You really can’t get more action than you get with shooting games. Whether they’re third-person shooters, first-person shooters, or somewhere between, you’re usually in for tons of bullets, explosions, and mayhem. It’s been one of the more difficult genres to get going on mobile since shooting games depend so heavily on precision. That’s difficult to do on a touch screen.
The best shooting games for Android
Ailment and Endurance
Price: Free / Up to $3.99 (each)
Ailment is a mix between a shooter and a dungeon crawler RPG. Players explore the world, find loot and gear, shoot up the bad guys, and engage in some truly intense action combat. The graphics are retro style so it’s not the prettiest game we’ve ever seen. Still, the mechanics are solid and the controls are easy enough to learn. Players can also find hidden Easter eggs, bring NPCs along for the ride, and more. Endurance came out in 2020 as a sort of prequel to Ailment and it’s just as good as Ailment, if not a little better. These are two excellent shooting games and we highly recommend them.
AirAttack 2
Price: Free/ Up to $1.99
AirAttack 2 is a top-down aerial shooter and a pretty decent one. The game plays like the classics do. You go level to level taking down opponents, bosses, etc. However, this one has surprisingly good graphics, simple controls, and a survival mission mode for those who like an extra challenge. The game also includes daily rewards, five airplanes, various upgrades, and support for Android TV along with external game pads, mice, and keyboards. Oh, did we mention it’s offline capable as well? This is one of the good ones in the genre.
Apex Legends Mobile
Price: Free to play
Apex Legends Mobile is a battle royale shooter in the same vein as PUBG Mobile and Fortnite. It’s squad-based, so you work in teams of three. Players parachute in with 25 other teams, and the last team standing wins. There are a variety of heroes to play with, each with their own abilities. You also unlock most of them over the course of the game so you can’t really buy your way to victory. It has controller support as well, which we think is a good thing these days. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close for its genre.
Bullet Hell Monday (three games)
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Bullet Hell Monday is exactly what the doctor ordered if you just can’t get enough bullets on the screen. These three over-the-top aerial shooting games are pure arcade absurdity and we love every second of it. The games feature bright and colorful graphics, a chapter mode, simple controls, an easy mode (for beginners), and more. There are three games in the series. You have Bullet Hell Monday, Bullet Hell Monday Black, and Bullet Hell Monday Finale. You can start with whatever one you want. They all play about the same way.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Price: Free to play
Call of Duty: Mobile is the current king of the shooting games genre. It is insanely popular and it has enough game modes to keep things interesting. There is a 100-player battle royale mode along with your classic team deathmatches. Players unlock gear over time along with popular characters, equipment customizations, and more. It’s an online shooter so there are social elements as well. The game has the occasional bug and the game HUD has a bit of a learning curve. Otherwise, it’s a safe, popular option for shooter fans.
Critical Ops
Price: Free to play
Critical Ops is one of the more popular shooting games out right now. It features decent graphics, online multiplayer, tons of various weapons to pick up, and weapon skins to add a bit of customization. The control mechanics are fairly typical for a first-person shooter. There is always a learning curve when you play a shooter on a touch screen. Even so, it shouldn’t take long to figure everything out. The developers are quite active with this project so it gets frequent updates and improvements. We really like it. Infinity Ops is another decent game that has a lot of the same elements, but has more sci-fi.
Garena Free Fire Max
Price: Free to play
Garena Free Fire Max is the latest game in a series of battle royale shooters. It plays as many other battle royale shooters do. You and 49 other players drop down onto a deserted island and duke it out until only one player remains. The battlefield shrinks to encourage players to make their way to the center. The game also features decent graphics, social play with up to four-player squads, and it also syncs with your existing Firelink account.
It’s free to play, but most of the purchases are cosmetic. This one hit the ground running and it’s one of the most successful and popular shooters out these days. The previous games are still pretty decent, but this one is the best among them.
Into the Dead 2
Price: Free to play
Into the Dead 2 is a fun shooter hybrid. The game also includes infinite runner style mechanics. You basically run through a giant horde of zombies forever. Survival is the goal. Some of the game features include decent graphics, a variety of weapons, a dog companion, some tower defense mechanics, and multiple endings. This is definitely something a little bit different in the shooter space. However, it’s a surprisingly deep game considering that it’s freemium.
