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14 best MOBA games on Android in 2024
Explore the best Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games in the palm of your hands
Bringing out a fresh MOBA app on the Play Store is a gutsy move these days, given the steep competition from other exemplary PVP focused games plying the same trade. The genres blend of RTS set dressing and RPG game features make it perfect for the compact screens of high power gaming phones; showing the best of Androids gaming library how it's done. MOBAs are also apps that frequently cross over with the PC platform, meaning high stakes PVP matches with potentially endless competition. AP loves itself some good competitive multiplayer, so here's our roundup of the best MOBA experiences the Play Store has to offer.
Pokémon Unite brings its free-to-play MOBA gameplay to mobile with full cross-platform support
Too bad the game is pay-to-win
In August, we learned that Pokémon Unite would be making its way from the Nintendo Switch to Android and iOS on September 22nd, which is today. After a brief pre-load period yesterday, Unite's mobile servers are now officially live. This is a free-to-play 5v5 MOBA that offers a slick Pokémon theme, but it's also a Tencent title, and so it's packed with in-app purchases, some of which can be used to gain an advantage over non-paying players, ensuring Pokémon Unite is pay-to-win. Luckily this is a casual MOBA, so the competitive scene is nothing like Dota 2 or League of Legends, dulling the edge of the pay-to-win monetization.
That Pokémon MOBA all your friends are playing on Switch lands on Android next month
Coming September 22nd
The last we heard about the mobile version of Pokémon UNITE was back in June when The Pokémon Company and TiMi Studio Group announced the MOBA would land sometime in September but failed to provide an actual date. This left both companies open to execute another announcement, which was made today during the latest Pokémon Presents. As of this morning, we now know Pokémon UNITE will be released on Android and iOS on September 22nd, and better yet, pre-registration is finally open on the Play Store, clearly illustrating the ramp-up to next month's launch.
The Official Pokémon YouTube channel has announced a new Pokémon game for Android, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch. It's called Pokémon Unite, and it's a MOBA. As you would expect, you'll be tasked with collecting Pokémon as part of the MOBA's team-based online-multiplayer battle arena gameplay. Unsurprisingly, Pokémon Unite is being developed in partnership with Tencent, so I fully expect the game to land as a blatant cash grab, just like Pokémon Café Mix. Clearly, The Pokemon Company is intent on running this franchise through the mud, just so long as it can make a quick buck with lazy clones on mobile. As expected, there is no release date, no talk of target regions, and of course, nobody's mentioned anything about monetization.
League of Legends: Wild Rift 2.2c adds a new champion, skins, events, plus a host of improvements
Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands is here
The open beta for League of Legends: Wild Rift kicked off in March, and so I took the MOBA for a spin to see how it stood up to the competition. I came away impressed, but for a live service game like this, development never stops, and so the latest patch drops today. Version 2.2c brings with it many new additions, including a brand new champion, eight new skins, some new accessories, a couple of new events, plus tons of champion balance patches. Not all of this will be available at once, but you can expect this content to trickle out by the end of the month.
Hands-on with League of Legends: Wild Rift, possibly the best MOBA on mobile
Gameplay video included, two full matches
The build-up to the US open beta for League of Legends: Wild Rift has been a long one, but now that this beta is almost here, I've taken it for a spin ahead of time to report on my findings. Below I've detailed all of the critical bits, things like performance, controls, and monetization, and I've even taken the time to record a 48-minute gameplay video so that everybody can see exactly what this open beta will have to offer when it's released on Monday. So if you're eager to learn all about the upcoming US beta for Wild Rift, this hands-on is for you.
Marvel Super War is a 5v5 MOBA from NetEase, now available in more regions
South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand can now play
Read update
Marvel Super War is a newly-announced MOBA from NetEase and Marvel Entertainment that's coming to Android and iOS, and it just entered into its first closed beta. The title will feature everyone's favorite heroes and villains from the Marvel universe, and each character will offer a variety of powers that players will be able to utilize in combat.
Apparently, Tencent has partnered with Riot Games to bring a version of its hit MOBA League of Legends to mobile, so says three sources with knowledge of the matter as reported by Reuters.
