Top 25 best football games for Android phones and tablets

The brilliant New Star Soccer set the terms for a brilliant mobile-focused Android football game of depth and nuance. New Star Manager goes even deeper by shifting the focus from the individual to the team, with masterful results. There's a New Star Manager review if you're curious about our experience playing it. Overall, it delivered on everything, from gameplay to graphics and strategy.

But if you want to see that for yourself, you can also take a look at the video review we've got for it. We strongly believe that both New Star Manager and New Star Soccer should be two mentions every football fan should have on their mobile phone.

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It was always the dream to have a full version of Sports Interactive's epic Android football simulation game on our devices. Football Manager is just that. You can assemble a team from some of your all-time favourite players, devise strategies to win tournaments, and overall become the best coach/manager there ever was.

For console and PC players who are wondering whether or not FM23 Mobile is as good as they might expect, the answer is a positive one - you can really enjoy this wholesome managing sim on your mobile just like you would on the other platforms.

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New Star Soccer presents a style that's unique to the smartphone format, with a deft mixture of swipe-based scenarios and light management. In our New Star Soccer review we went into great detail to explain how smooth and enjoyable the experience is. That should never go overlooked since football games for Android don't always offer that hands-on approach from a player's perspective.

So, if you want an authentic sim, New Star Soccer is definitely up there. Give it a shot if you want - you'll probably like it as much as we did!

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The game that introduced ball flicking to the Google Play Store remains the best, thanks largely to a gloriously tactile swipe control system. The Legends addition is there to make it even better, and we're positive that fans of the original won't argue.

Flick Kick Football Legends is a retro ball-kicking title that has you kicking it like never before (or maybe just like in the original Flick Kick Football), so you should add it to your collection if you want something a tad different. It's one of the top picks when it comes to Android football games.

You can read the Flick Kick Football Legends review if you're eager to learn more about it!

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Super Soccer Champs 2022 goes back to the arcade footy greats of the home computer era - think Sensible Soccer and Kick-Off. That means intuitive top-down action with hidden layers of depth. In the 2022 version, the game is essentially the same, but with some slight improvements here and there. If you're familiar with Super Soccer Champs 2020, you'll love this one.

It's also worth mentioning the fact that it's free to download and play, with a number of IAPs, so if you want to play it and give it a shot, you can do it even if your pockets aren't full at the moment.

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This one had found its way into the pockets of many football game enthusiasts as soon as it dropped. A decade later it's even more polished with a huge number of online players, and it's really easy to get used to the gameplay. It's closer to the older football manager simulations if you played any.

You'll be able to test your prowess against other managers, move to the upper leagues, sign new players, train them and win whatever you can. It's one of those games that are hard to let go of once you get really into it.

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Score! Hero plays like a Match of the Day highlights package, placing you in control of the decisive passes and shots of each game. It's a bit like a flashier (though much less charming) New Star Soccer. You can try it out, and you should if you want an Android football game with a more classical approach.

We would also suggest trying out the Infinite Hero mode, which is a new addition to the series, which is only available in Score! Hero.

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We know that a lot of these titles are footy managers, but that's the beauty of it. There is something for every kind of player. Those who love being in total control can play the games directly, and those who aren't that eager for action can take on a manager role.

Soccer Manager has surprisingly detailed graphics, and you'll overlook every match in 3D. There are many clubs to pick from, and the developer brags with over 900 of them. Apart from clubs, you'll be able to lead the national teams, if you aren't into transfers, or just prefer your nation more than your favourite club. Even though there is nothing that sets it apart from other similar titles, it's just a well-made Android football game that's hard to skip.

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This sleek football (or soccer, however, you want to call it) sim marks another beautiful addition to our list of finest football games for Android. You can pick your favourite team in the world and coach it the best you can, in order to win the championship.

Pro 11 has stunning 3D graphics and a multiplayer structure, which allows you to enjoy the experience together with your friends, as well as by yourself. It's definitely worth a try - it's free after all!

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Pocket League Story 2 is a management game, but it's nothing like Football Manager. It's a particularly quirky, lo-fi job sim with oodles of charm. You basically have the Kairosoft classic, but sprinkled with heaps of soccer and in a slightly pixelated form.

Pocket League Story 2 will see you recruiting famous players from all across the world, and using your strategic mind to come up with quirky strategies to develop your club. It's a delightful Android football game, and if you're a fan of other Kairsoft titles, this one is a no-brainer.

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Here we have an awesome multiplayer football game with simple controls and dynamic gameplay. You will have to build your football team of the best players, train them, and participate in various tournaments. The best thing about Final Kick is the weekly football tournaments where you can compete with other players for some great rewards.

There is a rather high number of interesting features which make the gameplay even more exciting. For example, when you score a goal, you can rewatch it from different angles in slow motion, which makes the replay even more enjoyable.

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Rumble Stars Soccer has more in common with Clash Royale than FIFA, but we're not complaining. This is a brilliantly tactical online multiplayer kick-around with larger-than-life animal players and a sharp presentation. You will find yourself loving this game more and more, the more you play.

It's one of those Android football games that doesn't require you to live and breathe this sports game in order to enjoy - it's as immersive as any other role-playing or strategy title, and that's basically what made us place Rumble Stars Soccer on our list. You can read more about it in theRumble Stars review!

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Not as in-depth or sophisticated as Football Manager, Women's Soccer Manager (WSM) still provides an accessible footy management game for Android owners and those who don't want to fall too far down the FM rabbit hole. It's slightly different than the rest, in the sense that you've got a women's soccer team to manage. Otherwise, everything stays the same.

