10 Best Travel Games for Road Trip or Airplane (Android)

Updated:

13 Jul 2017

What are the best games you can play on your android while traveling?

Traveling long distances used to suck a lot more before the invention of smart phone. Sure you could have played a Gameboy or another handheld games, or even (horrors) read a book. But it was boring to spend so much time in a car or on a plane with only one or two things to occupy you.

With the invention of apps and mobile games, we now have all sorts of things to keep the boredom at bay.

So, are you not looking forward to your next big summer road trip or long flight? No worries, keep reading to find the best travel games for a road trip or plane, for Android.

10) Blek

Blek is almost gorgeous in its simplicity and minimalism. You have black circles, and circles that are all colors of the rainbow. You have to “Collect” the colored circles and avoid the black ones. But the line you draw repeating itself after you draw it. Draw it fast for a fast moving line, or slow for a slow one. You have to clear the screen of colored dots without touching a black one.

Something you can play for hours and beautiful to look at. It’s a lovely game to keep yourself occupied on a long trip.

Like a work of art

9) New Words With Friends

As a word freak, I loved the original words with friends. Online “Scrabble” ? Count me in. But it was definitely missing certain features that could have made it more enjoyable. Lucky for us, the “New” Words with Friends rolled out some great updates.

First of all, you have Solo Play mode. Do you feel like brushing up your skills and challenging the computer? Go right ahead. There is also a “tinder” like aspect to matching opponents now. Before, you could request a smart match and the app would pair you with someone who has similar abilities. Now you can pick an opponent nearby that you can challenge, and even pick if you want them to be male or female. Don't worry, this is an opt - in feature so no one will know if you're near them and playing the game if you don’t want them to.

Zynga, the developer of the game, also has partnered with Dictionary.com for this update so now you have an in-game dictionary. The dictionary will provide you with rules, like if the word played is eligible, the definition, and how often the word is played in other player’s games.

The good thing, is that if you preferred the old version of the game it's not necessary to download the new version. You can still play the original Words with Friends on all your devices.

I might be a word nerd, so what?

8) Fast Like a Fox

This mobile game is truly unique due the way you control the main character.

The synopsis is simply this; you are a member of the Golden Fox tribe, and treasures have been stolen from you. You alone must return them to the tribe and save the day. You run through all sorts of weather and terrain, encounter worlds and find all sorts of goodies like precious jewels and coins.

You control the fox by drumming or tapping the back of your mobile device with your fingers. The faster you tap, the faster you run. You're constantly running to beat the clock too, so if you collect all the coins at the end of the level, but your time isn't the fastest, too bad. You have to try the level over again. Timing is everything, because the little fox needs you to use your other hand to make him jump and careen over obstacles in his way.

Honestly, the best thing about the game is the unusual control, which takes a lot of getting used to. But it’s fun and entertaining, and never boring.

Get those treasures back

7) The Battle For Polytopia

The Battle of Polytopia can be described using probably two of my favorite words (relating to games anyway) strategy, and world building.

You start by simply picking a tribe, all who have their own unique features, looks, land and technology to start off.

You have to battle the computer to take over other tribes, which earns you the ability to upgrade your tribe’s technology so you can then take over more tribes.

The unique looks of the tubes influences the buildings and landscape of each, some which are based on real tribes from history but others are just made up.

There is no online multiplayer mode, but you can play with friends in person by [passing the device back and forth. The great thing about the game is that it is relatively short, in “perfect mode” for instance, you need to dominate the board in less than 30 runs. Then you either win, or lose.

Simple, strategic, and not a game that requires endless in-game apps to have fun with. Perfect way to get your fix of world domination while traveling.

World Domination is always a good time

6) Dumb Ways To Die 2

This game is filled with things your mother told you never to do. Like running with scissors, leaving your shoelaces untied, and playing outside when there’s lighting.

The game is split into worlds, called among others Drown Town, Rio Stadium, Adrenalin, and The Dungeon.

You have to keep yourself alive in athletic situations where you are most likely to die, such as brushing the teeth of a killer whale, or running a sprint with scissors. If you stay alive, you win. IF you lose the game, you die.

