A new year means a new batch of games to get excited about, but you may not have to look ahead to the best mobile games of the year. January saw some stellar releases, from the beat ’em up TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to the amazing puzzler Resonance of the Ocean.
In today’s list, we have included the best games of January so that everyone can keep up with the latest Android games. A few have already made our list of the best games for Android, so rest assured, we’ve got plenty of hitters this month. We didn’t limit ourselves to any specific categories, so even if you’re using a budget Android phone, you can still play all of the choices below and start your year off with some fantastic games.
1 TMNT: Revenge of the Shredder
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a beat ’em up inspired by the side-scrolling arcade brawlers of the 80s and 90s. But it’s not just a nostalgia trip. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge has all the quality-of-life features we’ve come to expect from the best Android games, including unlimited frame rates, controller support, and tons of characters.
While there are tons of great fighting games on Android, TMNT: Shredders Revenge is one of the best. Fans of the original cartoon will love the faithful recreation of their favorite characters, but beat ’em up fans will appreciate the varied and fluid combat, fantastic pixel art and elegant controls. Note that the game is only available with a Netflix subscription, but this gives players the ability to microtransact and ad-free.
2 Fatal Fury 3
Two days after TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge hit the Play Store, a retro fighting game from the 90s has arrived. Fatal Fury 3 is not a beat ’em up, but a fighting game where you fight 1v1 to defeat various characters.
Many retro games from the ACA NeoGeo library have been ported to the Play Store, but Fatal Fury 3 is one of the best fighting games out there. It has updated most of the front end list as well as new sprites for everyone. But it didn’t just bring graphical improvements. The new battle system meant players could dodge from the foreground and background, as well as better dash options, jumps, blocks and chain combos. Often times, these old-school fighting games can be difficult for younger gamers as the genre has grown so fast over the decades, but Fatal Fury 3 is a great starting point for a retro kick. The aforementioned concepts will become the mainstay of future titles, and the touch controls and controller support built into Android make gaming easier than ever. At $3.99, this is an absolute bargain.
3 Low chance of saws
With the increasing power of Android phones, many PCs and consoles have entered the Play Store. These tried and tested games are nice to see, but sometimes it’s nice to explore an original arcade game that steals our hearts. A Slight Chance of Sawblades doesn’t offer a nuanced story, complex characters, or phenomenal graphics. What it does offer is plenty of saws and hours of tiring, inducing fun.
The low chance of saws causes the same reactions as in 2014. Flappy Bird. The game only requires one thing (jumping over a saw blade), but it’s challenging enough to make you think failure can be easily overcome with a few more tries. . And keep trying until you click the controls and reach high scores you never dreamed of. The slight chance of saws isn’t difficult, but the gameplay is so addicting it doesn’t need to be. A Slight Chance of Sawblades is free to download with ads that can be removed for a one-time purchase of $1.99.
4 Perfect grinding
Skateboarding games are long gone, but Perfect Grind shows that they’re still fun. Various skateboarding tricks are combined into a series of simple swipe controls that, while challenging to master, allow you to pull off satisfying combos with just one hand. It’s a quirky and fun game that will keep you entertained for hours.
The Perfect Grind has more substance than you might expect from its appearance. The colorful world of skateparks is full of NPCs who will make you perform various skateboarding tasks, and the world is full of rails, ramps and objects to help you string together your combos. It’s free to download with ads, but a $2.99 purchase not only removes them, but also adds a sandbox mode where you can build the perfect skate park. While it would have been nice to have this mode included by default, it’s easily worth the asking price. Overall, Perfect Grind is ideal if you need a fun game that makes sense and doesn’t require too much commitment.
5 Sand of Zalzar
As we’ve seen in practice, Salzaar Sands has a few drawbacks that can put players off. Some of these are imperfect translations, bugs, and repetitive gameplay, but they don’t detract from what is essentially an ambitious open-world RPG, especially when these bugs also exist on PC.
As you build your army in Sands of Salzaar, you’ll travel through the living world, complete quests, and defeat baddies. This army is used for real-time battles, where each soldier you recruit has a role to play. January has been lacking in big RPGs, so we’re glad to see a game that can’t be finished in one sitting. If you can get past the bugs, you’ll find Sands of Salzaar to keep you busy for weeks.
6 Sengoku 2
A week after Fatal Fury 3, another retro ACA NeoGeo title arrived. However, Sengoku 2 is part of the beat ’em up genre that TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge returns to, rather than a 1v1 fighting game. So if you enjoyed TMNT, give Sengoku 2 a try and see where many of its concepts came from.
