The Best Android Board Games and Card Games 2023

Here we go, out to cover the Best Android Board games that Google Play has to offer.

Board games are great. They’re an experience that can lead to hours of fun, and bitter rivalries that end with you hating your friends. They’re not the cheapest hobby though, and amassing a worthy collection can leave you light in the pockets, especially if a vital piece gets eaten by the sofa and you’re left hunting around.

Fortunately for you, some of the best games out there are not available in digital format, so you can play to your heart’s content without worrying about losing everything you need.

The Best Android Board Games

An addictive and engaging mix of a TCG and a CCG with a few strategy twists thrown in for good measure. It’s really well put together, it’s easy to get to grips with and you’re going to sink hours of your life into it.

Ticket to Ride is one of the most popular and acclaimed board games of the 21st century, having won, among other awards, the coveted Spiel des Jahres in 2004. The gameplay is deceptively simple – just lay trains on the board to create routes between US cities – but as the board fills up the complexity increases. 

This one’s set in an alternate history World War I and features giant steam-powered robots. It’s not all about blowing things up, though – this is a deep 4X strategy game that asks you to control every aspect of your empire.

An award-winning port of an award-winning board game, Galaxy Trucker is the proud recipient of several perfect scores, a brace of awards, and plenty of fulsome praise. A highly accessible game of two halves, it sees you constructing a spacecraft and then sending it on a journey through space. Galaxy Trucker boasts local and online multiplayer simultaneously.

Originally created by Wizards of the Coast, and brought to mobile by Playdek, Lords of Waterdeep has some serious pedigree. And it shows. This immaculate turn-based strategy game for up to six players is universally adored by critics, and boasts local and online multiplayer. A no-brainer. 

Neuroshima Hex is an acclaimed Polish board game that sees you taking command of one of four armies competing to run the world following a devastating 30-year war. It’s like a sort of post-apocalyptic Risk, and the mobile port boasts three different AI difficulty levels, an in-game tutorial, and a generally solid interface.

Exploding Kittens is a fast-paced card game from the minds behind popular webcomic The Oatmeal. It first made headlines as the most successful Kickstarter project ever. It’s a bit like Uno, but with a good deal more card-stealing, irreverence, and, of course, exploding kittens. It’s also packed with original art, and the digital version comes with its own unique cards, so there’s a reason to download it.

Through the Ages is one of the most acclaimed board games ever. It sees you building a civilization through the time-honored medium of cards, starting out as a small tribe and ending up as, well, that’s up to you. The mobile port doesn’t boast a ton of bells and whistles, but it transplants the original’s superb gameplay successfully onto the small screen and adds an engaging tutorial for good measure. 

Raiders of the North Sea is a worker placement game that lets you play on the dark side, as a Viking raider plundering settlements and currying the favor of your bloodthirsty chieftain. The gameplay is perfectly balanced, with a wealth of decisions to make and factors to consider as you rampage Northwards ruining the lives of your hapless victims. It’s an exemplary port, too, bringing the distinctive artwork of the original to vibrant life. 

Even if you’ve never played a game of Risk, you know what it’s all about: global domination through merciless, inexorable occupation. Risk: Global Domination takes Hasbro’s classic board game and runs it through the mobile-game-o-matic on a deluxe cycle. It looks great, comes with additional maps and modes, several multiplayer options, AI matches, and more. Plus, the initial download is free.

Zombies have even invaded the world of board games in recent years. This is a gory slaughter-fest that sees you working through a series of different scenarios in a zombie wasteland. And it’s pretty darn awesome.

On the look out for something more fast-paced? Check out our feature on the Best Android Action Games.