Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Android TV’s release was exciting. Here was a platform that was more stable than Google TV and the developer community responded in kind by developing some awesome stuff for it. A little time has passed and although the adoption rate isn’t quite there yet, the apps and games available for Android TV have only been improving. Here are the best Android TV games currently available! Please note, you’ll need a hardware controller or at least your Android TV remote for all of these! If you want to see more, you can find Google’s official list of Android TV games here.
It’s also worth noting that most games with controller support also work on Android TV as long as the box is compatible with it. That is a very difficult list to compile since some games may be available for NVIDIA Shield TVs, but not Xiaomi’s Mi Box. Every game on this list should be compatible with most current Android TV boxes. You can also hit up our list of the best games with controller support here for more options.
The best Android TV games
Alphadia Genesis
Price: $9.99
Alphadia Genesis is a JRPG from Kemco, a big developer in the premium JRPG space. This one is about a a knight and their adventure through a world with two conflicting kingdoms. It’s a fairly standard JRPG with graphics, combat, and controls borrowed from retro 1990s and 2000s JRPGs. Fans of that era of gaming may also enjoy this one. The storytelling is decent, and this is one of the few premium JRPGs on the list. It does support Android TV, and it should support most of them since it is a slightly older game.
BADLAND
Price: Free / $3.99
BADLAND is a legendary platformer from a few years ago. It features pleasing colors, simple controls, and several good features. Among them is a local multiplayer mode that is perfect for Android TV as well as a level editor so you can make or download custom levels. That helps keep the game fresh despite its age. It’s been good for many years, and improvements over the years have only made it better. It’s one of the good ones for sure.
Beach Buggy Racing
Price: Free to play
Beach Buggy Racing is a racing game by Vector Unit. This one is a kart-style racer. It features interesting, windy courses, power ups, and various vehicles and characters to unlock and play with. It’s a classic in this space, even with its limited track selection. There is also split-screen multiplayer, which makes it great for Android TV. There are even things like daily challenges to keep you entertained.
Vector Unit also makes the Riptide GP series, which is another racing series you can play on Android TV. It uses jet skis instead of cars, which makes it unique and fun.
Crashlands
Price: $4.99
Crashlands is one of Android’s best games and it’s also one of the best Android TV games. You crash land on an alien planet and must figure out a way to leave. The game includes a massive open world, tons of stuff to do and craft, and a bit of storyline to keep things moving along. There are also some niceties like a self-organizing inventory. This one features cloud saving and cross-platform play with PC and iOS so you can play it on multiple platforms with the same save file. Those who like open-world games should definitely try this one. Like Bridge Constructor Portal, this one is also free with Google Play Pass.
Crossy Road
Price: Free to play
Crossy Road is one of the most popular arcade games in all of mobile gaming. It’s also one of the best Android TV games. It’s basically this generation’s version of Frogger. You hop across roads, streams, and other places while avoiding obstacles. You lose if you are hit by traffic, fall in water, or other similar fate. This one has both local and online multiplayer. It’s simple enough for most kids and it’s just a good time all-around. It is just an arcade game, though, so don’t expect too much more than that.
Emulators
Price: Free / Varies
A lot of Android TV owners have a healthy collection of emulators for their devices. Emulators let you play old classics, have the requisite controller support, and are relatively easy to use on Android TV. You do have to sideload many of them, so we have a guide on sideloading apps on Android TV if you need it. There are a variety of emulators for many systems, including multi-console emulators like RetroArch and Lemuroid. We also have a list of the best emulators on Android if you want to dig deeper.
Final Fantasy IV
Price: $14.99
Square Enix hit the mobile gaming space running with re-releases of many of its early console Final Fantasy games. Most of them have fallen by the wayside or have Pixel Remaster replacements that don’t work on Android TV. The last in the collection is the 3D remaster of Final Fantasy IV. It is a faithful port of the Nintendo 3DS port, minus the 3D part, of course. The game jacks up the difficulty by quite a bit, so it’s a bit more grind-heavy than normal. Otherwise, this is a classic and one of the remaining original ports of the early Final Fantasy games.
