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30 best Android games with controller support in 2024
Who needs touch controls when you've got physical buttons?
While finding a great Android-compatible controller is easy, finding games with controller support isn't easy. The Play Store doesn't require developers to list whether their game supports external controllers, so downloading and playing the game is the only way to find out.
Indie gaming classic Super Hexagon is back and better than ever
Today's update includes Android 11 and 12 support, along with high framerate and controller support
Terry Cavanagh is an indie developer best known for his minimal arcade games, such as VVVVVV and Super Hexagon. Well, he just published a blog post that details a significant update for Super Hexagon on Android. You see, the game has been broken for those on Android 11 and 12 for a while now, and today's update addresses this problem while also bringing with it a bunch of new features. Not only has controller support been added to the game, but so has high framerate support (up to 144FPS), along with folding phone/tablet support, improved touch response times, and UI optimizations. It's a banger of an update, and it's available right now.
I've found the best skateboarding game on Android and you have to try it
The Ramp is an absolute joy, don't miss out
Paul Schnepf is the person behind the indie skateboarding game The Ramp, otherwise known as the developer Hyperparadise. This developer released the game on PC in August, and over the last three months, The Ramp has received a lot of praise, and for a good reason, it's a chill game with spot-on physics where you can pull off some nifty tricks with the flick of your thumb. The mobile port has officially launched today, and you can trial the first stage for free. If you like what you see, you can pay $3 to unlock the rest of the game's content. There's no high score, no leaderboard, no missions, no bosses, this is a game solely about having fun, and it succeeds in this endeavor.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered now has controller and cloud save support on Android and iOS
Square makes good on a six-month-old promise, surprising everyone
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In 2016 Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII and IX on Android, but VIII was still missing from the collection, a point of contention with fans over the last few years. Well, out of nowhere, Square has just released Final Fantasy VIII Remastered on the Play Store, and it's on sale for $16.99 until April 4th, which is when the price of the JRPG will jump up to $20.99.
Diablo Immortal delayed until 2022, but its most-requested feature might now be on the table
This postponement will allow for improvements, so there is a silver lining
Blizzard has been in the news a lot lately, but the company is still plugging along, and so it has published a fresh blog post that covers where Diablo Immortal is headed. Back in May, Blizzard hinted at a 2021 release for the free-to-play action RPG during an earnings call, but it would seem things haven't panned out, and so August's update post states the new plan is to release the game in the first half of 2022. So yes, Diablo Immortal has been delayed, but we've also learned that Blizzard is finally considering controller support (one of the most-requested features during the alpha tests), plus things like PvP and PvE gameplay are touched upon, more than likely for the purpose of illustrating that Blizzard is committed to creating a game worthy of the Diablo name, which is indeed a better direction than asking hardcore gamers if they have phones.
Terraria finally adds support for Bluetooth controllers, seven years after release
Terraria mobile just got a heck of a lot better
Back in August of 2019, the mobile version of Terraria received a large update after a three-year drought. This update is known as Mobile 1.3, and it brought with it many necessary bug fixes and changes, such as a brand new UI, new controls, and online multiplayer. Basically, the mobile version was rebuilt from the ground up for version 1.3, and today a new update was just released on the Play Store that brings physical controller support to the game, a much-requested feature that's been missing for the last seven years.
Mobile gaming continues to grow in relevance, with significant releases like Fortnite and PUBG being published on smartphones, but many titles have been held back by awkward touchscreen controls. External controller support in Android has worked to address that, giving players more powerful options. It turns out a pretty big one arrived thanks to an AOSP commit this past June, granting Android gamepad mappings for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
For those that haven't been following closely, Stranger Things 3 The Game was released on consoles and PC back in July. The title serves duty as a sequel for Stranger Things: The Game, a mobile release that was offered for free and played a heck of a lot like a classic action-RPG. It was one of our favorite releases in 2017, and now that the sequel has made its way to Android, it's time to revisit Hawkins and save the world one more time.
It's been a while since I've compiled a "best of" roundup, so I wanted to start with something a little easier to get the ball rolling. This is why today's list will deal exclusively with the best games currently available for Android TV. The titles mentioned below are some of my favorite games on the platform, and while I'm sure a few fan-favorites will be missing from the list, I do hope my personal selections will allow you to find a few games you may not have played yet. So strap in and get ready to discover some of the best Android TV games available on the Google Play Store in 2019.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a remake of the 1989 Master System platformer Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap. The developer Lizardcube has announced that the title will be coming to Android on May 30th. Once the game is launched, you'll be able to pick it up for $8.99, though if you'd like to save 30% off the retail price, you can pre-register on the Play Store to receive that discount.
Before today one of the playerbase's most wanted features for the mobile version of Fortnite was controller support. Well, it looks like the developers have been listening to the fans as the 7.30 update released today finally adds in support for bluetooth controllers, such as the Steelseries Stratus XL, Gamevice, Xbox One, Razer Raiju, and Moto Gamepad. And if the inclusion of this controller support isn't enough to float your boat, maybe the addition of 60Hz support for select Android models will pique your interest.
Teslagrad was announced for Android back in September. At the time it was only available on the Play Store for pre-registration, and a release date was unknown. As of today the indie 2D Metroidvania is available for purchase. You can snag a copy right now for $4.89, which is a 30% discount off the planned retail price.
It would appear that TAITO Corporation has not completely forgotten about us Android users when it comes to a mobile version of RAYSTORM. Seeing that iOS received theirs all the way back in 2012, it almost appeared as though we would never see the port. But lo and behold, RAYSTORM has officially been released on the Play Store, and it is just as great as it was on the PS1.
No matter how you slice and dice it, bread is awesome. And being bread, that's probably the dream, nay, the Holy Grain. Well, at least if you loaf bread as much as I do. See, I never knew I kneaded a game like this, but now that I know it exists, I can't wait to play it.
The last ten years of indie games have been all about reconnecting with a simpler, more focused era of the medium. Retro City Rampage DX does a bit of that - "Retro" is in the title as a bit of a heavy hint - but it also brings some of the more streamlined gameplay elements and storytelling from modern games into the format. Retro City Rampage hit Steam in 2014 to excellent reviews, and now it's available on the Play Store for five bucks with no in-app purchases.
It's not often that we see an Android game released just for Android TV, aside from the various exclusives that NVIDIA has acquired for its SHIELD set-top box. Hotlap Heroes eschews smartphones and tablets and insists that players experience its old-fashioned racing action on a full-sized television. The 3D racing game, a rookie effort on the Play Store from developer Team Pea, is $3.99 with no in-app purchases.
You can't swing a severed limb around on the Play Store without hitting half a dozen zombie games, and first person shooters (even high-end variants like Unkilled) aren't exactly thin on the ground. But you might want to give Dead Effect 2, the sequel to a 2013 science fiction-horror shooter, a second look anyway. While the premise isn't exactly original, falling somewhere between Alien and Dead Space, the sheer variety and polish makes it worth consideration from Android gamers.
Look, I've got nothing against the pixelated graphical style, sometimes erroneously referred to as "8-bit." But for the last few years it's often been used as a crutch for developers who can't be bothered to make truly good 2D graphics. That doesn't apply to Sword of Xolan, the latest game from developer Alper Sarikaya of Manuganu fame. The environments, enemies, and main character have enough definition that you can actually see what's happening on screen, and the excellent animations make the world come to life in ways that developers could only dream of back in the old SNES days.
Update: the developers released another quick update on September 19th, explicitly supporting the MOGA family of controllers. The NES30 mentioned below, a generic Bluetooth HID controller, is also working. Well done, Noodlecake and RocketCat!