Standing in line at the office, waiting at the doctor’s office, taking public transportation: situations that lead to boredom are not uncommon in everyday life. Instead of sitting back and waiting, why not play a game on your smartphone? We’ve selected the best free Android games to help you through those endless moments of waiting.
These games have, for the most part, adopted the Freemium system. They offer a system of integrated purchases that allows you to progress more quickly in the game. But all of them are playable and allow you to relax without spending a single euro.
Fortnite
Just over a year old and already a social phenomenon. It didn’t take long for Fortnite to conquer the hearts of nearly 200 million players. A success that the game owes in large part to its ultra simple to understand, but difficult to master gameplay.
Freshly landed on a deserted island, one hundred players fight to the last survivor. To survive, you need to equip yourself accordingly. By exploring the map, participants find weapons, items and resources that allow them to extend the experience. The most resourceful build shelters with the means at hand to protect themselves from their opponents and quietly refine their overall strategy.
With so much hide-and-seek, Fortnite games could drag on forever. Epic Games anticipated this problem with the safe zone. During a game session, this clearly defined area shrinks in size. Players outside the safety zone take damage at the risk of their lives. A trick that forces the competitors to regroup in the center of the map and speeds up the outcome of the game in progress.
Legends of Runeterra
For a first try, it’s a master stroke! With Legends of Runeterra, Riot Games -famous for League of Legends- has ventured into the trading card game, Hearthstone style. And this newcomer could well steal the show from Blizzard’s game, as it is so enjoyable and engaging.
It is, like the ancestor Magic: The Gathering from which it is inspired, a duel game. You play against an AI -which is very bad- or against other players with a deck of 40 cards that you have made beforehand. Objective: to become the master of the board, and reduce your opponent’s life points to 0 thanks to the creatures and spells you place in play. The games are fast-paced, yet highly strategic, thanks to the countless special powers of the cards, which you can of course combine to obtain devastating effects.
If we tell you about this game, it’s also because if it integrates in-app purchases, it’s still perfectly playable and fun without spending a single cent: you’ll gain experience with each duel, and quickly get new cards if you do well. Give it a try!
PUBG Mobile
Alongside Fortnite, it has brought the battle royale genre back into the mainstream. PUBG was first released worldwide on consoles and PC before rolling out to mobile platforms. The gameplay of this Android port remains unchanged. Parachuted onto a 64 km² island at the same time as 99 other players, you have no choice but to eliminate them one by one to win.
Perhaps less manageable than on PC or console, this version of PUBG has the merit of putting on an equal footing the fans of the first hour and the new competitors. Everyone (re)learns how to master the controls and strategizes according to their strengths and weaknesses.
Remember to upgrade your equipment to best suit your playing techniques. In the parcels dropped on the map, you can collect weapons, equipment and adrenaline syringes. You can also loot random items available on the map. The best solution is still to collect the equipment of players you just cooled down.
Although PUBG only allows one winner, there’s nothing to stop you from forming alliances to improve your chances of survival. But don’t forget that sooner or later you’ll have to betray your teammates to have any hope of winning.
FIFA Mobile
A must-have in the sports simulation category, FIFA Mobile brings one of the most famous soccer franchises to the smartphone. More than a simple port, the title uses its own game engine whose support and constant improvements guarantee photorealistic graphics, fluid gameplay, a powerful AI and natural interactions.
By opting for a new team system, FIFA Mobile assumes its desire for realism. The stats of the starters depend on your selections and associations. Recruit two players from the same club, league, country, or program, and you’ll benefit from a better cohesion that directly influences the overall performance of the team.
FIFA Mobile introduces a new way to compete with real-time matchmaking. You’ll meet other players from around the world and compete in an 11 vs. 11 format.
PES 2020
Historically neck and neck with FIFA, PES 2020 also benefits from its official port to mobile, extending the experience initiated on PC or console.
In addition to benefiting from the latest display technologies, PES 2020 is also getting up to speed with the players and competitions of the 2018-2019 season. Coupled with significant gameplay flexibility, these conditions offer everyone the opportunity to create and manage the team of their dreams.
