Must-have Android games

Galaxy S III? Nexus 7? In any case, congratulations on your new Android phone or tablet. What’s that? Someone told you there were no decent games on Android? Well, as 2013 rolls in, not only have most iPhone developers ported some of their best titles to Google's mobile OS, but we’re also seeing many great games that are available only on Android. Read on for a list of fun, accessible, and affordable Android games that will keep you glued to your phone or tablet wherever you go.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds

Angry Birds is, by anyone’s count, the once and future king of mobile games—three years after its release, it’s still impossible to ride the subway for a week without seeing someone playing this game. The premise is simple: Pigs have stolen the Birds’ eggs, hence the Birds are Angry; use the touchscreen to slingshot your Angry Birds at the pigs. The levels are creative, you can use birds with special abilities, and the game's theme song will stick in your head for the rest of your life. Highly recommended—and if you ever finish it, you can move on to Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, and Angry Birds Star Wars.
Price: Free

Pac-Man Championship Edition

Pac-Man Championship Edition (Click to view full image.)

Who doesn’t love Pac-Man? No fair answering “people born after 1990.” Okay, who doesn’t love Pac-Man with high-definition retro graphics and a weird trance-rave aesthetic? Also people born after 1990? Huh. Well, tell you what—Pac-Man is a classic, and this is a great, stylish, fast-paced remake of a classic. The ghosts are faster, the levels are more varied, and Pac-Man himself is more agile, skidding around corners like a 1972 Trans Am.
Price: $4

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene

Remember what I just said about Pac-Man? Dial back the get-off-my-lawn by a few years, replace the trance-rave aesthetic with a cool, hard-edged minimalism, and voilà, you have Space Invaders: Infinity Gene. It’s tough, it’s gorgeous, and—in a serious departure from the original—it has so many enemies of different shapes and sizes that no two levels are alike. Even if you don’t have fond memories of the original, any fan of 2D, top-down shooters ought to pick this one up—it’s the best in its class.
Price: $5

Jetpack Joyride

Jetpack Joyride

Jetpack Joyride is among the best of a particular genre that has become popular on smartphones: Run/jump/fly for as long as you can until you die, and then do it all over again. You have to avoid angry (armed) scientists and a fusillade of missiles and other roadblocks while flying through a comedically long tunnel. Why is Jetpack Joyride the best? Simple, because it involves a jetpack! Oh, and it’s free. Also try: Temple Run and Doodle Jump.
Price: Free

Bubble Shooter

Bubble Shooter (Click to view full image.)

Remember Snood? How about Puzzle Bobble? Bust-a-Move? Any of the other one or two dozen names this same game has been called over the past 20 years? As with Angry Birds, the premise is simple: Patterns of differently colored balls slowly descend from the ceiling, while you shoot them one-by-one, trying to match the colors. It isn't new, but it is cute, challenging, free, and pretty much unlimited fun.
Price: Free