Gaming is simply better with a controller in your hands.
Gaming on Android typically requires you to settle for using touchscreen controls. However, some gracious game developers take the time and effort to add support for Bluetooth gamepad — and we love them for it. Since so few games provide this feature, we’ve taken the time to test and compiled our list of the best games that let you play with a quality Bluetooth controller in your hands.
We’d also recommend getting a Style Ring or Pop Socket which can help prop your phone up at a good angle for gaming.
- Call of Duty Mobile
- GRID Autosport
- Tesla vs Lovecraft
- Evoland 2
- Horizon Chase World Tour
- Riptide GP: Renegade
- Modern Combat 5: Blackout
- GTA: San Andreas
- Oceanhorn
- Unkilled
- Skate Party 3
- Only One
- Pew Pew
- Bomb Squad
- Sega Forever titles
Call of Duty Mobile
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiPMVQantQ?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Simply put, Call of Duty Mobile is one of the best Android games ever made. It offers an authentic experience for long-time fans of Call of Duty with a full suite of multiplayer modes to choose from. While the Call of Duty franchise has featured some really awesome single-player campaigns, Mobile focuses exclusively on multiplayer and manages to hit it out of the park by delivering the exact style of action fans have come to know and love.
A big reason why the game plays so well is due to the involvement of Tencent Games. They’ve been owning the mobile shooter space with PUBG Mobile, another game that’s featured on this list, and fans of that game will recognize the familiar user interface and surprising gameplay performance that’s been perfectly optimized for mobile. And unlike PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile was quick to recieve full support for Bluetooth controllers which makes everything that much more awesome!
The game features the core team deathmatch modes that Call of Duty is known for along with the Battle Royale mode that was introduced in the main franchise with CoD: Black Ops 4. They could have easily just stuck with the team deathmatch and still had a great game on their hands, but the inclusion of a 100-player battle royale mode and the fan-favorite zombie mode just adds that much more value to this free-to-play game.
I’ve been playing CoD Mobile since the beta and it has been one of my go-to games whenever I’ve got a couple of minutes to kill. Because the game is so damn popular, it’s super quick to jump into a match, whether you want to play with casuals or go up against more veteran players in a ranked match. There’s a “premium” Battle Pass and the game tries to push it’s in-app purchases on you as often as possible, but you don’t have to spend any money to enjoy this excellent mobile shooter.
Call of Duty Mobile
Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store
Call of Duty has won Game of the Year awards for 2019 for good reason. It’s a surprisingly complete version of Call of Duty with full support for Bluetooth controllers.
GRID Autosport
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzR-AtEoVR0?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
There’s been some great racing games released on Android, but few offer the depth of gameplay and brilliant graphics found in GRID Autosport. Developed by Feral Interactive, GRID offers the most authentic racing experience you can play on your mobile phone with full support for Bluetooth controllers.
Featuring console-quality graphics and realistic physics and vehicle damage, GRID feels like a console-quality game for your phone. There are over 100 cars to drive with an equal number of tracks to burn rubber down. And it’s not just circuit racing available. GRID features an incredible selection of race type across a wide range of disciplines — from open-wheel and touring circuits to street drag races and even chaotic demolition races.
There’s a career mode available with great production value and pre-race animations that lets you rise from the ranks to become the best professional driver, but I’m partial to the great selection of one-off races that include a great mix of pure simulation races like endurance races and drag races along with arcade modes like eliminator races (where the racer in last place is eliminated each lap), checkpoint races where you’re racing against the clock, and drift races where you earn points for pulling off smooth powerslides through each corner.
GRID Autosport gives you full control over all the settings so that you’re never frustrated with it being too easy or too difficult. There’s scalable difficulty that starts out with braking assists and other features for an easier and more arcade-style experience for casual gamers or you can ramp up the difficulty and set things to simulation settings for fans yearning for a pure racing experience. The inclusion of Bluetooth controller support is just another reason why this is one of the absolute best racing games for Android and absolutely justifies the premium price.
