These are the 15 best open source Android games you need to try

Open source games might seem counterintuitive, but their transparency and alterability are part of their allure. They allow users to view their source code up and down or enjoy it as they are. Some have even spawned mods of their own, or started as remixed versions of older titles. Each of the games on this list stands tall in its own right. They’re all genuinely great games, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with each.

Without further ado, below are my favorite open source Android games that you can download right now.

Let’s start right at the top. Forkyz isn’t necessarily a game in the purest sense, but it does support one healthy habit of mine: doing crosswords. I’ve been on a mission to exercise my brain a little more each day, and completing these interlaced word puzzles is the perfect way to do just that.

Forkyz can download puzzles from a myriad sources, including Newsday, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The Guardian. You can select exactly how many crosswords you want to download daily, from which source, and select various settings to help you along your way.

It’s difficult to imagine just how large-scale a game like Andor’s Trail really is, but it encompasses over 600 maps and offers players more than 80 different quests. As RPGs go, that’s extensive, even for desktop OSes.

The game embraces typical RPG mechanics, including turn-based battles, branching dialog choices, skill trees, items you can equip to aid you on your journey, and treasure. There’s also the story goal of finding your missing brother, but… look there! A shiny thing!

Despite its free and open source tag, Andor’s Trail receives regular updates and rebalancing. The amount of love that has gone into this title over the years is impressive. And, if you’re so inclined, you can mod the title yourself.

When I got my first computer back in the late 2000s, there was a block-breaking game that I got worryingly addicted to. Thankfully, this was eventually eclipsed by F1 Challenge, but I ultimately rekindled my love for it on Android. Breakout 71 isn’t that exact game, but it comes very close.

You control a paddle that ricochets balls into destructible blocks. Your goal is to destroy all the blocks and catch falling coins. Once all the blocks are gone, you move on to the next level.

The gameplay is simple on paper but a little more complex in practice, and the higher levels demand better finger-eye coordination and forethought.

If you prefer math-heavy games over those that rely on physics, consider grabbing 2048 Open Fun Game. The title is a mouthful, but it’s a free and open source version of the popular 2048 puzzle game.

The goal is to shuffle tiles around to create the largest number possible. Only tiles that display the same number can be joined into a single tile. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, the direction of your slide will move all the tiles across, making this more of a physical puzzle game than one that relies on math.

It took me a long time to embrace this game, but once I got the hang of it, it’s now one of my favorite games to play on short flights or grocery shop queues.

I’m cheating a little here, because Simon Tatham’s Puzzles isn’t just one game — it’s 40. This huge selection of puzzle games is playable offline once the app’s downloaded, contains no ads, and is open source. It’s even available on Windows if you want a proper mouse and keyboard setup.

Whatever game you select, the playboard will be generated automatically, ensuring you won’t repeatedly encounter the same game board. Some games on offer include a Minesweeper dupe, a Solitaire alternative, Same Game, and Fifteen.

I only recently discovered Xeonjia and lament every minute I didn’t know it existed. It’s an adventure game that melds RPG and puzzle elements set in a frigid world. Your goal is to defeat the King of Evil without accidentally sliding yourself into a dangerous position.

The game includes various maps, treasure, XP opportunities for skill and gear upgrades, and adorable pixel art that’ll take you right back to Pokémon’s golden era (especially Emerald and its ice puzzle levels).

There was a time when trivia apps were more popular than Wordle, and you can still find a swarm of them on the Play Store. However, I’d suggest Trivia App for a clean, ad-free experience. That name makes it pretty difficult to market anywhere beyond F-Droid, but it’s an excellent trivia game for those who value the facts over flash.

It leverages questions from OpenTriviaDB, offers plenty of categories, and has user-definable difficulty settings. It’s a great way to keep your gray matter fresh.

Open source Android games encompass more than just cards and puzzles, and SuperTuxKart proves it. This free arcade racing game sees colorful characters haul go-karts through a myriad maps, including those set within spaceships and around temples. The game reminds me of Crash Team Racing and exhibits much of that low-polygon charm.

Once you get over the game’s weird steering controls, you’ll draw hours of enjoyment from this open source racing title.

Imagine Tetris, but instead of skinny shapes slowly falling into place, you freely move those onto a board yourself. That’s Block Puzzle. Complete a row to score points, but leave enough space for the upcoming items.

The Stone Wars element is actually a separate multiplayer version of the game that includes loose story elements of an intergalactic crew traveling through space. It’s quirky and adds another dimension to the relatively simple gameplay.

The game is surprisingly calming and far less stressful than similar titles. It still requires plenty of forethought and planning, though.

Luanti isn’t a single game but a hub hosting multiple sandbox voxel experiences. While it invites comparisons to Minecraft that doesn’t really do this open source Android platform justice.

It’s over a decade old, available on multiple operating systems, and openly invites modding. Additionally, you’ll need to download one of the subgames before you can play anything. Minetest — the original Luanti experience — is the one I recommend, while Voxelibre and Mineclonia seem popular among fans of the similar but premium Microsoft title.

To that end, it’s not quite a session game. Before you know it, you’ll play this thing from breakfast to breakfast. But that probably speaks to how great an experience it is, no?

When it comes to truly heavyweight open source Android games, you’ll find fewer titles more impressive than Mindustry. It’s essentially a tower defense game encompassing sandbox, RTS, and factory management elements to create an intricate strategy-heavy title. You’ll need to solve problems creatively, like delivering supplies to your defense lines using various contraptions or keeping the war machine’s raw material requirements sated.

Mindustry is a game that rewards time and patience, but there is a lot to like even for casual players.

You thought I was done with the open source puzzle game recommendations? Think again. Zoysii is difficult to pronounce and trickier to master. The game consists of various numbers placed on a virtual board. As the red-numbered tile, you aim to eliminate other tiles while accumulating points. I’ll let you read the game’s rules on the Play Store to get a true sense of what’s required, but it’s a surprisingly great way to keep your brain in shape. Fun trivia: The game was also made by the developer of Xeonjia.

Shattered Pixel Dungeon is already known as one of the best free Android games, but did you know it’s open source too? The game started as a fork of Pixel Dungeon, but has been going steadily since its debut in 2014. Notably, the game itself has been forked several times itself.

True to its name, the title is a dungeon crawler with roguelike and RPG elements. It includes half a dozen heroes, each with strengths, weaknesses, and mechanics to suit particular challenges. The game awards users skill points they can put towards various skill trees, offering further customization. As for the world, the game includes procedurally generated environments, ensuring that no two worlds you encounter are the same.

This is another heavy time investment game, but definitely one of the highlights of the open source Android game world.

If dank dungeons aren’t your thing, this turn-based strategy game could be more your speed. Heavily inspired by Civilization V, Unciv lets you oversee the rise of your own nation state while squashing the challenge of others, changing the course of history with technology and political muscle.

An RTS title on Unciv’s scale may sound too much for the small screen, but the developer has carefully considered the UI, making it super simple to view objectives and the world at large.

Finally, let’s have one more quirky platform to end us off, shall we? AAAAXY is a free-roam 2D platformer game in which you control a character navigating a vertical world full of obscure references and hidden dangers.

The developer suggests new players complete the game in no more than six hours, while options exist to ace it in 15 minutes. That’s enticing enough for those who love speed-running titles.

Is there an open source Android game that you’d like to recommend? Drop a comment down below. I’m always eager to add new titles to my list.