Horizon Chase
Price: Free / Up to $2.99
Horizon Chase is a retro racing game and one of the better Android TV games. The games with right around 100 tracks along with a bunch of cars, various tournaments, and other content to play with. You get retro racing mechanics through and through, although we do appreciate the level of polish with this one. It feels like playing an old racing game for the Nintendo 64 but with better graphics and controls. The World Tour update also added nine new tracks, two new cards, and some extra stuff to collect. Real Racing 3 is another decent option if you don’t mind free to play games.
Machinarium
Price: $4.99
Machinarium is one of the classic puzzle games on Android. It received updates a few years ago to make it compatible with Android TV as well. The game revolves around a little robot. He lost his girlfriend and he wants to save her from the villains. You help him solve puzzles and do just that. It’s not an overly long game, but the puzzles are fun and the game design is quite far above average. It’s also a premium game with no in-app purchases or ads.
Orbia
Price: Free / Up to $15.99
Orbia is a neat little arcade game. You shoot little puff balls through obstacles and to the targets. You hit the obstacles and you lose. It’s a fairly basic premise but it’s executed well. The game features colorful graphics, hundreds of levels, various characters, and multiplayer. Of course, it works well on Android TV as well. This one doesn’t actually require a hardware controller. Any remote should be sufficient to play this one. This one is also free via Google Play Pass if you have it.
PBA Bowling Challenge
Price: Free to play
PBA Bowling Challenge is one of the few decent bowling games on mobile. It also has Android TV support. The game features above average graphics, simple controls, and more. You get three game modes. There’s a multiplayer mode, a career mode, and a quick play mode along with leaderboards and all kinds of other things. There are also tournaments and special events. It’s a freemium game and that isn’t optimal. However, this is another family-friendly game with tons of stuff to do. Plus, it’s bowling. Who doesn’t like bowling?
Real Racing 3
Price: Free to play
Real Racing 3 is a racing game and one of the better ones on Android. The game has also been around for a while, so it has a metric ton of content. That includes over 40 tracks across 19 locations and over 250 cars to unlock and play with. The graphics are also pretty good for a game its age. With all of the content, you can play this game for a long time before reaching the end. It even has split-screen multiplayer. The ads and free-to-play microtransactions mar the experience a bit, but otherwise, it’s good.
Teslagrad
Price: $4.99
Teslagrad is one of the newer Android TV games on the list. It’s also a fairly decent puzzle platformer. The main mechanics are platformer. However, as you play, you unlock various powers that help you complete the puzzles throughout the game. It also features very little text so you don’t have to read endless dialog like some other games. Aside from the occasional bug, the game is otherwise quite good. Teslagrad is also free with Google Play Pass if you use it.
Unkilled and Dead Trigger 2
Price: Free to play
Unkilled is among the best FPS games released in the last couple of years. It’s a zombie shooter which means most of your gameplay will be missions where you must go and destroy some bad guys. It features a ton of bad guys, zombie bosses, and hundreds of levels to play through. Updates in 2016 added in online multiplayer support so you can now get online and play with others if you choose to. The graphics are phenomenal and we all know that first-person shooters are better played with actual controllers. It’s a freemium game, but it’s still pretty fun. Madfinger Games’ Dead Trigger 2 is another excellent zombie shooter on Android TV.
Game streaming services
Price: Free / Varies
Another thing a lot of Android TV users play on their devices is a game streaming service. You actually have a few to choose from. Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Xbox’s game streaming, and Steam Link are all available. However, they are not all available on every device, so you’ll need to see which ones work for your specific machine. In any case, the ability to stream a game from another platform gives you access to AAA titles for both PC and console and with some computer on a server far away doing all the work, you don’t even need a powerful machine to do it. Stadia was part of this until it shut down in 2022.
If we missed any of the best Android TV games, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!
Thank you for reading. Check these out too:
