It looks like we’re going to be spending at least the first half of 2021 still indoors, but there’s a lot of optimism that maybe we’ll have a better year than 2020. In the meantime, you’re still going to need something to outlast the last leg of the pandemic, so why not find a new RPG to play?
An RPG typically involves managing a character or party, leveling up, stats, equipment and items, customization, and more. These all add up to games that you can really sink your teeth into with tons and tons of hours of gameplay. We’ve rounded up the best games on Google Play to get you started.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley took classic Harvest Moon-style gameplay, and modernized it for the current crop of consoles and devices. It was eventually ported to mobile with optimized controls and extra features, and that’s the version available on Google Play. Not only is this one of the best RPG games available right now, it might be one of the best games on the entire market, period.
For those unfamiliar, Stardew Valley puts you in charge of your own farm. Your job is to grow crops and products to make money, then continue building the farm up and cultivating relationships. You can eventually start a family in between scouring mines and dungeons for other resources, cooking, and tending to livestock, so there’s no shortage of stuff to do and things to get into. That might not be your idea of a typical RPG where you’re fighting goblins to save the world from impending doom, but there’s more overlap than you’d think. If you want that kind of game, there are still those mechanics, but the variety makes it great for all kinds of players.
The game strikes a great balance of being peaceful and engrossing, and it’s all really peaceful without any necessary fighting or boss battles. If you’re itching for something relaxing that can still hold your attention, give it a whirl. This one’s on Google Play Pass, too, so if you’re subscribed, it’s free to download, with no in-app purchases or ads.
Play Store Download Link | $7.99
Graveyard Keeper
If Stardew Valley almost sounds like your thing, but you’re looking for something a little more traditional, Graveyard Keeper might scratch the itch. It’s similar, but with a bigger focus on the macabre.
You’re still in charge of running a kind of farm, per se, but with an early game twist your resources will be the recently deceased and magic. You’ll be managing resources and growing your cemetery through a variety of gameplay mechanics that are reminiscent of Stardew with a coat of medieval goofy paint.
From an RPG perspective, this one’s a little more focused on combat and questing, with a more linear narrative to work through and a bigger emphasis on combat.
The humorous nature of the game might help you unwind from the typical super serious RPG experience, too.
Play Store Download Link | $9.99
The Elder Scrolls: Blades
The Elder Scrolls: Blades might be one of the most ambitious mobile RPGs in recent memory simply for the gargantuan task of cramming one of the world’s biggest fantasy games into a mobile game, but it’s managed to land itself as one of our favorites here at Talk Android.
It’s not quite Skyrim on your phone, but that’s okay; it’s built from the ground up to actually take advantage of mobile hardware and form factors. Instead of it just being a typical RPG and the only acceptable way to play it is with a controller, it fully utilizes touch controls and portrait/landscape orientations to bring that Elder Scrolls experience to your device.
That’s not to say that it doesn’t get a little too close to some aggravating freemium trends (it is free-to-play, after all) but especially with recent patches and updates, it’s still a very solid RPG, especially for fans of Bethesda’s mega franchise or fantasy settings. Tight controls, tons of quests and items, town building, and some multiplayer make Blades a fun endeavor, and it’s well-built to let you casually play it in your down time since it fully supports portrait orientation and accommodating controls without compromising gameplay.
Play Store Download Link | Free
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is an older RPG from Square Enix back in the Gamecube days. It spawned quite a few games in the series, but the original 2003 title finally got the remake it deserved, including a mobile port.
Crystal Chronicles keeps all of your regular Final Fantasy tropes, including the magic and items and races, but it’s a multiplayer experience where you team up with your buddies to complete levels.
The game mechanics revolve around a deadly miasma and a crystal chalice that a caravan of adventurers has to fill up to keep the poisonous fog at bay for another year, and that’s what you’ll be doing. One person is responsible for carrying the chalice around to keep their teammates safe, while the teammates tackle monsters and puzzles to get through each dungeon.
There’s a ton of replayability and variety here, and it’s fully optimized for touch screen controls and supports cross-platform play. So yes, you can join up with your friends on their PlayStation 4, even though you’re playing on Android. That’s pretty nifty.
