Best Android games for Chromebooks 2024

Chromebook with FireRed emulator
(Image credit: Android Central)

When Google announced that Android apps would come to Chrome OS, the biggest focus was on productivity. With Play Store access, any Chromebook would be able to use Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and other key services that people need to earn a living. But a less spoken-about benefit: it gives powerful Chromebooks the ability to play Android's best games.

Playing games on a Chromebook has some advantages and disadvantages compared to trying to play them on a smartphone or even a tablet. Most Chromebooks don't have an accelerometer, so certain titles just won't work. Not every Chromebook has a touch screen, and very few games work with a mouse and keyboard. On the flip side, every Chromebook supports some of the best Bluetooth controllers on Android and video output, so many will work when attached to a television.

The best Android games for Chromebook

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Minecraft

Minecraft has released on just about every platform out there, so it's no wonder that it can be downloaded straight to your Chromebook through the Play Store. The sky's the limit in this sandbox simulation game, and you're really only limited by your imagination. Play through its survival mode and test your skills against its enemies that come out at night, or load up creative mode and build just about anything you want. The beauty of Minecraft is its versatility, allowing players to create their own games and adventures inside of it. 

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Minecraft

Experience the acclaimed title on your Chromebook and build just about anything your heart desires. 

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mojang.minecraftpe" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Monument Valley 1 & 2

These games are for those with a convertible laptop, since they don't support controllers and rely entirely on touch controls. Still, the M.C. Escher-inspired level design is gorgeous and the puzzles themselves are a fun challenge. The base games have hours worth of puzzles, but there are expansions for the first Monument Valley for those that want to solve even more puzzles.

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Monument Valley

Test you skills in a variety of mind-bending puzzles with Monument Valley.

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ustwo.monumentvalley" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

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Monument Valley 2

Didn't get enough from the first game? There's plenty more where that came from in Monument Valley 2.

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ustwo.monumentvalley2" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Asphalt 9: Legends

The Asphalt series is one of the most popular racing series for Android, and that continues with Asphalt 9: Legends. This game supports Google Play Games for synchronizing your progress, as well as Bluetooth controllers. There are hundreds of cars and motorcycles in the game to race and plenty of racetracks to keep things exciting. Asphalt 9: Legends is available for free with in-app purchases if you're not looking to spend money.

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Asphalt 9: Legends

Put your pedal to the metal in either single-player or multiplayer in this high-speed racer.

Download from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftA9HM" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Fallout Shelter

Instead of being an expansive RPG like the Fallout series is known for, Fallout Shelter is a simulation game that lets players build and run their very own Vault. Overseers will need to manage their vault's population, food and water supplies, energy, and overall happiness to keep everything running smoothly. NPCs can even be sent out into the wasteland to search for supplies and hunt enemies. 

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Fallout Shelter

Become an Overseer and manage your own vault in Fallout Shelter. Just be careful to avoid the Deathclaws.

Download from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bethsoft.falloutshelter" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Role-playing games don't get much better than Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Even though a Knights of the Old Republic remake is in the works for PS5 from Aspyr, you can still play the original on modern devices like Chromebooks through the Google Play Store. When the Sith wage war against the Republic, it's up to the Jedi to stop them with some help from the most unlikely of forces. What's cool is that the outcome of the game is determined by your actions, whether you fight for the light or succumb to darkness.

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

You don't need to wait for the remake to play one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aspyr.swkotor" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

LIMBO

LIMBO is a dark, macabre puzzle-platformer starring a young boy making his way through a black and white world. With a giant spider on your tail and deadly traps lurking behind every corner, you'll need to keep your wits about you to stay alive. Though LIMBO is fairly short and can be played in one sitting, it's still one of the greatest puzzle-platformers to ever release. The ability to craft a story without dialogue is no easy feat, but developer Playdead seems to do it with ease.

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LIMBO

Always take your next step with caution in LIMBO, a fantastic platformer available on Chromebook.

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playdead.limbo.full" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Stardew Valley

The farming sim genre may have begun with Harvest Moon back in the 1990s but it received a resurgence thanks to the success of Stardew Valley, the brainchild of developer Eric Barone. In Stardew Valley, players are tasked with the care of a farm they've inherited in the titular quiet town. Along with growing crops and keeping livestock, players can explore the local mine, go fishing, and talk with the townsfolk — even to the point of starting a relationship. When it comes to wholesome life simulations, Stardew Valley is at the top of almost every list. 

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Stardew Valley

Take Stardew Valley with you on your Chromebook wherever you go, and build the farm of your dreams.

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chucklefish.stardewvalley" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Dead Cells

Described as a rogue-like Metroidvania, Dead Cells is a fast-paced action-platformer where players take control of an amnesiac character simply called the Prisoner, who must fight their way across an island full of mutated beasts. Because Dead Cells features permadeath, should players fall in battle they'll be returned to the beginning where they find a new body to inhabit. Dead Cells offers a ton of replayability, making it a great choice for your Chromebook. 

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Dead Cells

Make your way across a kingdom of mutated beasts and kill the King that its citizens blame for the plague.

Buy from: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playdigious.deadcells.mobile" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

The choice is yours 

There are plenty of games on the Play Store available on Chromebook across a wide variety of genres, whether you're looking to hop into an expansive RPG that may take dozens of hours or just want something quick that can be finished in one sitting, you can find a game to suit your needs. Titles like Minecraft and Stardew Valley are already massive, so maybe even consider picking up a lesser-known game.

Downloading some of the best emulators for Android even opens up a wider list of playable games. Just be sure to do your research and download through legal methods. 

Jennifer Locke
Games Editor - PlayStation, Android, VR

Jennifer Locke has been playing video games nearly her entire life. You can find her posting pictures of her dog and obsessing over PlayStation and Xbox, Star Wars, and other geeky things.

With contributions from