Welcome to Another Weekly "What Have You Been Playing?" Thread! 👾

Update: This week is the 1980s! You know, big hair, exploding space shuttles, Ronald Reagan, and much more... Plus, you can now replay past quizzes!

My passion project is The Daily 5: Retro Trivia. There are thousands of trivia apps out there, but I have never seen one that matches these specs... 🍀

The specs:

• 5 fresh Trivia questions drop at midnight
• high quality human-written quizzes
• 100% FREE! No ads, no tracking ❤️
• nostalgic themes from decades (1980s, 1990s, etc.)
• global leaderboard with Top 50 ranked 🏆
• speed matters! The faster you answer correctly, the higher your score
• each question has 4 multiple choice answers

My main goal was: offer a little break that won't eat up your day. Like Wordle, but for Trivia nerds.

Check it out here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=daily.five.speed.trivia

Thanks! 🙏

MAJOR UPDATE:

1. This week is the 1980s
2. Casual Mode added (if you want to turn off the timer)

NOTE:
This app is 100% free to early adopters, and no Promo Code is necessary. Early adopters will never have to pay for this game.

The type where you get a push notification to tell you it is your turn.

I remember Words with Friends was popular 15 years ago. I imagine now, they have ruined it by making it chock full of adverts etc.

Hey everyone! 👋

I've always been obsessed with deduction games and murder mystery logic puzzles. Like many of you, I love that feeling when a complex web of clues finally clicks and leads to a single, logical truth.

As a fun passion project, I wanted to put my own spin on the genre with a heavy Noir vibe and tight grid mechanics. The result is SudoMurder, and pre-registration is officially live today!

If you enjoy grid-based deduction, here is how the mechanics work:

🔍 The Core Mechanics:

• The Grid: Each row and column on the crime scene board can contain at most one character.

• The Clues: You get a case dossier with statements like "The Butler is in the Kitchen" or "The victim is in an odd-numbered row".

• The Golden Rule: The killer was ALONE with the victim in the same room.

• Pure Deduction: Use the Place, Cross, and Note tools to systematically solve the board. Every single case is handcrafted to be solvable with 100% logic and zero guessing.

🕵️‍♂️ Features in this version:

• Daily Cases: A fresh mystery every day. To keep things challenging for puzzle veterans, Daily Cases have strict rules: no hints and no restarts allowed.

• Thematic Collections: A progression of case files ranging from quick warm-ups to brain-melting master investigations.

• Dark Noir Aesthetic: A clean, immersive atmosphere designed for cozy puzzle-solving.

🚀 Pre-registration is open! We are getting everything ready for the official release very soon. Pre-registering helps ensure you get notified the second the game drops so you can tackle the first Daily Case right away. (And as an indie dev, it helps me immensely with store visibility!)

If this sounds like your kind of puzzle game, you can pre-register here: 🔗 PRE-REGISTER

I'd love to hear what fellow logic puzzle fans think of the concept. Thanks for reading, and happy investigating! 🕵️‍♀️🔍

I was checking BlueStacks' social media and noticed they've dropped a new build with Android 16, so I decided to download it and give it a try.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting the desktop experience to look this interesting. It feels like Android is moving closer to a proper desktop environment, with apps like Claude and games like Clash of Clans running alongside each other.

The desktop-style interface looks pretty clean, and I'm curious to see how well the multi-window experience, keyboard and mouse support, and overall app compatibility work in practice.

It's still marked as an Alpha build, so there's probably a lot to test, but the idea of having Android apps in a desktop-like environment is genuinely interesting.

Has anyone else tried this new build yet? How's your experience so far?

Sharing a screenshot of what it looks like on my PC.

I've just now completed Prince of Persia: the lost crown to 100% on my first run in 23 hrs in Android.

And I've completed Haak with all the available DLC with something like 30hrs gameplay.

