10 Best Offline Games on Android (2021)

Knowing which of the best Android games work offline can be tricky. Android does not specify which games play offline and which ones don’t. Sometimes, you might find the details in the app’s description, but that is few and far between. If you don’t have a reliable connection when you play, the game becomes impossible to use.

There are few things more annoying than being dropped from an online match in a great mobile game. It’s even worse when you download a single-player game only to find you still need an internet connection to play.

Fear not, though, as there are many Android games you can play without being connected to the internet. You’re not just restricted to smaller games, either. Offline Android games also include larger-sized options. There’s something for everyone in the Android offline games library.

Many games are free to download, and many are free with add-on purchase options, although some larger titles will ask you to cough up some cash before you can play.

Bear in mind, though, that you’ll need an internet connection to download the games, so do that before you get to your internet dark zone!

Top 10 Offline Games for Android:

Here are the best games for offline Android fun, from Adventure, Role Playing, and Arcade/Action to Strategy, Simulation, and even Card Games.

Best Offline Android Adventure Games

Ark: Survival Evolved (Free with In-App Purchases) by Studio Wildcard/War Drum Studios

Ark: Survival Evolved, a dinosaur-themed survival game, is one of the most enjoyable Android gaming experiences you can have where you play offline solo or connect and play with others. It’s the best of both worlds! Ark is a blend of first-person survival and exploration, placing you on a large island full of dinosaurs.

To survive, you must collect resources and craft structures, clothing, weapons, and gear. There’s also a story hidden away in there too. Be warned that it’s a rather hefty app, so you’ll need Android 7.0 or higher to run it.

Best Offline Android Arcade/Action Games

Minecraft: Pocket Edition ($6.99) by Mojang Studios

Minecraft took the gaming world by storm on release, and developer Mojang has done its best to port it to every device with a screen. At $6.99, the Android version is rather pricey, but it’s still cheaper than the PC version, and it has most of the same features.  

If you don’t know what Minecraft is (where have you been since 2009?), it’s an exploration and survival game set in a procedurally generated world with a distinctive blocky art style. It’s so wildly popular that it holds several world records, and it is a favorite amongst younger gamers.

Once Upon a Tower (Free with In-App Purchases) by Pomelo Games

Once Upon a Tower is similar to a side scroller (perhaps you can call it a vertical scroller) game. The action features a princess held captive in a tower by a fierce dragon, fighting her way out as she smashes down blocks, defeats enemies along the way, and grabs powerups and coins to get through her journey successfully.

No need for a prince here! Defeat the dragon, smash creepy crawlies, bust some rock, and burst your way through the levels to escape. This free game has in-app purchases and plays offline for continual action and fun.

JYDGE ($9.99) by 10tons Ltd.

Jydge is a top-down shooter game based on the comic book Judge Dredd and inspired by the action of Neon Chrome. This game allows you to play against other players online or against AI bots offline. It’s a 2-for-1 deal that most action games don’t offer.

Build your customized cybernetic JYDGE and start eliminating crime in the city of Edenbyrg. Yes, Jydge and Edenbyrg with a “y” are correct! The game features dual-stick controls with one for movement and one for actions.

Colonizer (Free with In-App Purchases) by Creative Robot

Looking suspiciously like a math game from the outset, Colonizer is a strangely compelling action game. Your task is to colonize new planets on a star map. You fire off rockets towards each world to inhabit them. Each planet is designated a number and requires that many hits from missiles to make it yours.

As you’re doing this, you face off against other opponents trying to colonize planets. If the opponent’s rocket is the last to hit a world, they’ll take it. However, this situation works for you too! Its premise may be simple, yet its blend of perfect difficulty level and ease of play makes the game endlessly playable.

Best Offline Strategy Games on Android

Plague Inc (Free with $0.99 upgrade) by Miniclip SA

As one of the most well-known mobile games, Plague Inc. is definitely worth playing. It’s inexpensive, endlessly replayable, and reasonably educational—its creator was invited to the CDC in 2013 to talk about using games as an education tool. Plague Inc. tasks you with designing and evolving a disease in an attempt to wipe out humanity.

By successfully infecting and eradicating countries, you earn funding to develop the plague with new symptoms, infection methods, and transmission modes. One darkly enjoyable aspect also comes from being able to name your disease, resulting in notifications like “Minions have eradicated the US.” The upgrade provides game fast-forwarding, genetic code modifications, additional “Mega Brutal” difficulty, and ALL ads removed.

XCOM: Enemy Within ($4.99) by 2K, Inc./Take-Two Interactive

Another popular PC game ported to mobile is XCOM: Enemy Within. Take charge of XCOM, the Earth’s last line of defense against an invasion. You respond to UFO sightings and alien attacks, research materials acquired from enemies, and command and upgrade a squad of soldiers as they face ever-growing threats. The gameplay is addictive and intuitive, remaining hard enough to stay engaged without being too tricky.

Best Offline Simulation Games on Android

Fallout: Shelter (Free with In-App Purchases) by Bethesda Softworks LLC

Fallout: Shelter has become more popular than the game series that spawned its creation, with more downloads under its belt than the best-selling entry has had sales. In this base-building RPG, you’re tasked with designing an underground fallout shelter. To look after a growing roster of dwellers you must provide enough water, and food to survive.

You’ll even have to send inhabitants out into the wasteland to collect items to aid in defense of your shelter. Fans of the series will love Fallout: Shelter, but it’s also entertaining for those without prior knowledge, and there’s enough content to keep you coming back.

Best Offline Role Playing/Card Games on Android

Star Realms (Free with In-App Purchases) by White Wizard Games

Nearly every card game on mobile requires the internet to sync card collections and challenge other players. Fortunately, Star Realms can be played offline, and it just happens to also be one of the best card games you can play. There’s a very challenging AI that keeps you coming back for more as you desperately try to perfect your strategies and beat it.

Originally released as a physical deck-building card game it’s seen as a second life as an app. Although, you do have to pay to access the expansion packs and campaigns.

Occidental Heroes (Free with In-App Purchases) by Ensit Media

Occidental Heroes is an old-school type role-playing game (RPG), where the joy of playing comes from its simplicity. Split between an overworld and turn-based battles; you take control of three warriors as they explore the land while trying to earn money. Things aren’t that simple, though, as Occidental Heroes features the wonderful roguelike charm of permadeath. Between worrying about your entire squad getting mauled by bears, or being angry that you lost everything because said bears mauled your team, Occidental Heroes is an immersive and interesting RPG that you’ll find yourself starting over again and again.

OK, that’s it for now! Have some fun without worrying about lost mobile signals or disappearing Wi-Fi connections.

Just be sure to download the apps, install them, and launch them for the first time when you have a data signal of some sort, or else they may not work when offline.

If you have a particular offline favorite, let us know, and if the downloads and ratings are high enough, and the reviews are good, we may add it to the list!