MADFINGER shooting games
Price: Free to play (usually)
MADFINGER Games is one of the best developers for shooting games. They have a good collection of excellent games, including the Shadowgun series, Unkilled, Dead Trigger 1 and 2, and others. Unkilled and Dead Trigger are zombie shooters. You kill tons of zombies, zombie bosses, and collect various weapons. The graphics are also fantastic. Shadowgun is more of a classic shooter with a campaign, online multiplayer, and other features. Some of the games are free, others are freemium, and some still are pay-once experiences. You really can’t go wrong with any of them. Shadowgun War Games, an Overwatch-style PvP shooter, is the developer’s latest release.
Modern Combat 5
Price: Free to play
Modern Combat 5 is among the most popular shooting games on mobile. It was originally a pay-once game until Gameloft turned it into a freemium game a while back. It has a large following, decent graphics, and there is a ton of game here for you to play. There is the usual campaign mode along with a popular, but still very competitive multiplayer mode. You can choose between one of six classes to play, each with their own perks and advantages. PUBG Mobile and Fortnite kind of overshadowed Modern Combat 5, but it is one of the original mainstream shooting games for mobile. Modern Combat Versus is technically the newest game in the series, but it still needs a little work before we give it the title of best Modern Combat on Google Play.
NOVA Legacy
Price: Free to play
The NOVA titles are some of the most successful shooting games out there. NOVA Legacy is the latest title in the series. Unlike Modern Combat, this one has a more sci-fi-focused theme. It’s been called the Halo to Modern Combat’s Call of Duty. It features good graphics, online multiplayer, and a campaign mode for solo play. There are also special events, crafting mechanics, and other things to help expand the game play. It’s a freemium game and that means there are some parts of the game that are frustrating. Other than that, there is a lot to love about this title.
PUBG: New State
Price: Free to play
PUBG: New State is the latest game in one of the most popular shooting game franchises on mobile. It takes place after the events of PUBG Mobile so it’s sort of a proper sequel. Many of the game mechanics remain the same. The maps are significantly smaller than before and the game does groups of 64 players instead of 100. There are also some extra mechanics like dodging. Finally, the graphics are better. Otherwise, it’s about 80% of the original PUBG Mobile experience.
The game is newer and it does have a few problems, particularly on lower-end devices. There is also a battle pass system that isn’t all that great. The game is definitely fixable and the mechanics are there, but those with low patience can still have fun on the original PUBG Mobile for now.
Sky Force Reloaded
Price: Free to play
Sky Force Reloaded is one of the best top-down shooters on all of mobile. Like most games in the genre, you pilot an aircraft and you must muscle your way through a bunch of bad guys. The game also includes upgradeable weapons and armor, in-level objectives, and more. The graphics are surprisingly excellent and the mechanics are simple to master. There are also buff cards and other things to help boost you chances of success as well as your score. It’s a lot of fun and there really isn’t a whole lot wrong with it.
Xenowerk
Price: Free to play
Xenowerk is a third-person top-down shooter with an isometric perspective. The game includes 70 levels for players to clear. It uses a dual-stick control style where you need both to move properly. The game also includes decent graphics, various collectibles, special powers, and Google Play Games achievements and leaderboards. It also works with most hardware controllers if you want to go that route.
There isn’t a lot wrong with the game, to be honest. It’s a bit older and that means some controls and mechanics don’t feel quite as polished as newer shooting games if you decide to go with the on-screen controls. Otherwise, it’s a serviceable shooter that scratches that itch pretty well.
Zombie Gunship Survival
Price: Free to play
Zombie Gunship Survival is one of the more unique shooting games on the list. Technically, it’s a first-person shooter. However, you’re mounted in a helicopter and you’re gunning down hordes of zombies from the air. The fun black-and-white graphics mixed with the oddly satisfying game play makes for something a little different in the genre. Some of the game features include various types of zombies, a tower defense and strategy game element to the mechanics, and plenty of stuff to unlock. This game had a bit of a shaky start, but it seems to be in the zone now.
If we missed any of the best shooting 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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