Back in June Supercell soft launched Brawl Stars on the Play Store for a few select regions, and today the studio has announced that the game will finally open its doors to the rest of the world this December. You can pre-register for the upcoming release right now, and there are even a few rewards you can earn by doing so.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a gorgeous narrative adventure, a digital adaptation of a stock market investing board game, an escape the room game, a kawaii-themed casual adventure, an anime-theme gacha game, a MOBA and PvP duel card battler that takes place in the Warhammer universe, and the sequel to Brave Frontier. Without further ado:
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a storybook adventure, a free LEGO building and puzzle game, a falling block puzzle game, a hero collection RPG, an asymmetrical horror game, a MOBA-based first-person shooter, and a side-scrolling racing game. Without further ado:
Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter is a very well known action RPG series for Android, and it looks like the studio is trying to evolve it into something new so that they can latch onto the latest trend of MOBA gameplay. That's why they created Dungeon Hunter Champions. Not only does it contain all of the ARPG gameplay you enjoyed in their earlier Dungeon Hunter titles, but there are also a few different PvP modes thrown into the mix including a 5v5 MOBA battlefield. I suppose the devs feel this will appeal to old and new fans alike, which really isn't a terrible strategy.
Hi-Rez Studios is best known for their console and PC games. Most notably their 3rd-person MOBA Smite is one of their biggest successes, though many may have the opinion it has seen better days. It would appear that Hi-Rez is no longer satisfied with the console and PC market, as they are now branching out into mobile gaming with the release of Paladins Strike. If the name sounds familiar, that is because they already have a hero shooter available for consoles and PC called Paladins: Champions of the Realm. This release simply takes the characters and lore from that title to create an offshoot game that is better suited for play on mobile.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a card-based dungeon crawler, an AR twin-stick shooter, a Souls-like ARPG, an AR-centric puzzle game, an idle tapper, a kid-friendly MOBA, and an anime-themed strategy RPG. Without further ado:
Vainglory is without a doubt the most popular MOBA on Android. Sure there are some recent up and comers, but Vainglory still remains the go-to MOBA on mobile. Now, despite the fact that it has earned its current popularity, one of its players' major complaints was that it only allowed for 3v3 gameplay. This all changes today as you can now play 5v5 matches with full 3-lane maps any time you like, just like the big boys on PC.
You've probably played multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games on Android—there are some popular ones like Vainglory and Mobile Legends. However, the most popular one in the world is only now launching in North America. You can hit the Play Store right now and get Arena of Valor, but you might be more familiar with its names in other markets like Kings of Glory and Strike of Kings.
Trivia Crack Heroes is the latest Trivia Crack game from Etermax. It's a strange mix of simplistic MOBA gameplay and trivia questions. You will be collecting heroes via a loot crate system in order to battle them against live opponents. While the premise may sound appealing, the execution has left me feeling utterly unimpressed, thanks to the clear pay-to-win design.
I haven't seen a single Star Wars movie (that's probably one of the worst things to admit to a techie/nerdy audience, so I'll see myself out by the end of this post and work on fixing that situation pronto) but I feel like I know most of the story and characters because of how much the franchise has been played out in pop culture, online, in real life discussions, toy stores, and everywhere else really. But for those of you who enjoy Star Wars and the attention it's been getting, there's one more avenue where you can geek out: the new Star Wars: Force Arena game.
The Vulkan graphics API is a big deal for mobile developers, since its direct GPU access allows for complex graphics to be rendered with a considerably lower hit to the processor, and thus a lower overhead on the hardware and battery life. A few devices like the SHIELD family and Samsung's 7 series already supported Vulkan several months ago, but Nougat now features full support for all updated Android 7.0 devices. Developer Super Evil Megacorp, which turned heads last year with its Vainglory mobile MOBA, now has a beta version that uses the Vulkan API.
If you don't know what League of Legends is, then you don't spend enough time on Twitch (which is to say that you spend an entirely appropriate amount of time on Twitch). It's one of the biggest games in the ballooning "MOBA" genre, a combination of multiplayer team-based combat and top-down RPG sensibilities that's thrived on a PC-exclusive, free-to-play model. Thanks to League of Legends' highly competitive and social setup, it's become one of the spectacle events around the new boom in professional-level video game competition.