GRID Autosport
$10 at Google Play Store
Call of Duty has won Game of the Year awards for 2019 for good reason. It’s a surprisingly complete version of Call of Duty for phones that’s entirely free to play.
Tesla Vs Lovecraft
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ken-Kz4aOZA?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Tesla vs Lovecraft is an intense top-down twin-stick shooter that plays well enough just on your phone but really shines with a Bluetooth controller in hand. You play as Nikolai Tesla who is feuding with H.P. Lovecraft who, as it happens, has figured out how to open up portals to release grotesque occult monsters upon the world.
Fortunately, Tesla has a huge collection of upgradeable weapons which include standard fare like pistols, machine guns, and shotguns to more futuristic weaponry from Tesla’s personal armory including the pièce de résistance — a Tesla mech suit that can cut through waves of enemies in seconds. Weapons spawn randomly around the level and you need to collect all five pieces of the mech suit before it becomes available to you for a brief amount of time.
Each level takes place in a closed arena where monsters spawn at random, and your goal is to take out all the monsters and destroy any Cthulu spawning pools that pop up. There are also boss levels peppered in that feature a gigantic that needs to be destroyed along with the endless swarms of other monsters. Those levels are particularly challenging and you’ll need to make good use of the Perks you unlock by collecting XP.
That’s where the game makes wonderful use of rogue-like elements which ensure that each playthrough of a level is unique. As you shoot at enemies you collect XP. Fill your XP bar and you’re able to unlock a new Perk, which is typically some sort of character or weapon upgrade that will help you to survive longer or be more efficient at killing monsters, but the perk only lasts for that playthrough and you lose all perks whether you succeed or fail.
There are over 30 levels to play, each of which have three different “planes” (or difficulty levels) with the higher planes offering up bigger challenges for better rewards. There’s also a survival mode that tests how long you can last against literally endless waves of enemies and an optional DLC pack that adds more weapons and enemies to the mix.
Tesla Vs Lovecraft
$10 at Google Play Store
Tesla Vs Lovecraft is an action-packed twin-stick shooter that features endless waves of Lovecraftian horrors. This premium game offers hours of thrilling gameplay with DLC available, too.
Evoland 2
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQR3MHLkAUo?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Evoland 2 is one of those premium games for Android that you just don’t want to put down. Initially released in 2015 on Steam, Evoland 2 is a fantastic sequel to the first Evoland and follows suit with graphics and gameplay that evolve as you progress through the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first Evoland game for Android and one of my few criticisms of the game was that the story was a bit short. That’s not the case with Evoland 2, which features over 20 hours of gameplay.
While the first game in the series explored the evolution of RPGs, Evoland 2 has expanded its nostalgic scope by incorporating even more gaming genres into the game. It starts out as a pretty typical action RPG, but as you progress through the story both the graphics and gameplay take dramatic shifts which work wonderfully for keeping the game feeling fresh.
Evoland 2 will have you laughing as it constantly breaks the fourth wall and there are more gaming and pop culture references than you can shake a stick at. This is another great game for fans of RPGs and video game culture and well worth the cost to play. Best of all, there’s support for both Bluetooth controllers and Android TV including the NVIDIA Shield TV.
Evoland 2
$7 at Google Play Store
Evoland 2 is an RPG that aims to explore and celebrate the history of video games, blending in gameplay from different genres while telling a cohesive story that will keep you entertained for hours.
Horizon Chase World Tour
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLoJp_lhQuY?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Horizon Chase is a fun retro-style racer with gameplay reminiscent of the classic 80s arcade racer Pole Position. Featuring bright and colorful retro graphics over 70 tracks spanning 32 cities, there’s plenty of fun to be had here. You start each race from the back of a 20 car pack, and must weave your way past your opponents to take the crown. Keep winning to upgrade and unlock up 16 available cars.
Horizon Chase offers support for Bluetooth controls, and while the touchscreen controls are alright I’ve always found that a physical controller is way better for the fine touch required in racing games.
