Top 15 best free strategy games for Android phones and tablets
Updated by Jupiter Hadley on April 26th, 2025 - swapped 3 games
As one of the most enduringly popular and diverse genres on mobile, we've covered the finest Android strategy games quite often.
But the thing with the biggest and best strategies is that they tend to be extremely meaty, dare we say 'hardcore' experiences. And those tend to cost money.
So what about those Android strategy games that don't (or needn't) cost you a penny? That's what this list is dedicated to.
Naturally, in-app purchases play a part in the following strategy games. Some will only grant you the full package when you pay up. But all of these strategy gems will provide you with a satisfying strategy experience for no upfront fee.
Is there a free Android strategy game that you feel should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
1
Lucky Offense
Lucky Offense is a more casual strategy game, combining concepts of merging, turn-based strategy and gacha. Using gacha and merge mechanics, you can unlock heroes and combine them to create an army that's well worth the fight. There are tons of bosses to fight against, different types of armies to test out, and a lot going on! The graphic style is something that's so much fun to look at, with lots of characters, cards, and upgrades to work through.
2
Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire
Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire is a roguelike deckbuilder, having you play as Aria, who is fighting to protect her school from strange evils that have appeared in it. You will need to rethink the way you play deck builders in this game, as you will need to manage your card cooldowns efficiently, instead of relying on random deck draws. Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire has a variety of different modes, from Arcade, where you rush through bosses or to a story mode where you can really learn about Aria's life.
3
The Battle of Polytopia
Polytopia ticks all the boxes for the 4x strategy genre - explore, expand, exploit - whilst brilliantly distilling the formula for mobile.
Here, you have to pick one of many tribes and develop a civilisation. To do that successfully, explore and control the map to gather various resources for upgrades and new technologies that will help you win. And if you are looking for more information about this game, we have a few The Battle of Polytopia guides for you.
4
Plague Inc.
Plague Inc. totally flips the usual heroic script of saving lives, and instead asks you to wipe out vast swathes of humanity. It's no psycho-sim, but rather a darkly alluring tactical war room simulator all about forming and spreading viruses.
There are plenty of different ways to wipe out humanity, you can use a virus, parasites, bacteria, etc. Create the most dangerous virus and destroy humanity before it develops medicine. By the way, here we have tips and tricks that will definitely help you eliminate everyone in the world.
5
Warpath
Warpath looks like a common real-time strategy for mobiles like Rise of Kingdoms, for example, but it does have a twist! The thing is, in other similar strategies, it's horrible when your base gets attacked because you'll lose most of your progress. In Warpah, that's not the case, all you'll lose is your army. Your resources and buildings don't get pillaged, which is much more newbie-friendly.
Other than that, it's a modern-day strategy, with tanks, aircraft and other very familiar weaponry. You'll get to pick one of three camps, where most units are similar, except for a few that are different for each one. Then you'll need a commander to lead your armies, and you can't just go ahead and pick the first one. Look at what are the strengths of your army and try to enhance them further through the commander's active and passive skills. If you decide to give it a go, use the codes for Warpath, as they will earn you some resources and other gifts.
6
Tiny Animal War: Go
Tiny Animal War: Go is a more casual, charming strategy game where you need to lead an army of animals who are hoping to save their friends. There are lots of different animal bosses, from mythical animals to creatures you might have once found in a forest. Battling on a seven by seven battlefield, you will need to guide your army, using some of their unique skills to defeat whoever you are up against. There is lots of animals to correct and ways to recruit new troops.
7
Clash of Clans
The very presence of Clash of Clans on this list may make strategy game die-hards vomit with rage. But its brand of casual city building has been hugely influential, and rarely matched. We have talked a lot about hacks in Clash of Clans, and if they are real. Players are really interested in how they can get ahead of their adversaries, so it's only natural. If you've already tried the game, and you liked it, you should really take a peek at the list of games like Clash of Clans.
