Even in our increasingly connected world, you may find yourself without Wi-Fi or data access throughout your day-to-day life. What better way to pass the time than to play a mobile game? Many of the most popular mobile games require an internet connection. Trying to open your favorite game while on a plane only to realize it won’t work can be a drag. To help you avoid that unfortunate dilemma, we compiled a list of the best offline games for Android that don’t require Wi-Fi or data access to enjoy.
You may also want to check out our picks of the best Android games, some of which do require internet access.
Terraria ($5)
Whether you’re already a fan of this classic action-adventure sandbox game on PC or console or totally new to the world of Terraria, it’s great fun. Explore a ginormous map (the world is randomly generated every time you start a game, so it’s never the same twice), mine blocks, and craft items to level up your character — and get ready to take on over 300 enemies and 15 challenging bosses that will test your skills. There are more than 20 biomes and mini-biomes to explore, with advanced building options that are easy to learn, so you can create amazing structures. When starting out, we recommend the Terraria Wiki guide, which will help you build your character in the early days. You can play alone offline — so you don’t need internet connectivity unless you’re planning on playing with friends in online multiplayer mode.
Eternium (free)
One for all the old-school role-playing game (RPG) fans out there, Eternium is free to play, and you can access most features offline. Choose to play as a mage, bounty hunter, or warrior, battling your way across three gorgeous handcrafted worlds packed with castles, dungeons, caves, forests, and villages to explore, or level up and learn new abilities across a range of endless randomly-generated levels in the Trials of Valor game mode. Along the way, battle skeletons, demons, dragons, and more, or team up with your companions to take down harder enemies and be rewarded with rare, epic, and legendary gear.
Sonic Dash (free)
Sonic Dash transforms the classic platform game into an immersive and endless running experience. Play as Sonic or his fellow comrades — including Knuckles and Tails — and dash your way through a variety of maps. The game introduces unique mechanics like Sonic’s homing attack and periodic hazard events that make each run different. You’ll even be able to face off against two the biggest villains in the Sonic franchise: Dr. Eggman and Zazz from Sonic Lost World.
Tiki Taka Soccer (free)
Whether you’re a fan of soccer — or football, depending on your location — or not, Tiki Taka Soccer offers most if not all the aspects of the sport with a retro-style twist. Create your own team, hire staff, and even buy free-agent players and compete your way through the most premier leagues in Europe. Simplistic and easy-to-learn controls make the game playable for people of all ages. This is the perfect game for soccer fans across the world.
Earn to Die 2 (free)
In a zombie-filled apocalyptic world, the only way to escape is to drive your way through. Carrying the momentum of a successful first version, Earn to Die 2 introduces the same side-scrolling game-play but with a new story mode that’s five times longer than the original. As simple as it sounds to drive through piles of zombies, strategy is required to beat the game. You must factor in the amount of gas you have, the durability of your car, and even when to accelerate and break to optimize your mileage. The rescue ship isn’t waiting forever, so hop on and ride your way to peace and safety.
Dumb Ways to Die 2: The Games (free)
Dumb Ways to Die took games by storm, and Dumb Ways to Die 2: The Games is just as good. The setup is simple — play a range of dumb but fast-paced minigames to score points and compete in the Dumb Ways to Die Games. There’s a large range of games to compete in, and most are very easy to understand. However, it’s so fast-paced you should expect to die a few times before it clicks. But that’s part of the game, and something you should embrace rather than avoid. Ads are served for retries, or you can pay to bypass that — with the fast pace, you may end up watching a lot of ads. It’s a lot of fun regardless.
Rayman Adventures (free)
Everyone’s favorite French platformer is back, and he’s on mobile. Rayman Adventures is everything you expect from a Rayman game — unique visuals, kooky designs, and tight platforming action — sewn up into an Android game. You can play as more than 55 characters across seven different worlds as you grow your Sacred Tree to unlock new adventures. Hunt down the Ancient Eggs, hatch up to 320 different Incrediballs, and use them to … er, beatbox? Apparently so. It’s a wild ride, and one that’s hard to say no to.
