The upcoming Android games we can't wait to play this year

Apex Legends

Respawn's Apex Legends came out of nowhere and became a surprise hit on PC and console, bringing in over 25 million players worldwide in just the first week. Could this AAA combo of hero shooter and battle royale also challenge PUBG and Fortnite in the mobile space? It seems that EA is going to try.

In an investors call following the release of Apex legends, EA CEO Andrew Wilson discussed the possibility of a mobile version: "As I said earlier, we are looking at how to take the game to mobile and cross-play over time, and I also expect that this game will have tremendous value in Asia, and we’re in conversations about that."

EA may have powerful financial incentive for mobile versions of Apex Legends, although it should be said that the game is much more graphically demanding than current mobile battle royales. Hopefully today's high-end handsets can handle it.

You can download Apex Legends for PC here.

Spellforce: Heroes and Magic

Another beloved PC fantasy game series gets a mobile version. Wait, don't roll your eyes just yet. Handy Games and THQ Nordic team up to being us this mobile spinoff of the Spellforce series, which was recently revived on PC. Like the PC games, Spellforce: Heroes and Magic will mix role-playing and strategy gameplay in a world of wizards, knights, orcs and elves, etc. The mobile game will feature turn-based rather than real-time action, and looks reminiscent (perhaps intentionally so, given the subtitle) of the Heroes of Might and Magic series too.

The good news for those who often turn up their nose at mobile versions of PC games is that this game will be a premium title, free from ads or in-app purchases. Since Handy Games previously brought us such full-featured premium favorites like This is the Police and Titan Quest, we have high expectations for the Spellforce mobile game, which you can pre-register for on the Play Store.

Human: Fall Flat

Human: Fall Flat by No Brakes Games is already a hit on PC and home console systems. The bizarre yet hilarious physics based platformer/puzzler has you steer the titular human (Bob to his friends) to the exit of increasingly complex environments, alone or with friends. Bob can walk, jump, climb, fall (and fall, and fall, and fall...), and there are multiple solutions to every puzzle, the experience depending on your own skills and Bob's wobbly legs.

Publisher Curve Digital have partnered with 505 Games to bring Human: Fall Flat to mobile. Codeglue Games, who previously handled the excellent mobile port of Terraria, are involved in porting the game to mobile so we can look forward to some great full-featured falling on Android and iOS this year.

Bad North

This mix of strategy game and roguelike puts you in charge of defending your once peaceful island against bloodthirsty viking invaders. Already out on PC, Switch, and iOS, we're eagerly awaiting the Android release of the new game under the same publisher that brought us the very impressive Kingdom: New Lands.

In Bad North, you'll have to carefully utilize the shape and terrain of the procedurally generated islands to succeed, and make some tough decisions - when and where to fight, and when to evacuate. The graphics may be cute, but the tension is brutal.

Mario Kart Tour

Nintendo first announced Mario Kart would come to mobile well over a year ago and then went quiet on the issue until recently. The brand has now confirmed that with Mario Kart Tour is revving up for a release sometime this summer. 

The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019. pic.twitter.com/8GIyR7ZM4z

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018

Nintendo also confirmed that Mario Kart Tour will be free to play, or "free-to-start", which means in-app purchases. Hopefully we won't be paying for our shells and bananas with microtransactions! Perhaps a limited amount of levels tracks, or racers will be free, with others costing a few bucks similar to how IAPs are handled in Super Mario Run. 

Diablo Immortal

The venerable Diablo is the inspiration for the many top-down hack/slash/loot action RPGs of varying quality that litter the Play Store, so it's about time that the classic franchise finally made its way on Google Play. When originally announced at Blizzcon 2018, Diablo Immortal drew a dismayed response from the attendees who were expecting a new PC game from Blizzard instead.

I covered the controversy over Diablo Immortal and while it is disappointing not to have a new Diablo for PC, the mobile game still has potential to be one of the best kill/loot/level/repeat games on the Play Store, thanks to the enduring appeal of Diablo's art style and atmosphere. 

Expectations are high for Diablo Immortal. Blizzard is cooperating with NetEase on the game and has promised a steady stream of new content and seamless multiplayer thanks to a native Battle.net UI.  The gameplay loop of leveling and upgrading items has already been exploited in many Diablo clones on mobile to leverage unfair microtransactions, but for now we'll have to hope that the real McCoy manages not to be too greedy. To keep posted as to when the demon hack-and-slash commences, you can pre-register on Google Play.

Hamsterdam

Are you ready for a rodent rampage? Hamsterdam puts you in the paws of Pimm, a cute hamster on a mission to save the city of Hamsterdam from the control of an evil chinchilla. To do this, you'll have to unleash the art of hamster-fu on your enemies via a combination of rhythm keeping and good old button mashing, taking down enemies and tricky bosses.

With a charming art style and varied gameplay, Hamsterdam is looking like a winner. The game is slated for a March release but you can get an early taste by downloading the demo.

Black Desert Mobile

Black Desert Mobile is already a hit on Korea and Taiwan, and the global launch, now infamous for many delays is expected around the second or third quarter of 2019. The PC version of this free-to-play MMORPG is well known and but the mobile version could win a wave of new fans around the world. 

Black Desert Mobile is visually gorgeous, with a high level of customization for player characters and a huge world to explore. However, it's a very grindy game so as to tempt you for spend for higher level progression. So far, the game has had a reputation for a relatively fair in-game shop but we'll have to see what the prices are once the game is official around the globe.

Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a roguelike Metroidvania action game that has already been an indie hit on various platforms this year, so it was exciting news when it appeared briefly on the Play Store (thanks to our colleagues at Android Police for spotting that) this week.

Dead Cells recently made its Nintendo Switch debut. Check out the trailer below:

Though the Play Store page (complete with pre-register button) was quickly taken down, it's a tantalizing sign of things to come. Should Dead Cells indeed come to the Play Store, it will be a title not to be missed.

EVE: Echoes

EVE Online is one of the most popular massively multiplayer games in the world. Now CCP Games have announced plans to bring their space sim franchise to mobile next year. EVE: Echoes will be the name of a new mobile title that will be set in an alternate continuity version of New Eden, EVE Online’s galaxy.

True to the spirit of EVE Online, players in EVE: Echoes will have the power to forge their own destiny in a huge galaxy full of other players doing the same. Resource gathering, exploring, trading, forming alliances and corporations, interstellar warfare and conquest...the whole experience will not be available from your mobile device.

CCP Games has teamed up with NetEase (Rules of Survival, Crusaders of Light), using the latter's NeoX graphics engine to bring the EVE experience to mobile.

Idola: Phantasy Star Saga

The Phantasy Star role-playing franchise hasn't seen a new game in four years, but Sega is bringing it back, this time for smartphones. Idola will be a turn-based RPG just like earlier games in the series. It will also use a gacha-style random reward system popular in the Asian mobile RPG market, like we saw with Shin Megami Tensei Liberation Dx2.

The Idola name actually refers to the monstrous antagonists of the story. Opposing the evil Idola will be the heroic Aries Knights led by Stella, the main protagonist, and Yuri, an orphan boy who joins the Aries Knights as a new recruit.

According to Sega’s official announcement, Idola: Phantasy Star Saga is being made by the developers behind the Valkyria Chronicles and Phantasy Star Online series, including Shuntaro Tanaka, Tomomasa Chin and Sho Mutsuura.

At the moment, pre-registration is only available for the Japanese release, but players around the world can whet their appetite by trying the classic Phantasy Star II for free.

H1Z1

Battle Royale games on your phone are all the rage these days, with PUBG Mobile hitting over 20 million active daily users, and Fortnite poised to take over Android just like it has the rest of the world. So it's no surprise that H1Z1, a zombie apocalypse game that also had a battle royale mode (worked on by Brendan Greene aka PlayerUnknown), wants in on the action.

So far there's no video for the mobile port, but you can check out H1Z1's PS4 trailer:

Daybreak, the California-based studio behind H1Z1, is partnering with NantWorks to establish a joint publishing venture (NantG Mobile) to develop the mobile port. In addition to H1Z1, another popular franchise, 3D MMORPG EverQuest, is coming to mobile, and we're looking forward to bringing you more news on it.

Shadowgun Wargames

MADFINGER Games are at it again. After Shadowgun Legends revitalized the futuristic mobile shooter franchise, things are about to get way more competitive with the upcoming title Shadowgun Wargames. The new game pits two teams of five Shadowgun heroes against each other in the arena. Each hero has their own skills, strengths and weaknesses, so yes, after a mobile take on Destiny, we get a mobile spin on Overwatch. 

Shadowgun Wargames is designed for a new generation of serious gaming phones, and runs at a silky smooth 60 FPS, but some devices such the Asus ROG or Razer Phone will be able to run it at even higher framerates. For a fast-paced competitive game, this speed should distinguish the truly skilled from the rest.

Beta testing will open later this year and you can already pre-register, with a worldwide launch on iOS and Android slated for 2019.

Blade Runner 2049

Finnish studio Next Games, makers of The Walking Dead: No Man's Land are working on a mobile game adaptation of Blade Runner 2049. This cyberpunk RPG will put you in the role of a blade runner who must investigate and hunt down rogue human-looking androids known as replicants.

Expect to see familiar faces from the Blade Runner 2049 movie, some of which will be playable characters. Right now the mobile game is in its beta phase, and some users have already uploaded gameplay footage as you can see below:

Like most big names, we expect Blade Runner 2049 to be a free download with in-app purchases as its business model. A multiplayer element where you can team up with other users is also rumored.

Mobile gaming has never been better

It's shaping up to be a good year for Android games. These are the main titles we're looking forward to playing in 2019, but that's not all. Popular iOS games will be adapted to Android, and the retro-gaming scene will no doubt bring new ports to mobile, such as we're seeing with Sega Forever bringing back Genesis classics to the Play Store.

Hopefully some of these titles will stand among the worthy in our list of the best Android games of all time. To keep up to date on the coolest games coming to the Play Store every month, bookmark our regularly updated best new games list.

Looking for something more specific? Why not try:

• Fighter? Wizard? Rogue? These are the best Android RPGs
• Round one, fight! The best fighting games for Android
• Conquer worlds with these challenging strategy games
• "Point and click" fan? Try these classic adventure titles
• Want something for nothing? Try our favorite free games
• Bad internet? Download the best offline Android games while you can

Many of our current favorites will continue to be updated and may get expansions, and there's no doubt that there are going to be a few good surprises this year too!

What games are you looking forward to playing in 2018? Let us know in the comments!