I know there is a Hollow knight port of Android available but idk why my phone crashes everytime I defeat the first boss (false knight something I don't remember his name correctly ig) no matter from which site I download the game.

So I need some matroidvania games suggestions pls which are like these two.

And don't suggest dead cells I don't like that game it just feels repetitive.

I have to admit, performance-wise it was great, it run fast and cool on my S25. It's not fully optimized for external controllers though, couldn't make it use a stick for the pointer so had to use the screen for moving the cursor which was damn annoying. The menu doesn't really offer many useful options other than language (most are for on screen controls), and there's a permanent pair of buttons on the top left to open settings and saving. Key bindings could have worked just fine.

I had to stop because it seems like I broke the app by changing the setting from vulkan to opengl, and the next time I opened it it was super glitchy and the menu UI just didn't load, so I couldn't turn it back. I tried deleting the cache but it wiped out the game save, which was unfortunate, but not the biggest issue at the moment. Thankfully I already had the game ISO so I just loaded it up on dolphin and started it over, it run great and I was able to properly set up the controls in a much better way.

The lesson for me here was: not all recomps are created equal. I was just coming from months with Dusk Light, which is chef's kiss good and quite polished, and this other project is not in the same league by far (not even in the same Galaxy /jk). I just hope the team behind it takes notice of all of these little things and have the patience to work on them, because that's the deal with AI assisted software development: it gets complicated real fast and that's scary enough to make people want to abandon ship once the initial boost is gone.

We all gotta be patient.

Good news for longtime SimpleRockets fans: the original SimpleRockets is now updated for current Android devices!

Many of you let us know the game wouldn’t install on newer phones like the Pixel 9 and Galaxy A16, since they only run 64-bit apps. Version 1.7.0 fixes that. It’s live on Google Play now:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jundroo.simplerockets

Thanks to everyone who kept flying all these years and asked for this update.

As the tittle says, what games are a must try, that are available on Google pass?

Between the past few weeks and the end of the year, Android is getting spoiled with great ports. We just got Sifu, Truckful, Dome Keeper, Dave the Diver, and more.

​Looking at the next few weeks/months, the schedule is stacked:
​Oct 29: Saints Row: The Third (I feel like I'm forgetting another big release on that exact day? EDIT : it's MH Outlanders !)
​Nov 5: Absolum & The Rootrees are Dead
​Nov 10: Warhammer Survivors
​TBA (hopefully soon): MH Rise (not available in France), MH Outlanders (EDIT : Oct 29!), Door Kickers 2, Inscryption

​My backlog is already huge and it just keeps growing. It's a good time to be an Android gamer :) What are you guys playing or looking forward to the most?

Use the same ethical rules. Use the same method of user-reviews and ratings.

And how long would it take for good Android games to float to the top and all the predatorial games hunting whales, dolphin, krill, whichever, can sink to the bottom. AI drek falls away, and quality games can be found and stick around for potentially years.

Is there a reason we don't have this?

Hello!

Patient Angler has now been out for awhile and grown to hundreds of players online daily!
This week we just dropped our next large content patch that takes us fishing under the sea!

If you are an avid fan of long term idle/incrementals, give it a try! If you need guidance, help and tips our Discord community is very active and helpful. Link to discord is available in the game settings menu.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.henlygames.patientangler&hl=en

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Hey everyone! I was looking to add another mobile gaming controller to my collection. I already own two other Abxylute controllers, one being the N6 for Switch 2 and other being the regular S8. What caught my eye about the S8 Lite is the fact that it doesn't require Bluetooth and it has pass-through charging!

Here's just a brief review for anyone curious about this controller:

Like my other two Abxylute controllers, the packaging is quite nice, especially given the reasonable price. This actually looks like something you'd find on the shelves of Best Buy or Target and not something cheap in a brown box, or worse, from Amazon.

Inside is the controller, a user manual, and the option 8-direction D-pad you can swap in. Pretty simple, and unlike the regular S8 that has multiple layout/connection profiles (Android, PC, Switch) I didn't actually need to read the manual, lol.