You get to play the San Francisco tracks but then must pay to unlock the full game. Given how beautiful and fun this game is, we bet you will.
Horizon Chase World Tour
Free, $4 to unlock full game at Google Play Store
Race through bright and colorful locales in Horizon Chase, a throwback racer that delivers fun arcade action with or without a controller in hand.
Riptide GP: Renegade
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1gK5BuXN4I?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Harkening back to memories of games like Jet Moto or Wave Race 64, Riptide GP: Renegade features a story-driven career mode alongside options to run a quick race or battle against online opponents. The graphics are top notch, with water and motion blur effects really giving the game a good sense of speed.
There’s plenty to unlock and upgrade as you play through the career mode, and the AI is excellent, providing a real challenge compared to other racing games. You’re also able to pull of tricks that powers up your boost for whipping past the competition down straightaways. While this game is over almost four years old, it still looks and plays great on Android with full support for Bluetooth controllers.
Riptide GP: Renegade
$3 at Google Play Store
Who’s ready to get a little wet? Riptide GP: Renegade is a stylish wave racer that’s still one of the best looking racing games on Android.
Modern Combat 5: eSports FPS
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmuzjul8wS4?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Originally released as Modern Combat 5 Blackout, this trend-setting first-person shooters for Android has been re-branded to take advantage of the eSports movement. Now, I’d love to be proven wrong but I’m pretty sure it’s never going to take off as a prominent eSports game. Having said that, it’s still a solid mobile FPS with dazzling graphics and options to play through the solo campaign or take it online — and you can get an edge on your competition with a proper controller in your hand.
It’s pretty clear that this game was trying to rub some shine off of the Call of Duty franchsise when it was first released. Now that Call of Duty has a proper release gamers might feel like there’s less incentive to play this legacy mobile shooter, but if you’ve never checked out Modern Combat 5, it’s still well worth your time.
Modern Combat 5: eSports FPS
Free at Google Play Store
It might be overshadowed by more recent releases, but Modern Combat 5 is still one of the better first-person shooters on Android that offers good support for Bluetooth controllers.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS22WPNJD2A?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas represents the pinnacle of Rockstar’s fantastic series on the PlayStation 2. Set in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, it was an absolute masterpiece when it was released back in 2004 and still manages to hold up in 2020.
Rockstar released San Andreas onto the Google Play Store in 2013, and it’s one of those mobile games that’s infinitely better to play with a Bluetooth controller — if only for the muscle memory we all have for those classic GTA console controls. You’re able to go in and tweak the graphics to improve the look and flow of the game as needed for your device, and the game plays pretty well outside of the occasional glitch. Relive all the adventures of CJ and your Grove Street Family as you cause havoc on the streets of San Andreas.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
$7 at Google Play Store
GTA: San Andreas is still one of the best in Rockstar’s iconic franchise. It plays surprisingly well on Android, particularly as one of the best games to play with a controller.
Oceanhorn
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlY9NMA2Lhc?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Oceanhorn is an action-RPG that is unapologetically inspired by the Zelda franchise, so if you love the look and feel of those style of games you’re in for a real treat here.
Originally launched on Steam, Oceanhorn is a premium title on the Google Play Store which means you’ll pay once and get to enjoy an ad-free game with no in-app purchases or weird progression stuff — you know, how games were meant to be played. The gameplay features a mix of platforming and battling alongside challenging puzzles, and the game plays as well as it looks. Grab your favorite Bluetooth controller and have a blast with Oceanhorn.
Oceanhorn
Free, $5 to unlock full game at Google Play Store
Oceanhorn is an action-RPG that offers a mix of platforming and puzzles and harkens back to the Legend of Zelda. Try it for free before deciding whether to pay to unlock the full game.
Unkilled
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFoTkiE5brw?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Unkilled is another very polished first-person shooter that fully supports Bluetooth controllers and offers over 150 missions in the single player campaign, along with multiple online multiplayer modes to choose from. For online play, you get to choose your preferred character class, and then upgrade your skills and weapon load-outs with points you collect as you play..
