Mobile gaming REALLY sucks

Last updated : 23/10/2024 (more personal anecdotes - still incomplete)

Introduction

Welp, after >8 years of personal Android usage, with the most recent 5 mostly spent on custom ROMs, here's my top 10 list of best native Android games I've ever played.

1. Geen
2. Nada
3. Aucun
4. Tidak ada
5. Ingen
6. Keine
7. Nenhuma
8. Κανένα
9. Нет
10. Nessuno
11. Ok... Shattered Pixel Dungeon, maybe? Or is it Battleheart Legacy? OG Battleheart? GBWG? PUBG? FGO? Idunno... none of them's making the cut...

Hmmmm.... That's actually 10 random translations of the word none & that last one (which shouldn't have existed because it's top 10 not top 11) had 6 titles at once but there's that "none of them's making the cut" line. What's wrong with the list? Simple. Mobile gaming (in this case, Android) sucks for many reasons, and a good chunk of them will be mentioned.

5/10/2024 Update : Kind of continued in the online fix page.

Why mobile gaming sucks

Not sure what to put for now, so just a very rough & potentially incoherent list for now.

• Profits over everything
• Vilification of sharing as "piracy" - who knew sharing would be just as evil as a hostile takeover of some maritime vessel amirite
• Goolag making it easy (and probably enforcing it as well) for developers to put in anti-user stuff
• The "Live service everything" BS
• Untapped potential of Android as a gaming platform that actually remains untapped for enthusiasts (and/or offline game lovers) like me. Sure, we might have some offline-capable titles but then most were abandoned.
• More from The Act Man
• More from Extortion Industry (archive.org)

Case studies

Here are some technical-side questions that I use to judge how good a game is for these case studies. Though it should be obvious I actively prefer offline games.

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
For example, if I can only download a game through Play Store (and/or "mirrors" such as APKPure / APKMirror / Aurora Store; all of which won't count), it's automatically shit. Direct downloads from 1st-party provider are the bare minimum here (with F-Droid & Git Releases ranking higher whenever they apply), though the only thing that counts is whether I can download an APK from either or not. However, for iOS, you can't just install from any other app stores (other than Apple's own) so we're ignoring iOS here before anyone starts asking about it.

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle? If it's online-only, do I need any accounts to play this game?
If the game's online-only, it's automatically shit, especially if it connects to a single server (and if it demands an app update after a server maintenance). If it can be connected to various user-connected server, not so bad. If it connects to a single server only for some events (but is otherwise playable without internet), not so bad.

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
Obviously, demanding Goolag services is the worst, but it's not as bad if users can get away with just microG. For that one, I assume only storage permission is granted for microG.


• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
A continuation of both previously mentioned points above. Download-only assets is the worst by far, automatically making the game shit (though if the download-only assets are downloadable via other means (through-the-site direct download / torrent) & the game could properly use the pre-downloaded asset I'll tolerate it at least). Ideally, APK-only is the best for lighter games, followed with Split APK (including the games' assets whenever available), and APK+OBB is debatably the worst non-download-only distribution since it needs rw access to /sdcard/Android/obb (using either TWRP or file manager with root access).

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
Obviously, if either SafetyNet PlayIntegrity, working license verifications, USB debugging / developer settings detection (which prevents playing when it's detected), DRMs, and/or any other kinds of anti-"piracy" measurements were implemented, it's instant FUBAR.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
This is probably the most unnecessary point, but made important because recent Android updates do break things. In this point, if the game does not run on whatever latest Android build and/or latest security patch, unfortunately it's shit. Contrast this to most modern Windows games that run years after they were unmaintained by their producers (though it's probably Microsoft not deleting old Windows codes).

• Is the gameplay good?
The last point, yet the most important aside from everything else. No matter how good the game's technicals are, it won't matter if the gameplay is terrible. Of course, if I am unable to play the game, it's automatically set to terrible, regardless of my actual experience in the game.

With all of my questions out of the way, let's take some of the mentioned games & apply these questions to them, as well as explain why these games don't make the cut.

Battleheart

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
No, Play Store only (and maybe APKPure only, especially if Goolag hides Battleheart off the Play Store, which is likely considering Battleheart was last updated in 2016).

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle? If it's online-only, do I need any accounts to play this game?
Offline-only & single player.