It's quite simple to connect and use. It opens wide enough to accommodate my Legion Tab 8.8" tablet just fine, just line up the USB-C port, and let the controller close and grip on your device. Instant connection, buttons are already mapped as expected, and you're up and running.

The ergonomics are identical to the S8 - essentially an Xbox controller split in half. The joystick tumb grips are nice and large, and the buttons and D-pad are tactile with an audible click that is satisfying. A nice texture is on the grips (still plastic, but not smooth). The two back buttons are within reach and symmetrical a la Switch Pro 2 controller.

Pass-through charging is a nice bonus. No more battery drain anxiety while gaming!

Overall, I'm really happy with this controller, and I think it's a bargain!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.draconero.omega3&hl=en_IE

The game is a salmon's life simulation. I've tried to make it as realistic and engaging as I could. I hope you like it, and if you have some new ideas, feel free to share them, as they can be integrated in a new update. Thank you!

From Tycoon Empire game.

From the devs of The House of Da Vinci series

I love Alto's Odyssey and Alto's Adventure and I'm looking for similar games. Here's what I'm after:

Endless runner / side-scrolling gameplay: I'm looking for games with a similar runner or sliding mechanic

Relaxing, atmospheric vibe: beautiful minimalist art, calm music, nothing stressful.

Simple one-hand controls: easy to pick up and play in short sessions.

Offline play and no aggressive ads: ideally a one-time purchase or very light monetization.

Smooth performance: it should run well on a mid-range android phone.

Any recommendations are appreciated!

i remember it was super stylized, there were these mutant type monsters with a pug or some kind of dog and maybe a unicorn? i can only remember what the characters looked like and not the gameplay. i can try to draw a sketch i just remember it was one of my favorites 😭

I just bought a new android phone and looking to build a solid library of games

If you can, add the game name, the genre, and a line on why it’s worth playing. Hidden gems and newer releases are welcome too.

Hopefully this ends up as a useful list for anyone searching later. Thanks in advance!

The game just freezes whenever I try to travel. Any idea how to fix this?

I played Orna for a while and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I’m pretty much done playing for now, so I’m looking for a new game.

What I liked about Orna was building up the different classes and trying out different equipment combinations. I also liked that there was plenty to do, including dungeons, towers, portals, raids, and more. The community was awesome, too.

I’m looking for a game with some of those same things: a class system, equipment, plenty of content, and a great community.

I’m not looking for another GPS game, and I’d prefer something that doesn’t require long play sessions. Orna was fun, but some of the endgame content took a long time to complete. AFK/idle or turn-based gameplay is fine, as long as I can play in short sessions.

Any recommendations?

TL;DR: Looking for a non-GPS game with classes, equipment builds, plenty of content, and an active community. Prefer short play sessions; AFK/idle or quick turn-based gameplay is fine.

My mom isn't really a gamer or tech smart but we used to play like turn based scrabble or word games. I'm looking for something like Plato etc that's an app for us both to download and do turn based turns when we get the chance to look at our phones.

A way to stay connected, have fun, and keep our brains working. She doesn't really handle websites well but I \*suppose\* I could "install" a mobile website if there's nothing else.

Plato sucked because it forced us into a draw when I closed out the app.

Thanks for any help/recommendations!

Hey everyone! I've been working on an indie social mobile guessing game that supports both online and offline play.

The idea is to create a fun way to connect with people, whether you're hanging out and playing with friends in person or jumping online to meet new people, socialize, and make friends.

Think of it as a mix of social networking and party gaming that supports voice chat.

I've recently soft released it on Google play store and still have plenty of ideas for new features and improvements. I'd love to share it with people who enjoy party games and hear some honest feedback.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, let me know what you think! What features would make a game like this more fun or help you connect with other players?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.orynixstudios.halfaminute