The animation is simple and crude, reminds me a little of South Park TV show. But not in a bad way. The characters are round dumpy little things named funny names like Loopy and Dumbbell. Adorable, but still annoying enough that you have to laugh at the situations you get them into.

Cute and provides endless entertainment, and funny to boot.

Don’t touch the tracks!

5) Candy Crush Saga

Candy crush saga has a familiar game premise. Swap pieces of candy to make a match of three of the same colors in a row, which causes those pieces to disappear and get replaced by new ones. You have various goals between boards, or a time limit, or a specific score you have to reach before moving onto a higher level.

What makes candy crush so great on long road trips or plane rides, times that you may not have wifi or service at all, is its freemium model. You can complete the whole game without needing to buy in-app purchases. Sure you can if you want, it might help you move quicker, but it is not necessary to finish the game. It’s addicting and has bright colors, and is a great way to spend a few hours mindlessly swiping.

Candy is always fun to play with

4) Super Mario Run

I can think of a lot of things that would be better played with one hand. Luckily, Super Mario Run fits that description perfectly. . It’s a side scroll game, so Mario is constantly moving, and the player needs to only tap the screen with one hand to make Mario jump. You must collect all the coins in a fast enough time, to safely get Mario through the game. It’s a similar fashion to other super Mario games, you have to have him jump and bop and avoid enemies. You can also play another game called Road Rally, where you try to beat “Ghost: versions of other people’s playthroughs of the level, to get a better time.

Also, a Farmville type game called Mushroom Kingdom is also playable, where you can populate your kingdom and get coins to purchase items based on how well you do in the Road Rallies.

Three games in one, and the ability to play with one hand and eat or drink with the other? That’s what road trips are for.

Go Mario, go!

3) Fruit Ninja

Fruit is being thrown at you from all angles. No, you aren't in a restaurant design with a particularly angry chef. You’re playing Fruit Ninja, they high-paced addictive game.

You manipulate a blade, a (“Ninja Sword”) to slice fruit that is thrown at you. You control the blade by swiping your finger across the smartphone or tablet screen. You can earn more points by getting several fruit at once by one swipe, but have to cut all fruit before they fall off the screen. If you miss three fruits, you lose. You also have to constantly be on your toes. Occasionally a bomb will get thrown in the mix, and if you swipe at it you automatically lose.

You can also play in “Zen” mode, which eliminates the bombs, or “arcade” mode which challenges the player to achieve the highest score possible in sixty seconds.

This game is great because of how many different versions it offers. And also the simplicity of it. Swipe the sword, get the fruit, and score points. I love the graphics, and the way the fruit explodes when you slice it. They are pretty realistic as well, and always makes me hungry when I play.

Never thought I could have so much fun slicing fruit!

2) Angry Birds 2

Let those birds fly. This version features a few distinct differences than the original. Basic premise is the same, collapse the pig, collect your eggs.

Unlike previous gameplay however, you select which birds to use via a set of preselected cards per level. This is great as you could not choose the order of birds in the previous installment of the game because they were “locked” until you got to them. However, you need to really stay on your toes. The previous game allowed for as many retries of a level as necessary until you beat the pesky pigs. Not so now, you have a set amount of lives. You need at least one life to play a level. You start with five, and lose one every time you are defeated or forfeit a level.

The multiple levels is what makes this great on trips, and let's be honest, there's something satisfying about the ways the pigs “pop” when you topple them over.

Get those eggs back!

1) Reigns

Perfect for the swipe-ing addict. The gameplay is simple. You, the player, are a monarch. Your advisors come to you with suggestions on how to improve your kingdom. You either swipe right to accept the suggestion, or swipe left to reject it. Every time you make a decision it impacts the game in a negative or positive way. Or it could have a lasting effect throughout the rest of the game as well and impact all further gameplay. There are three pillars of society you need to keep in balance, the church, the people, the military and wealth. The suggestions from the advisors effect these pillars, and the king’s control ends if anyone of them become too high or too low.’

The “swiping” aspect of the game has been compared to popular dating app tinder, swipe right for yes and lest for no.

The coolest thing, or rather the thing that can keep you playing for hours, is that when the king (you) dies, the game is not over. You take over as the king’s successor and keep playing. However, all the decisions you've made regarding advisors is “remembered” and could very well come back to haunt you generations down the line.