Some major titles dropped last year, taking your newly bought Android phone for an explosive ride. However, with the emergence of another year, hot prospects are still on the way, leaving plenty of challengers ready to snatch the top spots on our Android's best games roundup. So in with the new, out with the old — let's see which of Android's upcoming games may shake up the platform in 2023.
1 Rainbow Six Mobile
Rainbow Six Mobile features Rainbow Six Siege's famous tactical FPS gameplay in bite-sized form; it's a 5v5 hero shooter where you'll encounter game modes like secure and bomb, which put you in a position to play strategically with your team.
So far, Rainbow Six Mobile has undergone alpha testing and recently had a closed beta for select countries. Ubisoft has initially confirmed a 2022 release window for Android and iOS, leaving the pre-registration up to the Play Store. However, it only recently finished a closed beta in late 2022, including improving quality of life based on the beta feedback, so it's now clear the launch will happen sometime in 2023. We anticipate a hard release for this year, given how the developers are prioritizing working on fine-tuning the player experience. If you're absolutely itching to know more, check out the news for maps on the official Rainbow Six Mobile website.
2 Torchlight: Infinite
Maybe you found yourself liking the polished gameplay of Diablo Immortal but don't quite fancy spending money to gear up for the end-game. Thankfully another rival action RPG is making its way to Android very soon. The dev team behind Torchlight: Infinite recently picked up David Brevik, the creator of Diablo, to oversee all productions regarding this title; so if customization trees, hero classes, and hacking/slashing waves of enemies on the map is your thing, you might want to keep an eye out for Torchlight: Infinite. The game has undergone a few closed beta tests, including the launch of the new PC beta client. We expected the full release to happen in 2022, but it seems the developers have committed to a soft launch of the open beta by pre-registering on the Play Store. We suspect the open beta will continue until the official release, given Torchlight: Infinite season 2 is about to pop off in the New Year with no signs of slowing down. Interested players should play through the open beta.
3 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
It's been a bumpy ride for Harry Potter fans with so many games dipping into the Harry Potter universe that either took too many creative liberties or left you with nothing but half-baked gameplay. But it looks like the pattern is finally going to break now that we have some promising prospects on the horizon: an open-world action RPG console/PC title, Hogwarts Legacy, in 2023, and an online mobile card-battler RPG, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, headed our way this year. The online mobile card-battler RPG is currently out in select countries in Asia, experiencing a positive reception since its launch. Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is firmly launching in 2023 after the sad news of its delay in late 2022. It has begun soft launching a limited release globally, which doesn't include the US for the first wave. But pre-registration remains open, so you can sign up now to ensure you get all the benefits when the game becomes available in your country.
4 Warcraft Rumble Arclight
You'll feel at home with Warcraft Rumble Arclight if you're already familiar with the mechanics behind Clash Royale; you're essentially collecting, building, and powering up an army of Warcraft Minis for tactical tower defense gameplay. It has a strong focus on the single-player content, leaving out any form of competitive play, but as you progress across stages, you'll face challenges that test your wits and your army's strength. So expect this title to keep you busy for a while. So far, the game has undergone a few beta tests and is currently open for pre-registration; no firm release date yet, but expected for 2023. Additionally, Warcraft Rumble Arclight received an overhaul and beta test for PvP, more changes are likely to be announced and tested before a final release, so sit tight.
5 Little Nightmares
In 2022, we were hit with the surprise news that the famous puzzle-platformer horror adventure game is making its way to mobile. Little Nightmares won the best Indie game in 2016 at Gamescom and spawned a well-received sequel Little Nightmares II a few years later. And note, this isn't the first mobile appearance by the famous cute and eerie game series. We had the series' prequel, Very Little Nightmares, land on Android in 2019. In addition, the port of Little Nightmare from the console and PC version was slated to arrive in Winter 2023, but recently the renowned French publisher Playdigious announced a delay on the port. Despite the sad news, a release in the same calendar year is still possible. And we already know how reputable Playdigious is for handling mobile ports with care and polish, so this is another one worth keeping tabs on.
6 Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
Square Enix isn't done with Final Fantasy VII yet; it's fully committed to releasing the entire experience of Final Fantasy VII with remakes and remasters, but this time, you can get your hands on the complete story of Final Fantasy VII on mobile. Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis narrates all the events in Final Fantasy VII by taking pages from every Final Fantasy VII-related title, including spin-off Dirge of Cerberus, Before Crisis (Japanese mobile game), Crisis Core, and Advent Children (movie). According to Square Enix, the story unfolds through episodic installments as a single-player experience; the first installment of the beta is set to release in summer 2023.
7 Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
The fad for porting over hot battle royale games isn't over; Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is taking a piece of the pie, and it will be delicious. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will support up to 120 players in each match, and fan-favorite Verdansk map makes a return. The best part is that this game supports cross-progression for your battle pass and friends list to sync with other titles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 — now you can get your fill of Call of Duty wherever you'd like without worrying about individual progress levels. Pre-registration is officially up, and confirmation on the official Twitter page shows a worldwide release in 2023. Right now, Call of Duty Warzone Mobile has a limited release for residents residing in Australia, Chile, Norway, and Sweden — expect more countries to join the fray as time goes on.
8 Valorant Mobile
Right now, Valorant is only on PC, so a mobile release would mean players who don't own a gaming rig can finally try out Valorant. Valorant is a 5v5 CS: GO-styled hero shooter where you face off against opponents on the attack or defense; combine your skill with your quick thinking, and you'll truly feel at home while playing Valorant. The game on PC is also known for its aggressive anti-cheat measures, meaning you can expect Riot Games to put that same level of care into the mobile port. Valorant Mobile was announced in 2021, and we already know that smaller-scale beta tests have been conducted, and there's still room for an accessible beta release date in the next few months. The release window was between 2022 and 2023, but now that 2022 is over with, the date is narrowed down to 2023 (potentially early 2024). So expect news on beta tests to come in the meantime.
9 Assassin's Creed Codename Jade
Ubisoft's latest Assassin's Creed title is set to take place during Ancient China. Character creation and open-world gameplay will appear in this mobile iteration, so expect a full-fledged triple AAA Assassin's Creed game this time. The game is free-to-play and shouldn't feel much different in quality from the former console title entries, so anyone looking to get their feet wet into Assassin's Creed should look forward to this one. There is no set release yet; besides, it is "coming soon," leading toward a potential launch for this year.
10 Mortal Kombat: Onslaught
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is the newest title to release since Mortal Kombat Mobile, a game that saw millions of downloads when it first launched; in Onslaught, players are tasked to create a dream team of fighters to defend against the impending threat. The game will feature a strategic team-based collection and fast-paced group melee combat gameplay as the core focus for this entry. Onslaught is already in testing in select regions, but expect the game to have a global launch in 2023. So keep an eye out on the Play Store listing to see when testing is available in your location, and you can sign up for Mortal Kombat: Onslaught official web page to receive updates.
A new year indicates hot new mobile titles are on the rise
The year 2022 was a wild ride for Android releases, and now 2023 has plenty of intriguing prospects under its belt, offering an exciting lineup as the year unfolds. In addition, more and more AAA titles are making their way to the platform, which means competition for quality games will only get tighter from here on out. Fortunately, 2022 was an incredible milestone for what the platform offers, where poring through the best Android games should give an idea of expectations that need to be met for Android's hot upcoming titles.