Adventure games are among the most unique of any game genre. It doesn’t have any specific mechanics. The game simply needs to take the player on an adventure of some sort. Thus, almost any game can be an adventure game as long as it has a story for the player to interact with. That made this list insanely difficult to write because there are so many games in contention. We encourage our readers to leave a comment with their favorite adventure games because honestly, 15 doesn’t feel like enough. Here are some of the best adventure games for Android.
We’d also like to give an honorable mention to 80 Days (Google Play). It’s an exceptional game about a race around the world. It hasn’t had an update since 2019, though, and we try to keep up-to-date games on our lists. Still, it’s a great play if you don’t mind its age.
The best adventure games for Android
Alien: Isolation
Price: $14.99
Alien: Isolation is a survival horror game about Ellen Ripley, daughter of Amanda Ripley. Ellen boards a space station to find out what happened to her mother. The player explores the ship and uncovers secrets while hiding from a very persistent alien. The game revolves around that central plot for most of its run. The game may seem expensive, but it comes with seven DLCs on top of the base game so there is plenty for players to do. The only downside is that it’s only compatible with modern phones so check the Play Store description for a list of recommended devices.
Crashlands
Price: $4.99
Crashland is already among the best adventure games from 2016. You play as a space trucker named Flux. The game starts with you crashing onto an alien planet. Your job is to retrieve your cargo, build yourself a base, fight bad guys, and save the world. It has a lot of game elements, including crafting, combat, RPG-style character leveling, and you can even tame creatures to fight for your side. It’s a deep game with a ton of content that you can play on both mobile and PC. It’s 4.8 rating on Google Play is accurate. This one is also available on Google Play Pass if you use it.
Dead Cells
Price: $8.99 + $3.99
Dead Cells is a Metroidvania game. For the uninitiated, that means the entire map is interconnected and your goal is to explore it at your own peril. The game fully expects you to die, respawn, learn from your mistakes, and keep going. There are bosses to fight, plenty of biomes to explore, and more. The nonlinear progression lets players move around and play at their own pace. The game has three DLCs available for purchase that add more bad guys, more biomes, and more stuff to do.
Evoland 2
Price: $7.99
Evoland 2 is easily one of the best adventure games in recent memory. It transcends genres by including a whole bunch of them. That includes 2D RPG, 3D fighter, trading card, hack-and-slash, and many others. The game basically progresses through the various eras of gaming and each new mechanic also brings a new graphical style as well. Its unique game play keeps you guessing and it’s an enjoyable overall experience. We recommend playing with a physical controller for best results, though. The game is also perpetually on sale so you can most likely pick it up for less than its $7.99 asking price.
Genshin Impact
Price: Free to play
Genshin Impact is one of the newer adventure games on the list. It’s very much like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Players get a big, open world to explore with a bunch of quests and missions to do. Players even get a glider to traverse larger distances. There is also a gacha RPG element to this one, but you obtain most of the characters through quests rather than random summons so it adds a bit of flavor to the game. It looks good, the controls are excellent, and you’ll be adventuring through this one for a long time.
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Guardian Tales
Price: Free to play
Guardian Tales is a retro-style adventure game with hack-and-slash game play mechanics and decent controls. Players roam around the world while solving puzzles and uncovering the mysteries of the game. There are boss fights, a decent story, and some fun little things you can do. It’s reminiscent of an older Zelda game but with some city-building mechanics added in. There are also social mechanics like guilds so you can chat with friends as well. The game does rely on some gacha mechanics, though, and it can be a bit irritating for free players.
Monument Valley 1 and 2
Price: $3.99-$4.99 each + $1.99 for DLC
Monument Valley 1 and 2 are two of the most popular puzzle-adventure games available. You move levels around because each level is a puzzle. Players are treated to optical illusions, a vague but fun story, and a consistent experience through two games. The first game includes the standard story with a DLC ($1.99). The second game is currently$4.99. The only gripe we have is the length of the game. These games are a little short. They’re still very much great games, but those who don’t like short games may be frustrated with these. They are free via Google Play Pass as well.