Rebel Inc. (free)
Do you have what it takes to pacify a rebellious region following a devastating and destabilizing war? Rebel Inc. gives you the tools to prove you can. To keep your assigned region under control, you’ll have to balance spending resources on military and civilian priorities, from instituting reading programs to build literacy levels, to constructing new guard outposts and hiring foreign soldiers to help keep the peace. But whatever you do, do it fast, as rebel insurgents will be waiting to seize control of the country.
The Wolf Among Us (free)
They’re fairy tale characters — but not as you know them. The Wolf Among Us tells the story of Bigby Wolf, otherwise known as “the big bad wolf”, as he polices the magical community hiding in plain sight. Based on the award-winning Fables comic series by Bill Willingham, The Wolf Among Us challenges you to solve a brutal, bloody murder in a world where your choices matter. Set before the events of the Fables series, this is the perfect place to start with this series. The first part is available for free, with episodes 2 to 5 available for purchase within the game.
Monument Valley 2 ($5)
Monument Valley 2, the sequel to the 2014 sensation, introduced a heartfelt bond between mother and child. Protagonist Ro guides her child through the gorgeous, dream-like puzzle levels. The environments themselves are even more pleasant than the already delightful original. Seeing landscapes change with your inputs is perhaps an even cleverer illusion than the actual puzzles. Relaxing, moving, and utterly mesmerizing, Monument Valley 2 is one of the best puzzle-adventures on Android.
Hitman G0 ($6)
Agent 47’s move from stealth to tactical strategy made a whole ton of sense thematically. But we doubt anyone expected Hitman Go to be one of the better turn-based games around on mobile. Each grid-based level plays out like a game of chess. Characters are even rendered as model figures. Dispatching enemies while working through rooms is just as satisfying as it typically is in real time. Mechanically sound and wonderfully designed, Hitman Go is the turn-based puzzle game you never knew you needed. No prior knowledge of the Hitman franchise is required to fully enjoy it, either.
Alto’s Odyssey (free)
Keeping in step with its predecessor, Alto’s Odyssey is an automatic runner that replaces running shoes for a nifty snowboard. Unlike the original which stuck with conventional snowy alps, Alto’s Odyssey takes place throughout several desert-themed chapters. Chapters contain randomly generated areas to keep the experience fresh. The star here is the simplistic gameplay, which continuously has a level of freedom and joy to it rarely seen in the popular mobile genre.
The Witness ($14)
A collection of 523 line puzzles scattered across a majestic and mysterious island, The Witness is one of the best puzzle games ever made. Using rules cleverly learned through play, The Witness‘ puzzles gradually increase in difficulty. Soon you’ll be using the environment around you to assist in solving puzzles and it won’t take long until you’re obsessively working on solutions both in your head and on scraps of paper.
To the Moon ($5)
Johnny Wyles is dying and wants to go to the moon, though he doesn’t know why. He enlists the help of two doctors who help to recreate memories of his life en route to granting his dying wish. From there, To the Moon quickly turns into a moving love story. More narrative experience than a game, To the Moon is well-written and accompanied by wonderful 16-bit visuals. If you want a great yarn, To the Moon holds one of the best game narratives on Android.
Plague Inc. (free)
A mainstay on the Google Play charts since its 2012 launch, Plague Inc. is one of the most satisfying and diabolical real-time strategy games around. At the start of each simulation, you create a virus that will hopefully wipe out the entire population (yes, it’s twisted). Thoroughly engaging and somewhat educational, Plague Inc. makes creating pandemics an experience that you’ll never get sick of (sorry).
Downwell ($3)
Welltaro decides to explore a well. That’s the premise of Downwell and an obvious one at that. What follows is a frenetic roguelike game centered around perpetual downward motion. Guiding Welltaro, you must avoid obstacles and enemies with the help of gunboots that only recharge when touching the ground. Downwell‘s levels are randomly generated, which makes each run different than the last. Designed to be played in portrait mode with minimalist monochromatic visuals, Downwell is an excellent, if very challenging, time waster.