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
No Goolag services required.

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
APK-only, with no download-only assets.

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
None whatsoever.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
Mostly yes at the moment. It's not maintained past 2016, but at least it still runs.

• Is the gameplay good?
Not bad, but could be better. No post-endgame content aside from some survival arena.

Battleheart Legacy

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
No, Play Store only. Also, it's paid, so you will need a Goolag account (or find it in the seas, assuming it's there). If Goolag hides Battleheart Legacy, good luck finding a good way to download this game.

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle? If it's online-only, do I need any accounts to play this game?
Offline-only & single player.

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
No Goolag services required.

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
APK+OBB, with no download-only assets.

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
None whatsoever. However, some A11 security patch changed how the storage permission acted & broke the game.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
No. Not maintained past 2019 & broken by an Android security patch (probably the November 2022 patch, but I'm not sure).

• Is the gameplay good?
Not bad, but could be better. The campaign is too short, with basically no post-endgame content aside from one survival arena. You can also repeatedly rush-grind a certain dungeon to get endgame items & trivialize the entire game.

Fate/Grand Order (NA)

Personally, I would not play FGO NA (especially at this point since I developed a severe distaste of online games) had I never knew it back in 2017. However, what kept me in the game was actually me liking it so much (in terms of characters, story, & gameplay).

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
No. Play Store exclusive (limited to countries officially supported by FGO NA); for unofficially supported countries you will need a build from APKPure/uptodown/any other Play Store "mirrors" & updates from either APKPure/uptodown/any other Play Store "mirrors" and/or Aurora Store.

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle? If it's online-only, do I need any accounts to play this game?
Online-only (single server) & single player (with other players providing their favorites in the support list). No accounts are required to play this game, though to back up this game you'll need to use their own ticket-based backup solution.

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
Needs Goolag services, though microG is enough.

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
APK-only (10/6/2023 Update : now changed to split APK - get SAI), with download-only assets (at least 600MB mandatory before playing, optional 10GB+ (at the moment of writing - 5/5/2023) via game settings; all through app).

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
Has a reputation for not running whenever USB debugging and/or root access is detected. In fact, this very site is born from my improptu efforts on running FGO NA on my Poco F1. However, despite being officially supported in some countries (such as Singapore, USA, UK, Australia, Canada), it can run in "unsupported" countries. Nowadays, it doesn't seem to be blocking them.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
Mostly yes, as it is updated & maintained. However, with most server maintenances & additions, you must update the app, otherwise it won't work.

• Is the gameplay good?
Horrendously mediocre. The game has evolved far beyond the basics in a way that is not properly documented. And the lack of story replays (which could be used to test out the player's latest & strongest lineup, if not for grinding random materials) aside from some time-limited events highly suck. And yes, I also believe FGO doesn't deserve being online-only.

Genshin Impact

A game that didn't even make the cut into my mentioned examples, yet one that I'm particularly wanting to rip for a while. 5/10/2024 Update : Added more personal anecdotes.

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
No. Play Store only for Android. For later references (which I may soon use despite its irrelevancy here at the moment), it is also available in Epic Store, PlayStation Store, HoYoPlay from direct download, & Apple App Store.

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle? If it's online-only, do I need any accounts to play this game?
Online-only & single player with co-op mode. Requires either Hoyoverse (e-mail + OTP), Facebook, Go-ogle, or Twitter account to play (thanks to Lukas for providing one of his spare Go-ogle accounts & Ed for one spare hoyoverse account, otherwise this would have choked me to a halt).

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
No Goolag services required. I guess the tyrants occupying China could let some good things out sometimes...

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
Split APK (up to 800MB!), with download-only assets. By the way, the assets (which, at the moment of writing (5/10/2024), goes up to somewhere around ≥21GB) had to be downloaded before you can even start playing the game (by comparison FGO had at least 600MB mandatory & 10+GB optional - this is where I should've choked but Ed got one Vanilla device where I properly tried Genshin out). And even then, if you want to get any other language for dubbings, you are also saddled with an extra ≥4.5GB download.

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
To be honest, I'm not sure. There are anti-cheat in GI, but so far it doesn't seem to ban players with root access and/or USB debugging enabled.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
Mostly yes, as it is updated & maintained. However, with most server maintenances & additions, you are sometimes forced to update the app, otherwise it won't work.

