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My favorite PAID games on the Play Store (+ user recommendations ๐Ÿ’ฌ)

UPDATE: added controller support indicator ๐ŸŽฎ to more games, portrait mode ๐Ÿ“ฑ, multiplayer ๐Ÿ‘ฅ๏ธ, and 120FPS indicators.

Latest entries - April 17th, 2025:

THE LIST

 

Legend

๐ŸŒŸ - top favorite  

๐Ÿ‘‘ - top favorite and masterpiece status  

๐Ÿ’ฌ - recommended by the community, but I haven't played it or not my favorite  

๐ŸŽฎ - controller supported and, usually, strongly recommended  

๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ - controller recommended but not supportedโ€”you need a controller mapping app like Panda)  

๐Ÿ“ฑ - portrait orientation (either exclusively or optional)

๐Ÿ‘ฅ - includes multiplayer

120FPS - 120 FPS on supported devices

[Game title] - delisted, but you might still see it in the store if you've purchased it  

 

Action shooter

 

Action-adventure platformer/hack-n-slash

  • Prince of Persia: Lost Crown ๐ŸŽฎ (also metroidvania - Disclaimer: game breaking bugs as of April 2025)
  • Grimvalor ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ '120FPS' (2.5D hack and slash medieval fantasy platform/RPG)
  • Shadow Blade ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D hack and slash action platform)
  • Swordigo ๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ (2D RPG action-adventure platformer; requires controller mapping app if you want controller support - free with 2 IAPs that add compass or coin doubler, and either of them remove ads too)
  • Oddmar ๐ŸŽฎ 120FPS (2D action-adventure platformer)
  • Ninja Arashi ๐ŸŽฎ (2D hack and slash action platformer - free with IAPs to remove ads)
  • SAMURAI II: VENGEANCE ๐ŸŽฎ (top down/isometric hack and slash)
  • Dead Cells ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ 120FPS (roguelite action platformer)

 

Platformer

  • Dadish ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D platformer, pixel graphics, easy)
  • Dadish 2 ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D platformer, pixel graphics, medium difficulty)
  • Dadish 3 ๐ŸŽฎ (2D precision platformer, pixel graphics, hard difficulty)
  • Suzy Cube ๐ŸŽฎ (3D platformer, good rip-off of Super Mario 3D Land)
  • MouseBot ๐ŸŒŸ (3D platform-like)
  • Sonic Runners Adventures ๐ŸŒŸ (2.5D platformer)
  • Leo's Fortune ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ
  • Levelhead ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ ๐Ÿ‘ฅ

 

Metroidvania

 

Beat 'em up

  • TMNT: Shredder's Revenge ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ ๐Ÿ‘ฅ๏ธ (beat 'em up with story mode and fun multiplayer - IAP to unlock complete edition with all DLCs - free if you have Netflix)

 

Turn-based RPG

  • Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince ๐ŸŒŸ (3D monster-collecting turn-based RPG - ported from Switch. Great game and touch controls. It includes all DLCs. No controller support, but no need here. I recommend this game for flagship devices from 2023+ and with a TEC cooler)
  • Final Fantasy V - Pixel Remaster ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D turn-based RPG)
  • Final Fantasy VI - Pixel Remaster ๐Ÿ‘‘ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D turn-based RPG - the best version of the best 16-bit FF)
  • Final Fantasy IV (3D Remake) ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (3D turn-based RPG)
  • Final Fantasy Dimensions ๐ŸŒŸ (fantastic 2D turn-based JRPG, old school graphics, totally worth it)
  • Chaos Rings III ๐ŸŒŸ (excellent 3D turn based RPG by Square Enix. A bit pricey, but totally worth it)
  • Chrono Trigger ๐Ÿ‘‘ ๐ŸŽฎ (2d turn-based RPG - best 16-bit JRPG in history, originally on SNES. This mobile portโ€”from the Steam versionโ€”is excellent and I haven't had a single issue with touch controls, bugs, or glitches whatsoever)
  • Epic Battle Fantasy 5 (2D turn-based RPG with funny dialogs, adult jokes, 4th-wall breakers - it contains a couple IAPs to unlock extra content, remove ads)
  • Monster Hunter Stories ๐ŸŒŸ (3D turn-based RPG)
  • Doom & Destiny ๐ŸŒŸ (humorous 2D turn-based RPG)
  • Doom & Destiny Advanced ๐ŸŽฎ ๐Ÿ‘ฅ๏ธ (humorous 2D turn-based RPG. Touch controls work great)