8
Hoplite
Guide a pint-sized Spartan warrior through hex-based gridded levels, outmanoeuvring foes with a small but diverse range of abilities. Hoplite is one of the purest strategy games on mobile.
You will learn pretty fast how to play the game; however, as you move forward, each level becomes more and more complex. Therefore, you need to think twice before you make your move, upgrade your abilities, or start fighting. Luckily, we have some tips to help you master ig even faster.
9
Clash Royale
Just like Clash of Clans, Clash Royale rarely gets the purist vote, but it's been hugely influential. Part tower defence, part MOBA, part card battler - all entertaining strategy game.
Players that are interested in the game should first take a look at which cards to collect, so they won't waste any valuable resources. Our Clash Royale tier list will help you pick the right cards that suit your playstyle.
10
Call of Dragons
One of the newer strategies on mobiles that grabbed a vast audience at once is Call of Dragons. Did we mention that the whole setting is high fantasy? You'll be managing a vast kingdom, training all different sorts of monsters and then using them to defend or attack other players. However, you'll have your alliance buddies, so that should lighten the load a bit. Gameplay is a bit slow-paced later on, but it's not too demanding. Perfect for players that have some free time to relax once or twice a day.
You'll love the colourful artwork for sure, in case you're not one of those goths that only like dark-world settings. It'll remind you of Rise of Kingdoms instantly.
11
Star Trek: Fleet Command
A 4X mobile strategy game without the hardcore demands on your time, Star Trek: Fleet Command makes brilliant use of its sci-fi license for a deeply immersive tactical experience.
For the fans of Star Trek, this should be a no-brainer. They will find good use of our Star Trek Fleet Command best crew combinations guide, so there will be no mistake of who owns the space!
12
Langrisser Mobile
Mixing tense Rock Paper Scissors battling with a refined JRPG universe and a real-time PVP mode, Langrisser Mobile covers a number of bases. It's packed full of tactical content.
The multiplayer is one of the most exciting things about this game. You can face various dangerous bosses together with your friends, join a guild and compete with other players for some incredible rewards, and do many other awesome activities. Also, Langrisser has a pretty interesting upgrade system where each character has a personal upgrade tree.
13
Stronghold Kingdoms
One of my personal favourite RTS games on mobiles is Stronghold Kingdoms. But it's not on this list because I love it; it's because millions of other players back me up with their reviews. This medieval strategy will have you pick a country to begin and a county. Both will be historically accurate. After that, you'll begin growing your settlement and try to defend it against other players. Of course, Stronghold Kingdoms is PVP-based, and it's unforgiving. You'll have to be a part of a bigger alliance in order to survive.
As for the gameplay, you'll have two modes. One is a strategy map where everything except the battles happens. The other one is a battle map, and it's usually a siege of the stronghold. You'll be able to set up your defences, and that will heavily impact the outcome of any battle, so that's a nice change compared with other similar titles where you can only see numbers, and the one with bigger numbers wins.
14
Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus
So, you're a fan of Warhammer (I mean, who isn't, just look at Henry Cavill) but sometimes you don't have a few hours to set up the game and play properly. Well, the next best thing would be Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus. A lot of your favourite characters and champions are available, and their models look really vivid and brutal as they should.
The gameplay is turn-based, so you'll have enough time to strategise, like you usually do on the tabletop. Of course, you'll have to demonstrate your tactical superiority in order to win skirmishes, there is no way around it.
It won the GOTY award as the best mobile game of 2022 by player votes, which speaks volumes even if you're not a fan of the Warhammer universe.
15
Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade
Strategy for Android in the best traditions of Clash of Clans, but with a historical twist. The player gets a settlement on the global map, which has to be rebuilt and developed in every possible way. There are no isolated battles on separate maps. In RoK, units march and fight in real-time, and the camera moves freely from a bird's eye view to a distance that allows you to distinguish the uniforms of the soldiers.
We can help you pick the best civilization in Rise of Kingdoms, and there are Rise of Kingdoms codes that you can redeem and get golden keys, speedups and other free gifts.