• Is the gameplay good?
On one hand, it seems to be a remix of BotW with some interesting additions like elemental reactions (and some regressions, particularly on climbing ladders). However, the online-only bullshit rears its ugly head by adding latency issues to a game genre that MUST NOT have any latency issues whatsoever. What's more, the game seems to be made online-only just for the sake of muh cloud™ bullshit, with only the co-op mode barely justifying it (though not any better than local network which doesn't seem to be included). In addition, its controls are highly flawed & the devs doesn't want to fix it in any imaginable way. Therefore, I consider GI's gameplay a sacrilege of the highest order against gamers.

Great Big War Game

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
No, Play Store only. Also, it's paid, so you will need a Goolag account if you can't find its apk in the seven seas. Of course, if Goolag Play Store hides and/or deletes GBWG, good luck.

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle?
Offline-only & single player. Used to be online-capable, but the servers seem to be shut down.

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
No Goolag services required.

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
APK-only, with no download-only assets. However, some contents are locked behind in-app purchases.

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
None whatsoever. Claims to have a license check permission, but it doesn't seem to work.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
Mostly yes at the moment. Not updated past 2015, but so far it still runs.

• Is the gameplay good?
Quite good, though a bit too easy on single-player. It's a shame since its online-only features no longer work.

PUBG Mobile

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
No, Play Store only. May not be available in some countries.

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle?
Online-only on a single server & multiplayer (including some killcount-feeding bots). Requires either Facebook / Twitter / Go-ogle account, email, and/or cellphone number to back up progress. Otherwise, there's Guest mode that allows you to play without connecting any account, but requires using an additional backup method (such as Titanium Backup).

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
Not sure at the moment (though I'd say probably yes). Latest version may block you from getting past the level infinite starting screen claiming "download failed because you may not have purchased this app" even with GApps (at least in a custom ROM, so not sure if fully stock).

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
APK+OBB, with download-only assets for pretty much everything outside the main menu. The app will ask for either SD / HD (1037MB) resources, which will be downloaded afterwards.

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
Sometimes (we're not sure how it happens), it doesn't let you past the level infinite starting screen claiming "download failed because you may not have purchased this app" even with GApps, regardless of whether a Goolag account is present or not (at least in a custom ROM, so not sure if fully stock).

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
Mostly yes, as it's updated & maintained.

• Is the gameplay good?
Aside from the blatant issues caused by cheaters and/or pro players on a noob account, maybe not bad. In-app purchases seem to be irrelevant for actual combat (maybe aside from weird costumes). This report assumes that the app will even allow you to play this shit.

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Literally the only FOSS game to be on this list. Also the only roguelike on the list, so there's that as well.

• Can I download the game without a centralized app store and/or their "mirrors"?
Yes. In addition to Play Store, you can get it on F-Droid and/or GitHub releases (download link also available in notes, which is especially nice when running GitHub without JS). By the way, this is the only open-source game in the mentioned examples, as well as the only one natively available on iOS, Mac, Windows, & Linux; in addition to Android (though I'm only mentioning the Android build since this is about mobile gaming).

• Is the game offline-only or online-only? Or somewhere in the middle?
Offline-only & single player. GitHub & F-Droid builds has news & updates checking enabled by default, but can be disabled.

• Does the game require Goolag services to run? If it needs Goolag services, can I get away with just microG?
No Goolag services required.

• APK-only? APK+OBB? Split APK? Download-only assets?
APK-only, with no download-only assets.

• Does the game prevent the user from running it as they see fit?
None whatsoever.

• Can this game keep up with the constant changes of Android? Or will it survive them without updates?
Mostly yes, as it's updated & maintained.

• Is the gameplay good?
I'd say this is where SPD fell apart (at least for me), as the gameplay is far too luck-dependent (I previously said RNG-dependent, but luck-dependent is more proper for this one), as VERY commonly found on roguelikes (Lancers (or anyone else whose luck ranks ≤C) please keep away from roguelikes). But then again, perhaps I've played this for too long (I mean there's not enough good games for Android) that I've started disliking SPD. Oh yeah - if you think your phone's touchscreen is perfect... SPD's controls may change your mind (it really convinced me of my X3P's questionable touchscreen). But then again, extreme concentration does take some unfortunate events off so you will need that as well if you're playing SPD.

