also supports split-screen multiplayer mode, hardware controllers, and more. There’s even a challenge mode where you can compete against the best times of your friends. It has no in-app purchases to get in the way and we liked that a lot.
Supercell games
Price: Free to play
Supercell developed some of the most popular multiplayer games in recent memory. Their biggest hits include Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, and Boom Beach. Clash of Clans and Boom Beach are strategy games. Players build up bases and armies and fight each other for resources. Clash Royale is a card dueling game similar to Hearthstone. Each game has tons of active players. That means it’s not difficult to find people to play with. Their latest game is Brawl Stars, a mix between a MOBA and battle royale game. They’re not perfect, though, and they change the game balance fairly frequently. As long as you don’t mind that, these games provide decent experiences.
Teamfight Tactics
Price: Free to play
Teamfight Tactics is an auto battle online PvP game. The game is simple enough to play. You assemble a group of champions and deploy them on the battle field as strategically as possible to outwit your opponents. The game features a bunch of champions, tie ins to League of Legends, and cross-platform play. The game has a bit of a steep early learning curve and the shifting meta frustrates some of the more experienced players. However, it’s a fun little auto battler and it’s a quick play for those who want to play against other people, but not for hours at a time.
Unkilled
Price: Free to play
Unkilled is a first person shooter where you hunt down zombies. It’s a mission-based game with over 150 missions currently available (and growing). You’ll also have weapons to collect and upgrade, various bosses to take down, and more. The online multiplayer mode is a newer addition, but still pretty good. You can fight people in traditional PvP matchmaking. Additionally, you can build an army of zombies and attack the bases of other players. It’s kind of like Kill Shot Virus and Clash of Clans blended together. The mechanics and graphics are far above average as well.
Vainglory
Price: Free to play
Vainglory is arguably the best MOBA on mobile. For those unfamiliar with MOBAs, your goal is to join forces with two other players and try to take the base of the other team. You’ll have a whole battlefield to play with, power ups to obtain, and it does require quite a bit of strategy to succeed. MOBAs are fairly common and popular in the eSports ring and Vainglory is no different. There are over 30 characters to unlock, a variety of game modes to play, and tons of social elements. Or you can just play with bots if you want to. The decision is yours.
Zynga’s With Friends games
Price: Free to play
Zynga has developed several really good multiplayer games. They include Words With Friends, Draw Something, Chess With Friends, Gems With Friends, Crosswords With Friends, and their latest game, Words With Friends 2. Each game lets you pair with a friend or stranger online in competitive play. They aren’t very complex games. However, they are family friendly, easy to get into, and simple to play. All the games allow you to log into Facebook to find friends more easily. They’re not perfect, but they’re kid friendly, easy, and fun to play with friends or relatives.
If we missed any of the best multiplayer games for Android, tell us about them in the comments!