The Google Play Store is home to an astounding number of games today, with estimates hovering around half a million at the time of writing. That’s so many, that if you were to set out to play just 5 minutes of every single one, it would take you almost 5 years before you’d have got through them all.
What’s more, an unfortunate fact is that not all of those games are even worth playing. That’s because of a phenomenon known as shovelware in gaming, a derisive term for the many clone, knock-off and spyware-laced titles that flood both Google Play and the App store on iOS 17, iPad OS17 and other Apple systems. Sometimes it can be tricky to know at first glance whether a game you’re interested in installing is worth the effort until it’s too late.
Another drawback is that the content moderation policies established by the Google Play Store, which have the noble aim of ensuring safety and quality where possible, also unconsciously restrict the potential diversity and creative directions games can head in. Finally, frequent pay-walls. All of these reasons come together to lead many gamers to seek to spread their wings beyond the confines of the Play Store, to see what other forms of gaming can be encountered on Android beyond its purview.
If you’re tired of the same old Play Store fare, consider these alternative gaming platforms and services below. All are compatible with Android, and offer gameplay experiences you may not find on the official app catalogue.
Cloud Gaming
While it’s still early days for this technology, cloud gaming will someday become the dominant means by which people access major video games on both mobile and game consoles. Simply put, cloud gaming is the equivalent of video streaming platforms like Netflix or YouTube in that it streams real-time gameplay over an internet connection to your local device.
The advantages of this are easy to see. Whereas someone wanting to play Halo Infinite locally would have to shell out for an Xbox Series X|S for the privilege, someone happy to access it via the cloud can sign-up to Xbox Cloud Gaming and stream this triple-A title right from their smartphone browser.
Cloud gaming is also comparatively cost effective, with many services such as the aforementioned Xbox Cloud Gaming offering hundreds of titles in exchange for a single monthly subscription fee, just like Netflix or Disney+. For those wanting to play “proper” console games on their Android devices, there’s no better option out there.
Browser Gaming
Before smartphones and app stores, there was pretty much only one way to play casual mini games and the like – by heading out onto the open waters of the internet to see what could be found. In the early 00s, classic gaming portals like Newgrounds and Kongregate were immensely popular, and the good news is these sites have survived the discontinuation of Macromedia’s Flash plugin in 2020, pivoting to the newer HTML5 protocol. That means you can access a treasure trove of classic online indie games, right from your mobile browser.
Browser gaming also comprises certain sectors that are underrepresented on the Play Store. A salient example of this is the online casino sector, which is home to hundreds of unique platforms. It bears noting though that those looking for real money casinos and the like are best served by checking out online recommendation sites before diving into games of chance.
Side-Loading
In layman’s terms, side-loading refers to the process of installing APK executable files onto your phone directly, bypassing the intermediary function of the Google Play Store. There are a number of reasons why you may want to do this.
For example, side-loading can be an effective means of accessing region-locked content. Due to various restrictions and regulations, a certain game or app may not be available in your region from the Google Play Store – though this does not prevent you from installing it directly onto your device using side-loading.
Side-loading also helps with games that have received game-breaking bugs in later updates as it enables you to roll back to a previous version of your chosen title. Finally, some games – like the classic viral sensation Flappy Bird, are no longer available in the Google Play Store, but can still be easily accessed online and installed through this method.
FOSS App Stores
FOSS is short for Free and Open Source Software. Simply put, this refers to apps and programs that are non-monetized, and have their source code readily available for inspection. This is quite distinct from, say, TikTok or other closed software apps, that conceal how they use your data, and rely upon advertising or pay-walls – such as those found in freemium games, one of the leading development mobile app trends – to permit access and generate income.
For this reason, FOSS App Stores are favored by people with a philosophical proclivity towards a free and open internet, and those who place a premium on digital sovereignty and personal privacy. Leading FOSS App Stores like F-Droid are even home to many free and open-source games that you can install and enjoy on your Android device, safe in the knowledge that your data is protected.