OPUS series
Price: Free / Varies
The Opus games are a series of three adventure games that tell a dark, but touching story. The first is Opus: The Day We Found Earth where you play as a robot trying to save mankind by returning to Earth. Following that is the Rocket of Whispers: Prologue that leads into Opus: Rocket of Whispers. The final game tells the story of two people who survived a plague and want to build a rocket to perform a space burial. The whole series is really good and the execution is among the best we’ve seen. The games can be a bit pricey, but you can start the games for free as a sort of demo before buying the full title.
Pokemon Go
Price: Free to play
Pokemon Go is one of the more ambitious adventure games. You actually go out into the real world and catch Pokemon, fight at Gyms, loot the Poke Stops, and much more. The adventure element is a little more literal in this game than others. It does require you to go places on your own and play the game in those locations. Players wander the open world and catch Pokemon, battle in gyms, battle each other, trade Pokemon, collect various items, and do all kinds of other stuff. The genre is expanding as well and you can play similar games with Minecraft: Earth, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Jurassic World Alive.
Rusty Lake (Cube Escape) series
Price: Free / Varies
Cube Escape is a series of mystery-adventure games where you must solve puzzles to find out what’s really going on. It’s also known as the “Rusty Lake story” and it’s actually playable online as a web game as well. The mechanics are fairly simple and each game has you solving a variety of puzzles in order to progress in the story. It’s technically they are escape games which means the majority of the time you’ll be solving puzzles. Still, it’s an excellent series of games. We include it on this list because the Cube Escape series is almost entirely free with no in-app purchases, making it among the best at that price point. There are some premium games by the developers as well that are really good.
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Sky: Children of the Light
Price: Free to play
Sky: Children of Light is a delightful adventure game with decent graphics and a fun story. There are seven worlds to explore and there is even a social element where you can talk to other players. Other game features include cooperative play, various character customizations, various trials to keep things fresh, and an above average soundtrack. The social element is the main attraction here and being able to explore the world with people is a nice touch.
SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom
Price: $9.99
SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom is a mobile port of a remaster of a PlayStation 2 and Xbox game. That’s quite the mouthful, but luckily this game is pretty good. You play as SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy as you thwart Plankton and his plot to take over Bikini Bottom. It features plenty of hijinks for fans of the show and the game mechanics aren’t half bad either. It also comes with controller support, Google Play Games services support, and more. It’s a tad expensive, but there are no in-app purchases to get in the way of your good time.
Square Enix
Price: Free / Varies
Square Enix can pen one heck of a narrative and its storytelling is among the best in all of gaming. As such, most of their mobile games make for excellent adventure games. Some examples include Adventures of Mana, Secret of Mana, Life is Strange, Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, various Dragon Quest games, The World Ends With You, Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition, and many, many others. The aforementioned games span several genres, including RPG, puzzle, slice of life, and hack-and-slash. For some reason, half of Square Enix’s library is under a different developer name than everything else. We have the one linked up with all of the Final Fantasy games and mobile ports of old RPGs. You may have to search for the Tomb Raider and Life is Strange stuff on Google Play. In any case, Square Enix’s catalog doesn’t have any short games, really, so prepare to strap in and play a while.
Titan Quest: Legendary Edition
Price: $19.99
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WitchSpring4
Price: $4.99
WitchSpring is an adventure game that should probably be more popular than it is. You play as a Witch who is also the ruler of a whole continent. Players explore the world, meet various characters, and do various things. It’s a surprisingly charming RPG from a developer that is much larger in Korea than it is in other parts of the world. There are actually four games in the series. The first two tell the same story but from different perspectives while the third and fourth games are standalone entrants that you can play without needing to play the others. The games range from $1.99 to $4.99 each and they’re all pretty good.
If we missed any of the best adventure games for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.
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