Top 5 Android games - the most popular action, shooter, puzzle, and strategy titles. It's a selection of both paid and free games.

Mobile games have long ceased to be primitive counterparts of those available on PCs and consoles. Today, smartphone games can be very engaging, incredibly popular, and more than worth your while.

PUBG Mobile

MICROTRANSACTIONS: Ability to purchase skins and other cosmetic items

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: One of the most popular battle royales

The mobile version of one of the most popular battle royale games. The idea is the same: players are dropped onto an island where they must eliminate opponents and survive. In the "every man for himself" mode, up to 100 players are expected, and there is also a mode for 25 teams, each consisting of up to four players. Additionally, the shooter features a mode allowing players to construct their own maps.

Fortnite: Battle Royale

GAME MODE: Online multiplayer

MICROTRANSACTIONS: Purchase of in-game currency for battle passes and cosmetic upgrades

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A popular 100-player battle royale

The mobile version of Fortnite is practically indistinguishable from the desktop one. All account data syncs with the main Epic Games account, and cross-play support with other platforms is available. The only differences lie in the graphics (due to understandable reasons, the detailing is significantly reduced) and the absence of the PvE campaign "Save the World." The other modes, including custom games, work the same way as in the desktop/console versions.

It's worth noting that the game itself is physically unavailable on Google Play. It can be installed on Android via the Epic Games App. Detailed installation instructions can be found on the official Fortnite website.

Among Us

GAME MODE: Online multiplayer

MICROTRANSACTIONS: Ability to purchase cosmetics

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A game similar to "Mafia," but set on a spaceship

A very popular online game inspired by the board game "Mafia" and John Carpenter's film "The Thing." The events take place on a spaceship with several isolated compartments. There are from 4 to 15 players on board. Some of them are ordinary crew members, but others are impostors whose identities are unknown to the rest of the players.

The task of regular crew members is to survive and complete a series of mini-games, ideally also identifying the impostors. The goal of the impostors is to secretly kill as many characters as possible or commit some sabotage, such as cutting off the oxygen supply to the ship compartments. The outcome of the entire game depends on how attentive the regular players are and how careful the impostors are in their villainy.

Slay the Spire

GAME MODE: Single player

MICROTRANSACTIONS: None

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A classic of the card roguelike genre

A card-based roguelike from 2017 - evidence that the success of a game is primarily determined by its gameplay. Despite its simple and mediocre graphics, the project has earned immense recognition and love from its target audience and remains a classic of the genre to this day - because it offers players a reliable gameplay core.

Slay the Spire is deck-building in its purest form. There are no distractions that detract from this process, yet there is great variability. Each of the four playable characters has its own sets of cards and relics (items with passive bonuses), allowing players to build decks focused on different tactics. The mechanics of the characters also differ significantly from each other: for example, the Silent has cards that accumulate poison, the Defect operates with orbs.

The gameplay in the game is interesting - if not for thousands, then for hundreds of hours for sure. And it is impossible to briefly describe how strong the synergies in it are. But believe me, the possibility of breaking the game and building a deck that will kill bosses in one round exists, and not just one. It will take a lot of time and effort, but when it happens, it will be a real triumph.

Vampire Survivors

GAME MODE: Single player

MICROTRANSACTIONS: None

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A bullet hell with roguelike elements about wiping out hordes of undead

At first glance, what's so interesting about it: just run in circles while your character fights bats, zombies, ghosts, and other monsters - but actually, there are enough nuances in Vampire Survivors' gameplay. Here you need to be able to maneuver between crowds of enemies and skillfully combine abilities that drop during level ups - and by the end of a thirty-minute run, you'll have a character that wipes out enemy hordes the moment they appear on the screen.

Moreover, Vampire Survivors features a narrative campaign that requires careful exploration of locations and building specific builds, so this seemingly small game can easily pull you in for dozens of hours. Plus, on the mobile screen, Vampire Survivors looks even more organic than on PC - after all, despite all the challenges, it is literally controlled with one button.

Finally, the game is sure to appeal to those tired of pretentious gaming blockbusters. Retro graphics, dynamic synthesizer soundtrack, characters and monsters inspired by old Italian memes – Vampire Survivors doesn't take itself too seriously, and that only adds to its charm.