Stardew Valley ($8)
Perhaps the ultimate town management game on Android and one of the defining games of this generation, Stardew Valley sets up well for mobile. It’s the perfect experience to play for short chunks of time every day. But you can also log long stretches in Pelican Town quite easily. Taking care of your crops and making small talk with the folks of Pelican Town is surprisingly rewarding. Stardew Valley‘s charming writing, endearing visuals, and addictive gameplay make it one of the best games on Android.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ($7)
For a large-scale console-style experience on mobile, look no further than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The port of the PlayStation 2 classic runs well on mobile and the open-world third-person shooter gameplay still holds up today. San Andreas is one of the best Grand Theft Auto games. It also happens to be one of the best games on Android.
Wayward Souls ($7)
A dungeon crawler, Wayward Souls excels in delivering a satisfying and strategic action fit for mobile devices. Designed specifically with touchscreen controls in mind, Wayward Souls is one of the better roguelikes available on Android. Death is permanent, so each run is a new experience. And even successful runs don’t take very long. Surprisingly deep combat and six unique characters to choose from help make Wayward Souls stand out among a sea of average dungeon crawlers on Android.
Old Man’s Journey ($5)
Another story-focused adventure, Old Man’s Journey follows the titular character on a quest across the world. A game about longing, regret, love, and the choices we make, Old Man’s Journey features stirring writing and beautiful visuals. The actual gameplay is limited to helping the Old Man move past obstacles, but this limited interaction is enough to make you feel as if you’re really on this journey with him.
10000000 ($3)
Melding dungeon crawling with match-three puzzlers, 10000000 (Ten million) is one of the most inventive games on this list. The goal is to accumulate 10,000,000 points to escape the dungeon. Along the way, you tinker with rows and columns to match three icons in a row. Successful matches grant attacks, let you pile up loot, and even level your character. Puzzles change as you progress further through the dungeon. While it takes a few runs to get the hang of it all, 10000000 is a great choice for anyone wanting to shake things up and play something genuinely novel.
Florence ($3)
A wordless love story, Florence is a stellar visual novel that can be completed in one sitting. It magically re-creates the feeling of falling in and out of love with the help of gorgeous animations and simplistic puzzles. The puzzles themselves, though simple, cleverly help inform the player of the emotions of Florence and her boyfriend. Florence has one of the best love stories in gaming, and it accomplishes this feat without using words. That alone makes it worth a playthrough.
Limbo ($5)
A masterclass in minimalism, Playdead’s Limbo is an utterly unforgettable puzzle-platformer. You play as a young boy, working through ominous environments rendered entirely in shades of black and white as he desperately looks for his missing sister. The puzzles range from clever brain teasers to inventive physics puzzles. The star here is the chilling atmosphere, which is an unrelenting and omnipresent force. The game’s graphics are not only creepy but often gruesomely detailed — especially when it comes to the boy’s potential deaths.
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions ($12)
If you excel in tactical role-playing games, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions might become one of your favorite games. After all, this enhanced PSP remake is arguably one of the best turn-based strategy games ever created.
Participants will appreciate the medieval ambiance and extensive world map in this game. You’re bound to get into a few fights throughout your travels, but the game’s battle system will enable you to face any challenge that awaits your character. This video game is immersive; it’s full of quality, lovable character, and exciting storylines. You may find yourself giving over dozens of hours of your free time to play.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ($10)
We know there appear to be enough Star Wars games out there to fill a galaxy. If you’re bogged down with choices or tired of the same old feeling of a game, we feel confident you’ll be drawn to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
While the original version of this game was first released in 2003, it has withstood the test of time against competitors by offering a detailed storyline and rich role-playing challenges. Nearly two decades ago, the game became an instant classic. Today it’s experiencing a resurgence thanks to its Android remastering.
Try your hand at bringing down the Empire and use your skills to save the Republic. To get ahead, you have to become well-versed in the ways of the Force. KOTOR is a fantastic game for all RPG and Star Wars fans; This updated classic will keep you engaged and remind you of your love for Star Wars.
Editors’ Recommendations
