The best games on Android cross all genres and appeal to every type of gamer, but things were a little more limited in the Play Store’s early days. A decade or more ago, as developers worked out just what games were suitable for mobile devices and publishers explored how hellish microtransactions could be, we were treated to iconic games that set the standard for Android gaming.
We’ve collected some of the most significant classic Android games to showcase where they are now. From multimedia franchises to games that have passed their prime, these are still worth playing in 2024, especially on budget Android phones.
Angry Birds might be the definitive mobile game. Its addictive gameplay, appropriate for all ages, helped it reach 12 million downloads on iOS devices ten months after its release in December 2009. (It launched on Android in October 2010.) At the time, however, few people thought that by 2024, the Angry Birds franchise would have ballooned to include 29 games, two films, and several television episodes.
However, if you hunt for the Angry Birds’ name on the Play Store today, all that appears are the sequels and spin-offs. The original game was removed from the Play Store in February 2023 and re-titled Red’s First Flight on iOS. This move, designed to draw people to the microtransaction-stuffed sequels and spin-offs, means it’s no longer possible to download the original game through the Play Store.
It might seem strange to consider Minecraft a “classic” Android game, but Minecraft’s mobile version, launched in August 2011, had an enormous impact on the franchise. Launched as an early alpha build akin to previous versions of Minecraft for PC, Minecraft Pocket Edition started as a stripped-down port that would nevertheless become a crucial component that turned Minecraft into a cross-platform gaming juggernaut.
Minecraft Pocket Edition was coded in C++, not Java, paving the way for the Minecraft for Windows version launched in July 2015. These games were eventually merged into one cross-platform experience, allowing crossplay between console, PC, and mobile versions of the game.
Fruit successfully utilized the same blend of family-friendly, addicting gameplay as other early mobile hits like Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies. Launched in August 2010 on iOS in September 2010 for Android, the game spawned various spin-offs, notably including Fruit Ninja Kinect and the Fruit Ninja FX arcade game in 2011, Fruit Ninja VR for HTC Vive and PS4 in 2012, a direct sequel in 2015, and the mixed-reality Apple Vision Pro title Super Fruit Ninja earlier this year.
While it didn’t spawn a franchise quite as wide-ranging as that created by Angry Birds, the original Fruit Ninja game is still alive and kicking on the Play Store, available as a free download with ads or a $2.99 version without ads.
Clash of Clans, launched in August 2012 for iOS and October 2013 for Android, successfully merged MMORPG, real-time strategy, and free-to-play mechanics into an enormously popular game that proved how successful this format could be. Free-to-play MMORPG base-building games have been the plague of those looking for quality games on the Play Store since the earliest days of Android, but Clash of Clans’ meatier gameplay means it still resides in the top ten highest-grossing games on the PlayStore, over ten years after its release.
The spin-off real-time arena battler Clash Royale is nearly as successful as its predecessor, inspiring numerous sequels, including Warcraft Arclight Rumble.
Like Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies ballooned into a multimedia franchise. But it’s easy to forget that the iconic mobile game actually started life on the PC in August 2009, launching on iOS in February 2010 and Android in May 2011 via the Amazon Appstore.
Electronic Arts bought Plants vs. Zombies’ developer PopCap Games in 2011, and it aimed to turn the game into a multimedia franchise. In 2024, two sequels follow the original tower-defense format, three third-person shooters, two comic book series, and a spin-off digital collectible card game, Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.
The early years of the Play Store spawned many video games, which have since become household names. We’ve listed the biggest above, but here are some more of AP’s favorite classic Android games from the earliest days of the Play Store.
The Play Store’s game selection now includes ports of AAA console games like Alien: Isolation, massive strategy games like Medieval II: Total War, and access to console games through apps like Xbox Game Pass. The selection of brilliant Android games is better than ever, and the latest and greatest games are always worth exploring.
Maybe if we start telling people the brain is an app they will start using it!
