10 Multiplayer Android Games Where You Share The Same Phone

Fast mobile internet has given rise to multiplayer games on smartphones and tablets. Unlike anything, we could only have dreamt of a few years ago. Still, what if you just want to play a game with people in real life? There are plenty of tedious pass-and-play games. But a less common and much more relaxed approach is to let both players use the same phone or tablet simultaneously. It can be excellent when developers get it right. It’s almost as good as having a real conversation. Here are 10 games where players share a single screen, strategizing, battling, and having a blast together.

Badland

Badland is easy to learn and engaging, which is no small feat. All you have to do is press on the screen to make shadowy flying creatures flap their wings. Making suitable taps lets the characters maneuver around obstacles, multiply, shrink, grow, get sticky, and more. The multiplayer mode lets up to four players compete, each with their own section of the screen to press and control their flock. It can get hectic, but it’s pretty fun.

Badland (Free, $1.99 full version)

Glow Hockey 2

This is about as simple as it gets when talking about two people playing a game on the same device. Glow Hockey 2 is air hockey on a tablet. Each player gets a paddle and tries to knock the puck into the opponent’s goal. Sometimes, you need straightforward gameplay when a game relies on two players in the same room. This one makes more sense on a tablet or at least a giant phone.

Glow Hockey 2 (Free)

Trionix

Here we have something a bit more leisurely, a puzzler called Trionix. Your goal in this game is to wipe out your opponent’s triangles by moving or duplicating your own game pieces right next to them. Each player only takes a moment to make a move, so a game can be over in as little as a few minutes. There are a few different game modes based on this formula, as well as single-player play.

Trionix (Free)

Ice Rage Premium

Yes, another hockey game, but this one is a little more involved than the last one. Ice Rage: Premium is an arcade-style top-down game with a multiplayer mode. The players take residence on opposite ends of the tablet or a big phone. And use the virtual joysticks to move around the rink. You have one offensive player and one goalie. Get the puck, view the goal clearly, and charge a single action button to get a shot. It’s still hockey, so you can use the action button to smack your opponent. Beware, some of the ads in the free version are pretty annoying. So consider the whole game if you want to play more than a few rounds.

Ice Rage: Hockey (Free or $1.99 Premium)

Bounden

For a more artistic take on mobile gaming, there’s Bounden. It’s an accelerometer-based game that forces you to get up and move. Using a phone or small tablet, you and a friend each hold one end of the phone. Then start moving and grooving to get the crosshairs to pass through a series of rings. Before you know it, Bounden tricks you into dancing no matter how uncoordinated you may be. It’s a unique experience on mobile; it only works with two players.

Bounden ($3.99)

Pathogen

The Pathogen is a strategic board game that takes its inspiration from biology. You and your opponent take turns placing new cells on the board or upgrading your existing ones. Watch as your moves send ripples across the sea of cells. Potentially wiping out many of your opponent’s forces in one motion. However, they can always employ the dreaded virus to gain the upper hand. The rules in Pathogen take some getting used to. But keeping your eyes on the game board as your opponent places their cell helps you keep track. If you play on your own, Artificial Intelligence will probably school you a few times before you catch on.

Pathogen ($0.99)

Fruit Ninja

Yes, Fruit Ninja is still a thing after all these years. You’d have to be living under a rock not to know the basics of this fruit-slicing game. But did you know it has split-screen multiplayer? Each player gets half of the screen split widthwise to try and slice up more fruit than the other. This works best with a tablet. But you can probably manage on a phone if you don’t get too carried away with exaggerated swipe gestures.

Fruit Ninja (Free with ads)

Gentlemen Multiplayer

For a more civilized take on 1-on-1 combat, there’s Gentlemen Multiplayer. This title has a Victorian flair with dapper fellows in bowler hats, capes, hurling knives, and bombs. You and your opponent use controls at opposite ends of the screen to leap around the topsy-turvy world. Trying to blow one another up. There are a lot of wacky weapons and multiple game modes as well. This game only works with two players, but it’s pretty interesting.