Many mobile games today put convenience above activity in the moment of competition. Whether taking turns at your leisure during the day. Or battling against computer foes marked with real players’ usernames and avatars. That’s reasonable, sure, but it’s sometimes hard to shake that itch to want to dominate some real-life opponents. Or play something with local pals. Luckily, engaging Android multiplayer games are still around. Dig around the Play Store a bit, and you’ll find great online shooters, racers, and more. As well as an array of fun local experiences. Here are 13 of our favorite Android games for multiplayer action. Whether battling or collaborating, even turn-based games require your attention.
Modern Combat 5: FPS
Like the earlier Modern Combat games, FPS brings a Call of Duty-like competitive multiplayer experience to your smartphone. Whether working in teams to secure certain spots on the map. Eliminate the opposing squad, or take out every other soldier, the gunplay is excellent. The competition is intense. Get the hang of the touch controls. Modern Combat is sharp fun. Modern Combat 5 has an extensive progression system, just like Call of Duty. Featuring weapons, players, and class, and unlocks the more you play and succeed. However, this entry also uses a freemium system. It limits your play time with an energy meter and lets you pay for perks. Which is a little bit of a drag.
Modern Combat 5: FPS (Free)
Vainglory
Much like Modern Combat 5 brings the feel of a shooter to mobile. Vainglory does an intense job of replicating the fun. Team play of a multiplayer online battle arena MOBA game like League of Legends for Android. Although expectedly simplified in some respects, the core back-and-forth struggle that fuels the genre remains firmly intact here. Vainglory drops you into a live, three-on-three battle. In which your fantasy heroes try to topple the turrets base of the opposing team’s, and vice versa. You’ll work together to push into their territory, utilize strategic resources on the map. And protect your home in tense battles that can stretch for 20-30 minutes. It’s a freemium game, but highly fair. There are no limits on the play, plus you always have selected free heroes to choose from.
Vainglory (Free)
Minecraft
Pocket Edition is a great way to savor the creative building of Minecraft wherever you are. But did you know that it’s also a multiplayer experience? If you’ve got a couple nearby pals, you can all easily connect to the same world with no fuss. It works across Android and iOS versions with ease, too. Going online makes the possibilities even more comprehensive. Hardcore players have dedicated servers full of modifications that can change the game. Adding in multiplayer competition and other wild enhancements. You’ll need to search around for server details. However, the most popular ones require you to create an account login. But if you’re willing to deal with that hassle, it unlocks much more of the game’s potential.
Asphalt 8 – Car Racing Game
Gameloft’s superb Asphalt 8 has many single-player races to tackle in its extensive campaign. Still, the free-to-play game also delivers delightfully aggressive online action with up to 12 active players. It’s streamlined for mobile, naturally, enter the multiplayer menu. And you’re quickly placed into a room where you can vote for a racing-type location. The event track is picked within moments, and you’re on the road against international opponents. Though foes tend to drop out with some regularity. The races run well, and the arcade-style showdowns benefit from real competition rather than A.I. drivers.
Asphalt 8 – Car Racing Game (Free)
Spaceteam
Need an instant party starter? How about a weird little game about a collapsing spaceship? Spaceteam is much more fun than it might seem based on screenshots. This cooperative game challenges up to four players to work together to keep a ship together. You’ll do so by flipping switches, tapping buttons, and turning dials frantically. Where’s the fun in that? Each player’s control station is different; the commands needed for yours will probably show up on someone else’s screen instead. Within moments, a game of Spaceteam inevitably turns into everyone yelling at each other. Frantically trying to find the location of the Ferrous Holo spectrum switch or Radio slime button. That’s a good thing! The core game is free, although a $5 in-app purchase unlocks extra features.