Conclusion of the case studies

In short, most, if not all games (except for shattered pixel for the most part) :

• Limit availability to Play Store (Fate/GO goes one step further & limits its Play Store distribution to "supported" countries, though allows traffic from "unsupported" countries)
• Online-only gameplay, despite the design seemingly capable of offline gameplay. For offline-capable games, they tend to get abandoned.
• Requires some form of Goolag dis-services to even run
• Sometimes doesn't let users run games for whatever reason
• Questionable gameplay, sometimes by design

What about emulators?

Well, with how crappy Android games nowadays are, we turn to emulating old consoles.

Emulation games offer advantages such as :

• Actual quality games from the good old days, back when developers can't just rely on internet to fix issues.
• Making stationary console (think PS1, PS2, Wii) games portable.
• Independent from internet, aside from whatever files & installers that needs to be downloaded.

However, on the flip side, here are disadvantages of emulators on Android :

• Controls - this is definitely the biggest issue of emulation (although it is also an issue to native Android games to some degree, depending on the game). Console games tend to rely on physical controllers with tactile buttons that Android phones don't readily replicate.
• Touch controls (the default without external controllers) help in mitigating the lack of physical controllers, but they don't offer the precise feel of one. You also have to pay attention to the touch control positions (which tends to vary between emulators) so as to not miss a button, which is unfortunately too easy with these... especially if your touch screen doesn't respond quickly enough (or, God forbid, randomly not responding - it sometimes happens on my X3P).
• Telescopic controllers (the likes of Gamesir X3 & Razer Kishi) basically converts your phone into a makeshift console (and it's easier to carry than dedicated controllers). However, these directly plug into your USB-C port (and it's usually centered so if your phone's USB-C port is not (like the ROG Phone) it's incompatible) & blocks out any other ports that your device had. It also requires removing your phone's case, making it vulnerable for the time between case & controller. In addition, in the possible case it has an additional USB-C port, it only works for charging, so you're better off preparing your files before plugging these in (or use network-based file transfer if you are some internet-dependent being).
• Dedicated controllers (DualSense, 8BitDo Sn30 Pro, Switch Pro, Xbox Series X) requires a mounting clip (which tends to feel like tack-ons instead of almost naturally matching the controllers they attach to) to "combine" your phone with the controller, which results in a bulky & unbalanced contraption. However, it doesn't block out your remaining ports, so you can still use them if needed. These controllers are also generally meant for wireless usage (with Bluetooth, which also comes with general Bluetooth flaws), but may also work by being directly plugged into the phone (or computer in case of PC gaming).
Personal anecdotes on wired DualSense & Dobe phone mount with X3P : The mount doesn't feel robust to me (and places the X3P a bit too close to my eyes) & the "fusion" of mount, DualSense, & X3P (which connects to DualSense with a C-to-C cable) tends to tilt the entire stuff towards the X3P. DualSense's inbuilt jack doesn't work at all (which sucks considering DualSense also disables the X3P's speaker, at least in this setup), but thankfully the X3P still provided one (though the headphone has to be plugged after DualSense). All in all, at the very least I don't have to deal with X3P's questionable touchscreen, as long as I don't mind the questionable ergonomics.



• Performance requirements vary between emulated devices - Game Boy, DS, & PSP can get away with mid-end (at least 732G), but some consoles won't run smoothly without high-end performance (PS2 / AetherSX2 demands Snapdragon 845 at the lowest, Switch / Yuzu demands SD865 (though I've had some luck running with my X3P which has SD860 - though it got so hot I had to play with the X3P in front of an air conditioner's vent with me exposed to the AC's cold winds) & ≥A11). Of course, these levels of performance also leads to thermal throttling. Yes, this also applies to some Android games (and some badly designed apps too), so let's consider this one a "water is wet" grade statement.
• More "water is wet" grade statement - emulation can be a battery sink. Of course, some netizens (Geekerwan & Zac Builds on YouTube) had their own attempt at DIY gaming phones, which seems to tackle all of these issues (for this point, the aforementioned netizens combined a bunch of their phones' batteries), though usually making the phone too clunky for phone uses (though in Zac Builds' case the "phone" was meant to be used as a handheld). But then again, gaming in general is a battery sink so...

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