Blowing the budget: Top 5 free android games
Top 5 free Android Games
It’s a great world we live in where you can get hundreds of hours of gameplay for essentially nothing. Sure you paid extra for that fancy phone, so why not use it? Now this won’t turn into a Iphone vs Android war because we all know how that ends (Spoilers: it doesn’t!), but here’s a shortlist of my picks for the best free Android games that can be found on the Android market at the moment. Also, I won’t be including any demos or restricted access games. Only games that can be fully playable without any payment will make this list. (Please note this also means that advertising may be in the game, or an ad-free version may be available but not necessary.)
Number 5: VPET - Virtual Pet
I just wish that this app were around when I was in school. I remember the days of battling little Digimon pets with my friends at school, and having my own little creature to take care of in my pocket. VPET emulates up to four Digimon devices on the one device, and adds features such as LAN and Bluetooth play, as well as notifications for when your pet needs food or sleep. It’s a very cool little app, and I got a bit nostalgic while playing it. For the fairly low price of free, it’s definitely worth a download.
Number 4: Hill Climb Racing
Hill Climb Racing is a cute little racing game where the object is to drive as far as possible before you either crash or run out of fuel. Levels are achieved through distance traveled, and more coins are earned if you travel further. Coins can be spent on upgrades for your car, and eventually new tracks and car types. As of writing there were 3 different cars and 8 different stages, each with their own mechanics and play-styles For example, the Highway track is low and relatively flat, but has a scarce amount of petrol, while the Moon stage has very little gravity allowing for huge air time. Overall I liked the time I spent on Hill Climb Racing, and there was a solid three or four hours that I just couldn’t stop playing. That said, the game becomes way easier once the moon level is unlocked, as the money you gain from the air time is more than enough to pay the rest of the way.
Number 3: Angry Birds Series
I recall the first game I downloaded on my brand new Android phone was the original Angry Birds, because it was completely free! Even now that they’ve added the Eagle feature with micro-transactions, the game is still as fun as ever without it. For those who have been living under a (very big) rock, Angry Birds first found it’s way onto IOS devices a few years back. Basically you launch vengeful birds at evil pigs using a giant slingshot There are also different kinds of birds for different purposes, such as one that can activate a burst of speed, or one that can explode. With every iteration the games get more refined and feature-packed. I’d definitely recommend starting with the original however because the difficulty will soon ramp up. The latest version, Angry Birds: Star Wars is also the best in the series by far, although may be a little intensive for older phones.
Number 2: Bad Piggies
From the same people who brought you Angry Birds, Bad Piggies is a spin off of sorts which manages to rival its original franchise in terms of its addictiveness and replayability. For anybody who played Banjo and Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, the formula will be familiar. At the start of each level you are given a set amount of construction materials and have to make a vehicle which will suit the given objectives for that particular course. It’s very polished and surprisingly free, it also runs quite well and looks fantastic. If you are a fan of the angry birds franchise or even that game style I would definitely recommend this game. If you aren’t however, give it a shot anyway and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Number 1: Jetpack Joyride
Jetpack Joyride is was a fun little surprise to find on the Android store, and I’ve probably played it the most out of any game on this list. It has a similar goal as Hill Climb Racing, where you try to get as far as possible in a single run, however Jetpack Joyride also features objects that need to be dodged, vehicles, and collectibles You earn coins while completing missions during runs, and then you spend them on either single-run upgrades, or devices to use. The implementation of the devices is definitely the more fun aspect of this game, as they can be really fun to experiment with and learn the different combinations. You can have up to two devices on per run, and these range from flying pigs to a pet dog. It’s very fun, and for anybody looking for a quick fix this is perfect. It’s also made by the same people as Fruit Ninja, which means that the polish and quality is all top notch. On top of all this, there are also achievements and a leveling system to encourage you through the missions. Overall, a fantastic game which will keep you in its hold for quite some time.
Did we miss a game on the list? What is your favorite free Android (or IOS) game and why? Let us know in the comments below!