PES 2020 is impressively realistic, with each player having their own unique characteristics. Recruitment choices become more multi-faceted and can conform to a wide range of tactics. However, you’ll need to be professional and show your sharp negotiation skills to buy today’s biggest stars.
Served by a completely revised control system, PES 2020 adjusts to touch interfaces. Fingertip controls are more precise, leaving no room for chance or luck. It even becomes possible to make special moves and shots that influence the course of a match and determine its happy or unhappy outcome.
Viola’s Odyssey
Get your surf on and get ready to hit the sandy slopes. Alto’s Odyssey invites you to join Alto and his friends on an epic journey through the dunes and canyons. Your goal is simple. You must travel as far as possible, at full speed, avoiding obstacles and making the most of the environment around you.
The handling of Alto’s Odyssey is very easy since it is limited to one touch. You just have to tap your finger on the screen to act on your character. By multiplying the acrobatics during your explosive descents, you will gain speed and be able to bounce hot air balloons, cross chasms and climb rock walls.
The game will get even more complicated when you also have to deal with the elements. Lightning, sandstorms and other weather phenomena will spice up your crazy race
The Sims Mobile
For The Sims Mobile, EA is reuniting with old friends and calling on the expertise of Maxis. This successful collaboration has allowed one of the biggest PC game franchises to pass the 100 million mark in sales worldwide in less than ten years.
Borrowing from The Sims FreePlay and The Sims 4, The Sims Mobile promises a rich and enjoyable gaming experience. The Sims creation system has been completely redesigned to allow you to customize your avatar down to the smallest detail.
You know the rest by heart. As a newcomer to a nice neighborhood, you build and furnish your house, find a job, make friends with your neighbors, become a leader of the free world, start a family, or spend your old age far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
One of the new advantages of The Sims Mobile is its strong social identity. By participating in special daily events, you meet other players’ Sims and live in the same neighborhood as your friends.
RGB Express
On mobile, many puzzles seem simple at first, but turn out to be more complicated once the first levels are passed. RGB Express is one of them. This puzzle game puts you in charge of a team of delivery drivers working in big French cities.
Under its simplistic look, RGB Express is actually a real challenge. It’s easy to get started, as you just have to draw the route of each van. But not everything is that simple. Because in addition to having to pick up the package(s), each delivery person has to take a unique route. It is not possible to pass twice at the same place, and the other deliverymen will not be able to use a route taken by their colleagues.
Pokémon GO
A dream come true, Pokémon GO allows the 90s generation to capture Pokémon for real. The result of Niantic’s diligent work, the game takes advantage of augmented reality and the maps previously used by Ingress.
Your avatar aims to become the best trainer, encouraging you to capture as many creatures as possible to level up. Pokémon appear randomly on the map, so it is necessary to move around to find a greater variety of them. When they finally appear on the map, tap them to see them appear as an overlay on your Android device’s screen.
Fiercely committed against cheating, Niantic does not hesitate to ban players who use bots and emulators to move around the map without moving from home. It is therefore imperative to walk around to fully enjoy Pokémon GO. This is an opportunity to discover new sites and points of interest, to meet other trainers, to participate in arena battles, and to hatch eggs containing rare Pokémon or Pokémon with extraordinary skills.
Asphalt 9
Gameloft’s flagship franchise, Asphalt, is getting a new episode with Asphalt 9. There are few surprises regarding the title’s sports content. On the other hand, we can only welcome the graphical and gameplay improvements that characterize this latest episode.
Hyper-realistic vehicles, precise animations, careful particle effects and attention to detail make Asphalt 9 a successful title that is a pleasure to play. The list of partner manufacturers adds to the prestige of the game, allowing everyone to sit behind the wheel of Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini, to name but a few.
Asphalt 9 focuses on challenge and customization. You can freely modify the basic characteristics of your vehicle and improve its performance as you win. Career and multiplayer modes energize the eight hundred races in which you participate.
Mario Kart Tour
Play as Mario and his friends and take the wheel for a frantic race on tracks inspired by major cities around the world in Mario Kart Tour. The game is constantly updated and is available in two-week seasons with new tracks added each time.