Spaceteam (Free)
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
World of Warcraft used to be one of the most popular games in the world. But it’s been highly surpassed by Blizzard’s own Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. And what initially sounded like a strange spinoff, a collectible card game based on the strategy role-playing franchise. Has become a beloved addiction for millions of active players. You’ll build a deck full of creatures and spells and take your digital cards online for tense one-on-one showdowns. It’s approachable enough for newcomers to understand. Still, the battles require plenty of strategy in deck-building and in-game use. If you’re coming into it now, expect to spend lots of time or money to put together a potent deck.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Free)
Bounden
Bounden is an experience entirely unlike any other on this list. It’s a two-player game; you play cooperatively on the same device. So, you’re dancing while playing. Bounden uses the gyroscope in your Android phone. To help you and a partner perform dance moves simply by moving the on-screen cursor over the icons that appear. You’ll each hold the phone with one thumb on the screen. Then work together to clear all the heroes; naturally, by doing so, you’re dancing. It’s one of those things that you really have to try to believe. Still, if you’re both willing and open to it, Bounden can deliver a compelling sensation.
Bounden ($3)
Dual!
Unlike Bounden, Dual! Requires two nearby phones to play, but it’s very different from your average local multiplayer experience. That’s because you’ll use the phones together nearby. Effectively treating them like a single screen with a big split in between. On both sides of your phone by the side, you’ll play either with or against each other. The Duel mode finds you blasting each other from opposite sides. At the same time, Defend sees you both protecting the shared “middle” between screens by shooting invaders. Meanwhile, the Deflect mode puts a new spin on air hockey with some fresh twists for good measure. The visual design might be minimal, but there’s substantial local fun found here.
Dual! (Free)
N.O.V.A. 3
If Modern Combat 5 is the Call of Duty of the Play Store, acknowledging the non-traditional Call of Duty games available, then N.O.V.A. 3 is Halo. Indeed, Gameloft’s first-person shooter seems heavily inspired by the Xbox sci-fi favorite. With armored soldiers, a campaign full of aliens to blast, and the ability to command various vehicles on the battlefield. That’s the most significant difference from Modern Combat 5, once you get into the thick of things. The 12-player shootouts take place on much more effective, cavernous stages populated by drivable jeeps and giant mechanical walkers. When you have a nearly entire crowd, the matches are a lot of fun. Although the massive levels play less well to smaller groups. The full game is free, or you can grab the ad-supported Freedom Edition.
Real Racing 3
Compared to Asphalt 8, E.A.’s Real Racing 3 is relatively calm measured. But there’s fun to be found in simulation, too; this is the best on Android. With a dozen real-life tracks, more than 100 cars to unlock, a lengthy career mode, and super sharp graphics. It feels like you’re playing a powerful console or racer on your phone. While your A.I. opponents feature the names and avatars of other Real Racing 3 players. Another recent perk was added via an update, good online play for up to eight live players. It adds an extra competitive spark that’s not as strongly felt against computer drivers. Which makes this meaty, well-tuned racer even more impressive.
Real Racing 3 (Free)
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is one of the great modern board games; the tile-centric, competitive terrain-building affair is excellent on your phone. You don’t have the little squares of tiny meeple to strategically place as you build roads, cities, and fields. Still, you do have the advantage of choosing between local pass and play online action competition. When playing locally. Up to six players can use the same phone or tablet, simply handing it off as turns change. You can also fill empty spots with intelligent A.I. foes. And online, you can strike up an active six-player game in moments with a worldwide turf war. It’s a well-designed adaptation; the multiplayer flexibility makes it essential for board game gurus.
Carcassonne ($5)
NBA Jam
One of the greatest sports games of all time is reborn on Android. The modern NBA Jam keeps the raucous spirit of the early entries with refreshed rosters and a visual update. The cartoonish players’ two-on-two dunk-fests are still alive, as are silly additions like the big head mode. It’s all just as fast fun as you remember. With Play Games support, you can hop online and take your favorite two-person squad against someone else’s. Still, local Wi-Fi multiplayer offers an even better option, four-player support. So you and a pal can take down another duo on the hardwood. You’ll need four devices to make that happen, but it could be worth revisiting a classic.
NBA Jam ($5)
Ascension
Unlike Hearthstone, card-battler Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer is also sold as a physical card game, but you don’t have to haul around your decks when playing on Android. What sets Ascension apart is its focus on in-game deck-building. Rather than construct your deck outside the match. Each player begins with the same starter cards and then amasses more through gameplay maneuvers. That gives this mystical card game a unique edge. The local pass-and-play mode makes it easy to knock out a quick play with pals wherever you are. The online method is different, as it uses an asynchronous approach to turn-based competition. Still, you can set time limits to keep opponents from straying for too long.
Ascension (Free)
