Big screen beauty: best Android games to try on your tablet

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• Best racing game for tablets
• Best strategy game for tablets
• Best crafting game for tablets
• Best RPG for tablets
• Best puzzle game for tablets
• Best card game for tablets 
• Best open-world game for tablets
• Best board game for tablets
• Best adventure game for tablets

Best racing game for tablets

Asphalt 9: Legends

Gameloft just launched Asphalt 9: Legends on the Play Store, and like the previous entries in the Asphalt series, we love to play this one on tablet. As always, it is available for free download but in-app purchases are there to tempt you.

One of the most fun parts of Asphalt 9: Legends is the wide selection of famous cars (about 50) such as Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini. New circuits are present, as are new online features like the 7-player multiplayer. For the first time in the Asphalt series of games, you can also create your own online community of racers with the Club feature. 

Gameloft has perfected racing with touch controls, and tablets are great for that immersive feel as you speed along the tracks and admire your car.

• Get it on the Play Store

Best strategy game for tablets

Palm Kingdoms 2

Palm Kingdoms 2 Remastered is a love letter to classic turn-based strategy RPGs, especially the Heroes of Might of Magic games. Choose from one of seven character classes with different strengths and weaknesses to explore and conquer the map over 75 different scenarios. 114 items and 180 different types of enemies are waiting for you, your sword or your wand.

Buy Palm Kingdoms 2 Remastered on the Google Play Store

• Download and conquer: the best strategy games for Android

Best crafting game for tablets

Crashlands

Crashlands is basically an adventure game from the top-down view, but also mixes many other game elements. You have to level your character like in a role-playing game, make items with it, build a base, tame animals, fight enemies and much more. In the extensive game there's just a lot to do to keep yourself busy.

Of course there's a story, too. An intergalactic trucker and a villain trying to destroy the world play a big role. Thanks to cross-platform support, you can even continue playing with the same score on your PC or smartphone.

Best RPG for tablets

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

For roleplayers, there's no way we can't mention Baldur's Gate. This classic PC role-playing game takes you into the game world of the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games, with a faithful representation of both the rules and the spirit of Gary Gygax's iconic tabletop game. Your protagonist can be whatever you like - fighter, wizard, thief, cleric etc. and various mixes thereof that let you play the game differently each time.

Beamdog has done a fantastic job of modernizing Baldur's Gate and making it work well on Android, and although you can install the game on some phones, tablets are recommended because of the complex UI and tactic options in battles.

• Fantasy for your phone: the best RPGs for Android

The Baldur's Gate series of games has a rich story full of sword and sorcery, political intrigue, divine upheavals and even a touch of romance. With the sequel, Baldur's Gate 2, and the new "interquel" Siege of Dragonspear available, you your tablet can be a window to a fantasy world for hours and hours (and hours).

Best puzzle game for tablets

Deus Ex Go

When we reviewed Deus Ex Go, we called it a 'strong continuation of the series'. What it actually is, is one of the best examples of turn-based strategy on Android.

In this title, you must direct protagonist Adam Jensen around a grid, evading and disabling enemies to reach the end of each stage. These levels act as puzzles which must be solved in certain ways to progress. This is not like Deus Ex's console counterparts, this has been built ground up for mobile, so don't expect the same number of options to approach situations. But the simplicity of its design is the reason it works so well.

It’s a smart little title that, despite its relative brevity, is one of the best strategy experiences you can have on mobile. The puzzles are complex and rewarding and it also looks great. This is an example of Android gaming done right.

Best card game for tablets 

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Blizzard has an amazing pedigree. With World of Warcraft, Diablo, and more recently, Overwatch, under its belt, it's no surprise that Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, looks and plays as good as it does. From the superb balance of its cards, to the excellent animations and art, Hearthstone shines throughout. 

In Hearthstone you play as a wizard who must cast spells to defeat their opponent, who is tasked with the same. These spells are derived from cards which you draw and play each round. It's a tried and true formula that Blizzard has perfectly transported into a free-to-play mobile title. Best of all, it's constantly updated with more content. Don't miss it. 

Best open-world game for tablets

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

If you haven’t heard of Minecraft by now, you must have been living under a rock. Or a block. Minecraft is the smash hit game from Mojang, which focuses on letting you build. Build what, exactly? Almost anything.

Minecraft provides a huge sandbox for you to play in. You mine blocks to gather materials, craft items, create huge structures, dig caves and fight off zombies. The number of possibilities available in its procedurally generated worlds is endless. Check out some of the most impressive creations ever made in the PC version at the link. 

Minecraft is ideally played on a larger device because it requires lots of item management and swapping between materials in your inventory, and this can be done far more precisely on a tablet than on a smartphone. 

Best board game for tablets

Talisman

Some say playing a board game on a tablet is a crime, and as a board game fan, I tend to agree, but there are exceptions to this rule. Playing a board game on Android is a great way to test drive a game before you purchase a physical copy because they are far cheaper than the real thing.

Ticket to Ride and Catan are good examples of this, but I highly recommend Talisman for a deeper game experience. Some people argue that it's purely a roll-and-move board game and that it doesn’t require much strategy, but that's up for debate. What I can say with some certainty, however, is that it's a blast to play, with the 'dice with death' part being particularly nerve-racking. 

Best adventure game for tablets

Samorost 3

Samorost 3 is one of those games you either love or hate. The creators of Machinarium have released a new adventure game that will surely captivate you for some hours. In Samorost 3 you play a space gnome who one day finds a magic flute in front of his house. What can it do? 

As the game progresses, you will need to answer these questions. The main character, a space gnome, is cuddly animated and the graphics are rich in detail on a tablet. Samorost is comparatively hard because there is hardly any spoken language, rather you have to explore the environment with pictures and melodies. 

• Best Android games for every genre
• Our favorite new Android games of the month

These are the games that I consider essential for your Android tablet, but this list covers just a few of the thousands of cool games that are optimized for tablets, and I’m sure everyone has their favorites. What are yours? Are there any we've missed that you think we should have included? Let us know in the comments below.