Gameplay is trivial as you simply press and hold your finger on the right or left side of the screen to direct your character, with acceleration provided automatically. Secure a top spot by being tactical. Collect as many objects as possible and drop them on the road at the best time to send your opponents into the fray.
By winning as many races as possible, you will unlock new drivers, new karts and much more. The more records you achieve, the higher your chances of moving up the league. Note that you will need to log in to a Nintendo account, and create one if you don’t have one, to play Mario Kart Tour.
Call of Duty Mobile
Fans of FPS and more particularly of the Call of Duty saga can now draw their machine gun on their smartphone with Call of Duty Mobile. This mobile version offers a control system adapted to touch interfaces, providing an optimal FPS experience on a small screen.
From the 100-player Battle Royale to team deathmatch and sniper duel, Call of Duty Mobile promises an explosive shooter with realistic graphics. For the first time, multiplayer maps from COD: Black Ops and Modern Warfare are available for free. Join millions of players around the world to form your squad and participate in an exciting experience.
During your victories, you will unlock new characters, but also outfits, weapons and equipment that will allow you to stand out from your enemies by taking a clear advantage on them.
Sky : Children of the light
Sky: Children of the Light is a 3D adventure game as visual as it is audio. You play as children of light who explore desolate kingdoms to find stars and send them back to their constellations.
During your journey, you will travel through seven dreamlike realms, running or flying over them, in an attempt to discover the mystery that lies within. Your adventure will lead you to meet other players with whom you will be able to interact by using the expressions at your disposal to communicate. You will be able to team up with them to explore the worlds available to you, try to save the spirits and why not, discover hidden treasures.
Each saved spirit will teach you a new phrase to use when communicating with other players.
Train Conductor World
Managing rail traffic is not easy. You’ll quickly realize this in Train Conductor World. This puzzle game puts you in the signal box of the biggest European railway networks.
Each train has a number and a color, and must be redirected on the track assigned to it. But if the first switches go smoothly, the increasing difficulty of the game will push you to review your organization. To avoid accidents, no mistake is allowed.
And if, however, you find yourself overwhelmed by a massive arrival of trains on several tracks, you can always stop the trains momentarily in order to switch them to the right track.
Aquavias
Fans of puzzles will find Aquavias an addictive and effective puzzle game. Propelled to the rank of builder, you will have the heavy task of bringing an essential element to life in cities, temples and other gardens: water. You will have to build the best aqueduct as quickly as possible.
The different pieces of the building will have to be put in order to lead the precious liquid from its source to its destination. A tap on each piece is enough to reposition them correctly. However, you will need to be quick-witted to finish your work as quickly as possible.
With a hundred levels offering increasing difficulty and a graphic environment as beautiful as it is relaxing, Aquavias requires concentration, especially not to be fooled by the presence of useless pieces for the construction of your building.
Candy Crush
Candy Crush needs no introduction. A worldwide success, this casual game perfectly fills the short dead times experienced throughout the day.
Candy Crush claims a strong gourmet identity. Candy, jelly, chocolate and nougatine explosions are used to reach the objectives set by each level. Match identical candies to earn points, create combos and unlock the next stage. Collect up to three stars and complete side quests to unlock boosters and special rewards.
With its miracle recipe, King did not hesitate to decline the Candy Crush concept with Candy Crush Soda, Candy Crush Jelly and Candy Crush Friends. In total, there are more than 5,000 cumulative levels that will keep you busy when you have a few minutes to kill.
Pro des Mots
Pro des Mots is for those who enjoy mental gymnastics. Halfway between Scrabble and Mystery Word, this vocabulary and logic game invites its players to put letters in order to discover the different terms that are hidden behind them.
Pro des Mots starts easily. Three letters can form two or three words of basic language. With confidence, players progress quickly. When a fourth, fifth, and sixth letter appear out of nowhere, they can compose more complex, sometimes unheard-of words.
The advantage of Pro des Mots lies in the absence of a time limit that would inevitably paralyze the most stressed minds. A word is missing? Just come back to it later. And if inspiration is really lacking, it is possible to trade the coins collected with each victory to obtain clues.