It's an interesting title to add to the list since offers a slightly different perspective. If you love football and you've got experience with Manager sims, you should give this one a try.

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Real Football is another football game that boasts a huge number of licensed athletes and teams. It offers a wide range of modes such as friendly matches, leagues, and the international cup.

In addition, you can practice skills in practice. Also available are a bunch of all sorts of settings that allow you to customize the team uniform, and placement on the field, improve stadiums and choose different tactics. Real Football also allows you to upload screenshots and share on social networks a recording of the most amazing goal that you are sure to score.

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If you never imagined that you could use your favourite Cartoon Network characters in a football game, then you've clearly never heard of Toon Cup. Toon Cup is a fun and colourful soccer game that lets you hand-pick some famous characters from your daily childhood cartoons and deploy them in carefully crafted teams.

You can use their special powers (the ones you're probably accustomed to) to score goals and win tournaments, and that makes every match a blast! It's worth trying if you want a competitive, yet easygoing frolic.

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If you want an in-depth console-style take on football for your mobile, there's only really one choice - and it isn't FIFA Mobile. eFootball 2024 is built on the same engine as the console games, which makes it an extremely fluid and nuanced take on the beautiful game. Of course, older players might recognise it as Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES.

You have some of your favourite players of all time at your disposal, and you need to come up with the right tactics and team planning in order to recruit them. Its gameplay has always been a thing of many tales and this is probably one of the best Android football games ever designed (console too, but that's a whole different topic).

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A management game with a major difference, Football Drama focuses on a story ahead of tactical machinations, accompanied by highly stylised (and beautiful) graphics. It's basically a story unfolding before your very eyes, and its core is the football.

Football Drama has slight artistic renditions that take you back to visual novels - except, you can interact a lot more and even bring up and debate existential questions. You have karma, and every choice you make regarding your career (albeit retired) is going to have an effect on how the game unfolds.

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Okay, so we've established that Flick Kick Football is the king of ball flicking. But Flick Soccer comes forward with a number of interesting ideas of its own and is undoubtedly the deeper experience. The game gets a yearly update (along with some regular ones).

While it's arguably not as deep as some of the other, bigger titles on the list, it's still a simple Android football game that you can casually enjoy. it's worth mentioning that it might not be ideal if you're looking for a deep experience or something to play during the whole season.

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First Touch Games has built a reputation over many years for being one of the best at translating the console footy experience to mobile. Dream League Soccer is another shot on target, which places you right at the core of the action. You take your place on the field and kick the ball around trying to score as many goals as possible.

It's an absolute delight since it not only emphasizes creativity (allows you to create your team and logo) but also strategy. Dream League Soccer is one of the massive titles out there alongside eFootball, FIFA and FM.

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Retro Goal is another pixelated game, but instead of sporting futuristic or even complicated graphics. Instead, it sticks to the simpler, retro arcade approach we all know and love. As the game is right now, you can play the first 10 matches for free, but afterwards, you'll have to pay to unlock the rest.

Still, that should give you plenty of time to get an idea of whether or not you like it. For us, anything that has such a beautiful rendition of a fast-paced arcade masterpiece is a winner. Just take a look at the Retro Goal trailer below if you're curious.

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AFK Football is a very interesting football simulation with cartoony graphics and gameplay that will remind you a bit of the old Amiga footy titles. The twist here is that you'll manage your team as you'd manage your army in Clash Royale. You'll unlock new players as you'd unlock cards. Then you'll be able to upgrade them prior to the match, equip them with different gear (yes, you read that right) and set them off to compete against other players.

It differs massively from other titles on this list, and in case you're looking for a more casual football game to play, this might be the one for you.

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Open packs of 'stickers,' build your team, and cheer them to victory over other players. The Big Win template is simple but strangely moreish. You'll shed a tear or two if you're over 35 years old, as it will crank up the nostalgia through the roof. There is an option to customise the looks for each player, and with pixellated graphics this makes even more sense, as you won't see each one perfectly. Yes, there are names next to each player, but sometimes you'll want to look at the players and enjoy the match without reading the small letters on the screen.

We've written a Big Win Soccer review, so if you want to read more about it, make sure to check it out.

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Footy action and RPG mechanics collide in this quirky take on the beautiful title, which ties in with the popular anime. It deserves a lot of praise because it stays true to the essence of the anime/manga - from the graphics to character interactions, everything feels exactly as it should.

Captain Tsubasa has stunning 3D graphics which perfectly depict movement and capture every action you take while kicking the ball. It's a game worth adding to your collection, especially if you're a fan of Captain Tsubasa.

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Football Chairman Pro takes a further step back from the footy management sub-genre and places you in the expensive shoes of a club chairman. Hire managers, sanction transfers, upgrade your stadium, and more. It's pretty similar to PES or FM but seen through slightly different coloured glasses.

It's a premium game that also comes in a freemium version (with tons of IAPs and ads sadly), so if you want to give it a try, you can check the free one - if it's something you enjoy, invest in the premium version. If not, you can sit this one out.

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It's far from the best one in the franchise, but you can't really have a comprehensive Android football games list without a FIFA game. Although EA is trying to rebrand it at the moment, it's called EA SPORTS FC, we left the old name so everyone can recognise it right away. This one's freemium, social, and nicely polished. It's pretty similar to what you'd encounter on the console if you played it, except a lot more accessible.

You can read more about how well it feels on mobile in our FIFA Mobile review, or you can read some useful tips. It's simply put - football at its finest.

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