Top Five Multiplayer Games for Android

Whilst the trend for gaming – particularly on mobile devices – remains chiefly with one-player apps that are designed as boredom busters, there are plenty of multi-player games out there for those who enjoy a little social competitiveness.

There are a few different types of multi-player games. There are the ones where two or more players play on the same device, or over separate devices on the same WiFi network. There are also games where you can compete with random strangers via the net.

Here’s a quick run-down of five of the best multi-player games currently on the market.

1. Paper War

Paper War is a cute little beast, which contains three games in one. The title derives from the graphics, which have been designed to look like pen drawings. You can play on your own, or with a friend on the same device, either head-to-head or in an alliance.

In head-to-head games you both take one end of the device, and use simple finger taps to control cannons. Your aim is to wipe out your opponent’s forces, and you can temporarily disable your opponent by hitting them. You can also disable yourself if you’re foolish enough to hit your own troops. Paper War is a great little game, although playing on a tablet is preferable to a trying to use a phone.

2. Rush Poker

Rush Poker is Full Tilt Poker’s app for card sharps who love a little adrenalin injected into their play. You can play the Rush Poker App via the browser on your Android device. Rush Poker is a standard version of Texas Hold’em with one crucial difference – once you fold your cards at one table, you’re immediately shifted to a free space on another.

This means no waiting around for a hand to play out until you receive your next set of pocket cards. Rush Poker tournaments, where you can pit your poker wits against dozen of other players online, are quickly growing in popularity.

3. Home Run Battle 2

Whilst most us prefer cricket to baseball, the leisurely pace of a cricket game doesn’t suit well for a translation to a multi-player app. The bare bones of baseball makes for a much more exciting game, as you just swing your bat and try and hit the ball out of the park. Once you sign up you can begin to compete with players all over the world.

You can power up and your hitter and use all sorts of tricks to bamboozle your opponents. This is a great game with exceptional graphics that gives a genuine 3D feel.

4. Uniwar

Uniwar is one of the most popular online multi-player games of all-time, with over two and half million games being played since its invention. It’s a strategy war game played out over a honeycomb-shaped playing board. You can play with friends or complete strangers via the network of Uniwar players.

Once the game starts you construct your armies and make your move. You then have to wait for your opponent to respond, as this is a turn-based game. Uniwar is simple to learn yet both addictive and compelling, and well deserves the multiple awards it has won.

5. Pocket Legends

If at one end of the spectrum there’s simple same-device two-player games like Paper War, at the other there’s Pocket Legends, the first MMORPG to make a splash on the Android scene, and arguably still the best (although there’s not much competition out there at the moment).

Sign up and you’ll suddenly in a universe along with millions of other online players, hunting for gold, completing quests and battling with spells, enchantments and good old-fashioned cold steel.