And again, using the Bluetooth controller should give you a distinct advantage against the AI zombies as well as your online opponents. Simply sync your controller with your phone and it’ll automatically work when you load up the game.
Unkilled
Free at Google Play Store
Unkilled is one of the best first-person zombie shooters on Android. Play through the lengthy single-player campaign or go online and blast the undead with your friends.
Skateboard Party 3 Pro
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knIkDH9tcCM?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Do you find yourself staring longingly out the window thinking about how great Tony Hawk Pro Skater was back in the day? Me too.
While it’s almost criminal that no one has ported any of those classic games to Android (Tony Hawk’s Skate Jam does not count), Skateboard Party 3 delivers the most comparable experience along with support for Bluetooth controllers. It’s a little finicky and takes some time to get used to, but if you’ve been jonesing for a great skateboarding game to play on the go, this is it.
The full version is available for $1.99, but if you’d prefer to try before you buy, you can try out the lite version to see if it’s worth investing in the full game.
Skateboard Party 3 Pro
$2 at Google Play Store
While we all wait for Activision or whoever to get around to porting a proper Tony Hawk Pro Skater game to Android, Skateboard Party 3 is the best skateboarding game you can download and play anywhere.
Only One
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2m0r8gvU6s?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Do you remember the final scene in the 2001 Jet Li movie The One? Something tells me the developers of Only One did, as the game basically plays like the final scene in that mostly forgettable action flick.
The premise is pretty simple: you stand alone on the top of a tall column with a magical sword as you fight off wave after wave after wave of enemies. The graphics are delightfully retro and the difficulty progressively as you progress through the levels. Best of all, you can connect your Bluetooth gamepad and play with more precise control. It’s a free game, but you will be pestered to cheat upgrade via in-app purchases.
Only One
Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store
Only One is a deceptively simple brawler that features surprising depth in the way it lets you dispatch the endless waves of enemies.
Pew Pew 2
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_YZYClxGJU?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Keeping with the retro theme, Pew Pew 2 is a classic acade-style top-down shooter that’s absolutely perfect quick gaming sessions along with great depth and variety of gameplay. This sequel is a paid title unlike its free-to-play predecessor, but here you get nine unique game modes to play including a campaign mode with three levels of difficulty.
The game plays well enough with touch screen controls, but playing with two physical thumbsticks really makes a big difference for games like this that demand precise controls for dodging and destroying wave after wave of enemies.
Pew Pew 2
$4 at Google Play Store
Pew Pew 2 is one of those games that’s perfect to play with a controller in hand. There’s non-stop frantic action here with retro-styled high-contrast graphics.
BombSquad
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iob-dlqMev8?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Gaming is always more fun with friends, and BombSquad is an action-packed collection of mini games with multiple ways to join the game. With fun and cartoony graphics, you’ll be able to choose from eight different game modes.
Bluetooth controllers are supported, or you can get your friends to download the BombSquad Remote app and use their phones to control their character. This game is available for most Android devices, including Android TV, which means you and your friends won’t need to crowd around a tablet or — even worse — smartphone to play.
BombSquad
Free at Google Play Store
BombSquad offers a fun collection of action-packed mini-games that encourages couch multiplayer. You’re best off playing this on something like an NVIDIA Shield TV with Bluetooth controllers.
Sega Forever titles
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPnCBe0cLos?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Sega deserves praise for its Sega Forever program which has been porting the best gems from its vast game library to the Google Play Store. Whether you’re a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (arguably the best Sonic game ever released) or Dreamcast titles like Crazy Taxi or Super Monkeyball — they’re all available as free-to-play titles with ads, or can be unlocked with no ads for just $1.99.
There are more than 20 games currently available with more added on a monthly basis. All of them can be played with touchscreen controls or with a Bluetooth controller, which is another great move by Sega because these games were designed to be played with a controller in your hand.
Sega Forever titles
Best Sega Forever Games
There’s an ever-growing collection of classic Sega games available to play on your phone, with each offering great support for Bluetooth controllers.