If you’re playing the free version, you’ll be able to experience one year of gameplay; playing with a host that owns the full game will give you access to up to 13 dungeons.
Play Store Download Link | Free ($25.99 for full game)
Postknight
Postknight picked up a ton of honors back in 2017 where it won awards for both the best indie game on Google Play, as well as the best game to pick up and play. Don’t let those accolades trick you into thinking there’s not a ton of content here, though.
Postknight is a simple RPG that places you in the role of an adventurer/deliverer. You’re entrusted to make some dangerous deliveries, and you’ll explore a bite-sized world while upgrading your weapons and armor in the process. It’s a fairly customizable game to play, too, letting you mix potions exactly how you want for specific effects, mobile-optimized controls, and a ton of excitement. It also integrates some idle game mechanics, so you’ll still be given rewards and make progress even while you’re away.
Despite being a very mobile-friendly experience, this is one of the best RPG games you’re going to find on the Play Store. Check it out.
Play Store Download Link | Free
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact took 2020 by storm. You might see more than a little bit of influence from Breath of The Wild from a few years ago, which is fair, but Genshin Impact offers more than your typical Zelda clone. It’s a full-blown RPG that crafts a console experience on a mobile device with hours and hours of gameplay.
You’ll get a huge, open world to traverse and explore, plus interweaving storylines from all of the characters available. Each of those characters come with their own sets of abilities and personalities, and part of the appeal is building your team of your favorite levelled up characters to tackle any situation.
The game looks fantastic, especially for a mobile game, and the sweeping soundtrack fits right in with the best games on the market right now, console or otherwise.
Combat is also incredibly satisfying, particularly if you’re holding this next to Breath of The Wild or similar adventure games.
There’s a lot to like here, and it’s a free title. Give it a spin, play it for a few hours, and see if you like it as much as everyone else did last year.
Play Store Download Link | Free
Dragalia Lost
If you’re trying to stay more in Nintendo’s actual lane, Dragalia Lost is the game to play. While the company doesn’t make as many mobile games as you’d think, nearly everything they’ve put out has a serious amount of polish and sheen to it.
It’s very mobile-focused and is designed around being able to fight enemies and move your party with one finger. It’s another case of the developer paying attention to scaling their games to the form factor of a smartphone and succeeding, instead of trying to make their existing mechanics work on a smaller screen without physical buttons.
But despite the simple gameplay, there’s a ton of content to work through here. You’ve got the full suite of daily quests and rewards to grind out, a slew of over 60 characters to build your party with, and recurring events and co-op to add some extra flair. This is another game where the consensus seems to agree with the developers’ in-game currency designs and decisions, and players that don’t want to spend real-world cash can still enjoy Dragalia Lost without feeling too pressured to put money into the game.
Atom RPG
If you’re a fan of classic 90’s RPGs or Fallout, you should take a look at Atom RPG. The entire game feels like a love letter to Fallout 2 and everything that made PC RPGs great in 1998.
The isometric 3D design is immediately reminiscent of those old-school games, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a ton of depth to back it up. The 60+ hour game has over 150 weapons, 600 NPCs, and loads of enemies and locations to discover and fight.
You start off with a highly customizable character that you create, and there are a variety of skills and stats to help you craft exactly how you want to play. That’s big for replayability, too, considering the game features dialog options and branching paths for quests and storylines.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s not too shabby to play on a touchscreen, either. Can’t say that for Fallout 2.
Play Store Download Link | $8.49
Knights of Pen & Paper 2
If you want something even more retro than Bit Heroes, check out Knights of Pen & Paper 2. Instead of your regular hack-and-slash formula, Knights plays like a digital Dungeons & Dragons campaign, complete with a witty dungeon master, potato chips on the table, and more dice rolls than you can shake a stick at.
You’ll build up a team of differing characters with their own classes through your campaign while you fight monsters, explore an open fantasy world, collect items, upgrade equipment, and eventually slay a boss at the end of a 10 floor dungeon.
There are tons of cultural references, fantastic pixel art, and fun music, making for a very engrossing game that you can pick up in bits and pieces. Great for short commutes or downtime at work, which is a plus. This is an easy pick for one of the best RPG games on Android.
Play Store Download Link | Free
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