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Pocket Gamer's top 10 best Android games of 2013... so far

A half-year to remember

Pocket Gamer's top 10 best Android games of 2013... so far
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How has your 2013 been so far? We hope the year's been as kind to you as it has to Android gaming.

January through to June has seen an impressive list of mighty fine games released for Google's ever-growing mobile OS.

Even more noteworthy is the sheer range of these titles, from graphically advanced 3D racers to quirky old school shooters, and a good smattering of twists on established genres.

Here are our favourite Android games of 2013 so far, then. If you have each of these in your collection, well, you'll have a pretty good idea why Android is the fastest-growing mobile gaming platform around.

Of course, there have been numerous other Android games that had every right to be on this list. If you can see any glaring omissions, let us know in the comments section below.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
By Tag Games - buy on Android

It's been a long road to Android for Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, but now that it's here we really don't care. This is a sublime match-three puzzler with a strikingly nuanced RPG battle system expertly grafted on.

Yes, such a combination is hardly fresh, but no other RPG-puzzler plays quite like this one. Check it out.

Real Racing 3
By Firemonkeys - download free on Android

Whether you love or hate the freemium structure that Firemonkeys went with in Real Racing 3, there's no denying its racing pedigree. You won't get a more console-worthy experience on your Android phone.

This really is real racing. Real cars, real tracks, real people setting the times - and, yes, real money if you really want to really get the most from the game. It's real, alright.

Magic 2014
By Wizards of the Coast - download free on Android

Card-battling games have really taken off on mobile this year, and they don't come any better than Magic 2014. Assemble your deck, formulate several plans (you always need a backup or two when luck is against you), and wage stat-fuelled war.

Magic 2014 is really designed with tablets in mind, but the fact that it's playable on Android phones gives Android owners a(nother) reason to thumb their noses at their iPhone-owning chums.

Royal Revolt
By Keen Games - download free on Android

Forget tower defence. That's so 2009. In recent years, it's been all about tower offence, where you play the part of the invading armies running the gauntlet through massed static defences.

Royal Revolt is one of the best examples of this subtle twist, with frantic gameplay and impressive 3D graphics.

Fighting Fantasy: The Forest of Doom
By Tin Man Games - buy on Android

Another welcome 2013 trend has been the resurgence of the gamebook. Not the fiddly paperback type, you understand, but the supercharged digital equivalent.

Among these Choose Your Own Adventure games, the Fighting Fantasy series has produced some of the best - and The Forest of Doom is one of the strongest entries in the series.

Hiversaires
By David Mondou-Labbe - buy on Android

If you're talking about awkward concepts, the idea of a black-and-white point-and-click adventure is about as niche as you can get. That's precisely what Hiversaires is, though, and we love it for its oddness.

With a mysterious conceit and an atmosphere you can cut with a knife, Hiversaires is the left field hit of the year.

Ticket to Ride
By Days of Wonder - buy on Android

If we told you that Ticket to Ride was a boardgame conversion, you might just click on the back button. Forget Monopoly and Scrabble, though - this is the kind of tactical boardgame that keeps hundreds of thousands of European families together (and possibly breaks a few up, too).

A deeply engrossing strategy game for one to five players.

Hero of Many
By Trickster Arts - buy on Android

We're suckers for arty, understated puzzlers here at PG. Hero of Many is the latest example, and it's got all the boxes ticked.

Stylish, minimalistic art style? Check. Perfectly judged learning curve? Check. Super-simple controls mixed with increasingly challenging gameplay? Oh, checkity check to that, too.

Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny
By Butterscotch Shenanigans - buy on Android

We're not quite sure what Butterscotch Shenanigans has been on in 2013, but we want some of it. Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny really made a splash with its out-there mixture of twin-stick blasting and free-roaming adventuring.

It's also one of the craziest, most random Android games you'll ever play. And there are quite a few fruit loops out there in the wilds of the Google Play Store, we can tell you.

Nimble Quest
By NimbleBit - download free on Android

The original mobile game Snake got a thorough 2013 reworking in the shape of Nimble Quest. Thoughtfully adding to the famous dot-munching, conga line-guiding gameplay of Nokia's seminal title, NimbleBit layers on a cute art style and a simple RPG level-up system to keep you coming back for more.

And we did. Come back for more, that is.

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.