As the year draws to a close, the focus is on who has been good and who should receive the best gifts. In the video game industry, it's also time to reward the great performances of the studios and their releases of the year. With this in mind, we take a look at the Google Play Awards for the best mobile games of 2021.
Discovering the best mobile games of 2021 according to Google Play
Among the best mobile releases of 2021, there is something for everyone. From runners to MOBAs to indie games with a unique atmosphere, the mobile market has something for everyone. The list of the best mobile games of 2021 at the Google Play Awards has different categories for innovation, competition and public favourite. But where things get interesting is whether the titles at the top of Android game consumption will manage to repeat the feat in 2022.
Pokémon Unite: Best Mobile Game of 2021
This game really took us by surprise. Released this summer on Switch and at the beginning of the school year on mobile, Pokémon Unite has managed to impose itself despite the preconceptions of some of its target audience.
It must be said that if you are a fan of the Nintendo license and its soothing atmosphere, imagining a MOBA where you play as Pokémon and the objective is to score goals at your opponent's place, while farming camps and optimizing team composition, it may seem strange. Nevertheless, Pokémon Unite has managed to prove its worth with a refreshing gameplay in the MOBA world and its own recipe for a genre that is sometimes simply copied. A truly great discovery that has risen to the position of best mobile game of 2021 according to the Google Play Awards.
Users' choice of 2021
Android gamers seem to hold Garena Free Fire Max close to their hearts. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding this, though, given the early mixed reviews of the game elsewhere on the web.
Far from being very innovative, this graphical upgrade is in line with the same commercial dynamics as its competitor PUBG New State. Yet it manages to reach the top spot of users' choice at the Google Play Awards.
Competitive mobile games of the year
The Google Play Awards ranking of the best competitive mobile games this year features a variety of genres:
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Marvel Future Revolution
- Pokémon Unite
- Rogue Land
- Suspects: Mystery Mansion
The mobile version of LoL called Wild Rift, the MMO Marvel Future Revolution and Pokémon Unite are no longer in the news. But what about Rogue Land and Suspects: Mystery Mansion? Let's start with Rogue Land.
In the style of a ArcheroThe title from Huuuge Games - Play Together offers players the chance to progress through colourful levels in a dynamic world. The aim is toavoid the projectiles of numerous mobs and to strategically choose your bonus skills at each level passage.
Suspects: Mystery Mansion plays with asymmetric multiplayer. Among a group of players is the killer. The goal is for everyone to unmask him, except for the killer himself who must do everything to keep his identity secret. Through eight game modes and 2D graphics, find an atmosphere of Among Us and Cluedo. To find your next multiplayer nugget, you can turn to our top games like Among Us. Let's check out the rest of the best mobile games of 2021.
Top indie mobile games
- 7 Billion Humans, a puzzle game with strange graphics consisting of 60 puzzle levels with a programming language that turns a sequence of humans into a computer.
- Bird Alone where the aim is to share adventures with a lonely parrot.
- Donut County, a very special title that allows you to play a hole through levels mixing puzzle solving and narration with this very interesting game mechanic.
- My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge, Devolver Digital's acclaimed mobile title.
- Puzzling Peaks EXE, a pixel art level solving and platforming game.
Best innovative titles in 2021
Many of the titles in this Google Play Awards selection lean towards narrative gaming by exploring new possibilities in the genre.
- Inked, which features unique biros graphics and well thought-out puzzles.
- JanKenUP! a 2D fighting game with a shi fu mi system.
- Knights of San Francisco takes the codes of text-based narrative games and adapts them into a slightly different format, unfortunately only available in English.
- Overboard! Rather than a simple investigative narrative game in which you have to identify a murderer... Here, you are the murderer. You have to do everything you can to get out of this mess.
- Tears of Themis, a narrative title published by miHoYo mixing romance, investigation and adventure.
Top Pick Up & Play titles
This category aims to reward games that do not require complex learning on the part of the player. On the contrary, these games take the user by the hand so that he or she can discover new features as he or she goes along and, as soon as he or she installs the application, can fully enjoy the experience. This is also why there are no competitive games in Pick Up & Play.
- Cats in Time, which appropriates the codes of mobile games such as Doors with small levels and puzzles to solve to move on to the next one, but with cats.
- Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! a great runner from King.
- Disney POP TOWN, match-3 in the Disney universe.
- Switchcraft that mixes storytelling and match-3 with a bit of magic.
- Towers a totally relaxing block assembly game.
Best tablet games of the year
For us at Jeumobi, Wild Rift has really come into its own on the tablet with a fully customisable interface that can be adapted to suit your screen size or type. Here are our picks for the best tablet games of the 2021 Google Play Awards.
- Chicken Police - Paint in RED! a narrative game with an immersive dark atmosphere.
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge
- Overboard!
- The Procession to Cavalry, a Monty Python-style adventure based on renaissance paintings.
You can also find the ranking of the 2021 store apps by category on the official Google blog post. Or, if you're looking to discover new titles, check out our many mobile game charts by genre!
