Best Android Strategy Games

The mobile market is mostly associated with simple, casual games, but the sheer volume of games released on smartphones and tablets means it is easy to find items for more demanding gamers. Strategies are a large group of such productions, so we thought it was worth compiling a list of the best games of this type available for Android devices.

In creating the following list we have tried, as usual, to include not only interesting propositions, but also to make them sufficiently diverse, so that everyone has a chance to find something for themselves. So we have included conversions of PC classics and games developed with touch screens in mind. There are both single-player and multiplayer games. Free-to-plays and premium titles.

Of course, no such list will ever be really complete. So, if we've missed out on your favourites, share your picks with us in the comments.

Kingdom: New Lands

Kingdom: New Lands is one of the most unusual strategies of recent years. The project originated as a free browser game and was later turned into a commercial title. After some time, the authors released an expanded version of New Lands and made it available for free to holders of the earlier edition.

The game features a king traveling his domain on horseback. We do what we do in classical strategies – take care of the economy, command our subjects and defend our lands. The way we do it, however, deviates from the standards of the genre. The player can only move to the left and right sides of the screen. All commands have to be given directly to other characters, and we usually need to pay them.

This approach means that we don't have an easy view of the whole kingdom and hence, can feel like a true ruler. But this is not the only advantage of Kingdom: New Lands. The remaining strategic elements turn out to be quite simple to master, but the game is quite complex, all in all. The game mechanics have a lot of depth and are very satisfying, and the attractive retro setting only adds to the overall charm. Plus, it's a premium game – we pay once and there are no micropayments, even optional ones.

1. Kingdom: New Lands on Google Play

Rome: Total War

As mobile players, we have become accustomed to strategies available on smartphones being heavily simplified. We are pleased if the game allows us to command units in battle at all. From time to time, however, one craves something more complicated, reminiscent of proper, PC strategies. Fortunately, there are such conversions from time to time, and one of the most interesting in recent years is surely Rome: Total War.

The game allows you to command the Roman Empire at the peak of its power, although there also is the option of leading other nations from that era. Gameplay has two plains. In the turn-based one, we manage the entire country, take care of the economy and technological development, recruit and move armies. Battles, on the other hand, give us complete real-time experience with hundreds of units participating.

Rome: Total War impresses with depth and fluency. It's a great strategy to spend long months with and not get bored. The graphics have aged a little (the original debuted on PC way back in 2004), but the scale of the battles still makes an impression, and the soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece. Plus, the interface is impressive. It's not a simple game, and yet the authors have surprisingly succeeded in bringing the controls to touch screens.

1. Rome: Total War on Google Play