Sometimes these retro ports can be a little unexpected, but Sengoku 2 is one of SNK’s best. Side scrollers are perfect for Android, and the included controller support means you don’t have to rely on touch controls (although they are enough to enjoy the game). Sengoku 2’s gameplay is refreshingly simple. Defeat the wave of enemies with your katana, then go to the next one. There aren’t many complex features like combos, but that means the combat is smooth, enjoyable and easy to learn. Like Fatal Fury 3, Sengoku 2 costs $3.99 to download with no ads or in-app purchases.
7 Various daily life
Various Daylife had a strange history. Originally released as an Apple Arcade exclusive in 2019, it was pulled from the platform two years later. It has since been released on Switch, PC, PS4, Android, and iOS (not Apple Arcade this time). While it may be simplistic, this RPG from the developers of Octopath Travelers is a great way to pass the time, an area where mobile games excel.
At $20.99, Various Daylife’s price tag might raise your eyebrows. However, this is the cheapest place to find it ($28.99 on PC and consoles). Various Daylife is a simple RPG where you complete daily tasks between battles to level up your team. Combat involves combining your party’s abilities to manipulate your opponent and deal heavy damage. It’s a nice loop to unwind after a long day.
8 Prehistoric island 2
Rounding out ACA’s collection of NeoGeo games released in January is Prehistoric Isle 2, a side-scrolling bullet hell game where you pilot a helicopter through a landscape of prehistoric dinosaurs. Don’t expect to get the usual Jurassic Park critters here; these imaginative dinosaurs can shoot projectiles.
In Prehistoric Island 2, you can control one of two helicopters. They each have unique weapons, but both can be activated during the game to rescue civilians. While the graphics aren’t top notch, the pre-rendered sprites aren’t ugly (a common fault in 90s games). The game can be simplified, but the sheer number of bullets and enemies on the screen means you won’t have time to think about the mechanics. Good bullet shooters are hard to come by, so if you want to try this classic example of the genre, you can download it for $3.99.
9 NBA worldwide
Niantic has tried many times to return to the glory days of Pokemon Go, and while NBA All-World likely won’t achieve the same level of success, it’s probably the best game Niantic has released since Pokemon Go. The basketball theme, while a little over-commercialized, makes for an engaging, location-based game that appeals even to non-NBA fans.
In practice at NBA All-World, we found the real-world integration to be surprisingly effective. The title tries to find game items near real stores, and you can compete with other players for the top spot in local basketball courts. Overall, this is a great effort from Niantic, but hopefully NBA fans will get the most out of the experience.
10 Eversoul
Eversoul launched in early January after all pre-registration goals were met, meaning players earned massive rewards right after starting the game. This strong start was not met with disappointment, as Eversoul is a beautiful title that is a great RPG to pick up for an hour or two a day. Gacha mechanics may not be for everyone, but those who can get excited about quasi-gambling will be rewarded with an engaging automatic collecting game.
The developers of Eversoul are the same people behind Guardian Tales, one of the best gacha games on Android. But the best thing about Eversoul is that players can replay their first set of characters as often as they want. This friendly start combined with challenging battles makes it easy for beginners to get started without getting bored or bored. All in all, if you’re going to try one new gacha game this year, make it Eversoul.
11 Flash party
Flash Party is a platform fighter heavily inspired by Super Smash Bros. While we don’t expect it to reach the same level of popularity despite its cross-platform availability, it’s still a great multiplayer brawler that has the same itch as Super Smash Bros. .
In Flash Party, you’ll try to knock other characters off the stage by softening them up first. The more you hit them, the harder you hit them. It’s free-to-play, so characters are unlocked by playing games. Unfortunately, you can only play a certain number of matches before you run out of energy and need to recharge. However, despite its awkward monetization, Flash Party is perfect if you’re looking for a great multiplayer fighting game to scratch that Smash Bros itch.
12 Ocean resonance
Resonance of the Ocean is the shortest game on this list; it is the best example of quality over quantity. While we won’t spoil the secret, we guarantee you’ll think about the experience long after you’ve finished playing.
Ocean Resonance is an adventure where you click and solve audio puzzles to continue the story. We recommend taking good headphones for this, as you will need to focus on the sounds carefully to avoid confusion. As we mentioned earlier, the experience is short, but we think that’s okay. If the ocean resonance were longer, the puzzles would quickly become frustrating. If you want to try a beautiful indie game with original puzzle mechanics, you can’t do much better.
Month of January. set a high bar for 2023 For Android game releases
With such a strong game list, we can’t wait to see what other games come out this year. But one thing we know for sure is that now is a great time to be a fan of ACA NeoGeo titles. Be sure to check out our top picks for 2022. List of Android games and find out what 2023 will be with have to compete, and if you missed last month’s roundup of new releases, you can find all of December’s great releases here.