 

Tactical RPG

 

Action RPG

  • Trials of Mana ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ (it's a port from console/PC but critically lacks controller support. You can use Panda Gamepad Pro - recommended - or Mantis to achieve that)
  • The Bard's Tale (3D action RPG adventure - this game has some optional IAPs: they can easily be ignored but they're there. Also, some users experienced an auto-save bug that corrupts ALL save files, so I recommend disabling auto-save altogether. I'm keeping the game listed here for now as I still consider it a true premium game and I haven't personally experienced any bug)
  • Evoland ๐ŸŽฎ (action/adventure RPG with 2D and 3D graphics and a mix of genres. Touch controls work great)
  • Evoland 2 ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (action/adventure RPG with 2D and 3D graphics, mix of genres; controller recommended)
  • Pascal's Wager (soulslike) ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ
  • Star Wars: KOTOR ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ
  • Star Wars: KOTOR II ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

 

CRPG

 

Roguelite cards, dice, or deck builder

  • Solitairica ๐Ÿ“ฑ (surprisingly engaging and perfect for quick games)
  • Balatro ๐ŸŒŸ (poker-inspired roguelike)
  • Indies Lies ๐ŸŒŸ (inspired by Slay the Spire; free and with three paid DLCs which will also remove ads, add extra story modes, characters, and new mechanics)
  • Meteorfall: Journeys ๐Ÿ“ฑ
  • Slay the Spire (legendary deck builder; PC port)
  • Dicey Dungeons (there's no actual deck of cards but rather equipments and dice; it plays like a roguelite deck-builder)
  • Slice & Dice ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐Ÿ“ฑ
  • Dawncaster ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐Ÿ“ฑ

 

Action adventure

  • Anodyne ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ ๐Ÿ“ฑ (lanscape/portrait. Adding controller support through Panda is a must if you want to finish the game)
  • Legend of the Skyfish 2 ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (Zelda-like with a fishing rod for weapon)
  • Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion ๐ŸŽฎ (humorous, Zelda-like, pixel art adventure; achievements didn't work correctly, but they might have been fixed after I played it)
  • Oceanhorn ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (3D Zelda-like action adventure)
  • Afterplace ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐Ÿ“ฑ 120FPS

 

Puzzle adventure

 

Point-and-click adventure

 

Simulation/management

 

Worker placement survival

  • This War of Mine ๐Ÿ’ฌ (DISCLAIMER: as of April 2025 multiple users still report crashes, but I'll keep the game here because it is otherwise worth it, and devs often donate part of the profits to victims of various wars)

 

Survival crafting

 

Survival horror

 

Racing

 

Sport

 

Tower defense

 

Idle

 

Netflix games

(require an active Netflix subscription)

 

Delisted or outdated

Extras and emulators

  • AppSales is an app that will make you save some money by notifying you when specific games (or apps) in the Play Store go on sale. Just add the games you wish to buy to the AppSales' watchlist and you'll get notified when the price gets cut.
  • Panda Gamepad Pro ๐ŸŽฎ is a tool that allows you to map your controller for touch inputs, practically adding controller support to those game that don't have it.
  • Retroarch ๐ŸŽฎ (emulator for almost all consoles) "jack of all trades" emulator, the only one that supports analog triggers for Xbox One S controller. It has a bit of a learning curve, and other individual emulators might offer better performance
  • Dolphin ๐ŸŽฎ best emulator for GameCube and Wii
  • DraStic DS Emulator ๐ŸŽฎ
  • PPSSPP Gold - PSP Emulator ๐ŸŽฎ
  • Delta Touch [9 x Doom engines] ๐Ÿ’ฌ (engine for Doom games)
  • Quad Touch ๐Ÿ’ฌ (engine for Quake games)

 

Happy gaming ;)

ps: please let me know if there's any wrong information about the games included in this list (especially regarding IAPs or availability) so that I'll fix the post if necessary.

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