There is no single best strategy game on mobile. There is the best one for the way you like to play: growing a kingdom over weeks, thinking through a turn, building a deck, or beating other players. This guide sorts seven well-known strategy games into four families, describes each one from its own store listing, and puts price, ads, in-app purchases, offline play and platforms side by side. Every listing was checked on Google Play in the United States on October 18, 2026.
How we chose
Four rules decided which games made the list.
- On Google Play in the United States, with prices in US dollars.
- Active in 2026: every pick received an update between July and October 2026.
- You know the cost before your first game: every pick here is free to download, with in-app purchases that the listing declares.
- Strategy first: the decisions you make matter more than your reflexes.
We don't give scores. We describe what you do in each game, so you can recognise the family you're after. Tower defense has its own guide: our pick of the best tower defense games for Android.
Kingdom and base building
In these games, your base is your progress. You build, upgrade and produce resources between battles, often for weeks, and construction often keeps going while the game is closed.
Clash of Clans (Supercell)
You build and upgrade a village, train an army of troops, spells and heroes, and attack other players' villages to collect resources, while defending your own with towers, traps and walls. The listing mentions clans and Clan Wars, a ranked mode, a single-player campaign against the Goblin King, and a second base, the Builder Base, with its own versus battles. It is free to download; the listing says some items can be bought for real money, "including random items", and that a network connection is required. Our page on games like Clash of Clans looks at similar games.
Rise of Kingdoms (Lilith Games)
Rise of Kingdoms puts every player's city on one large shared map. You choose one of 15 historical civilizations, grow your city, and send armies led by commanders across the map, where battles happen in real time and anyone can join. Alliances coordinate on that map, with a chat that includes built-in translation. The listing, titled "Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade", shows "Contains ads" and "In-app purchases".
Kingshot (Century Games)
Kingshot describes itself as an idle medieval survival game. You govern a town after a rebellion: you assign survivors to jobs, keep them healthy, pass laws and defend against invasions, then compete with other players and form alliances. It is free to download with in-app purchases; the listing shows no "Contains ads" label.
Turn-based strategy
Turn-based games give you all the time you want for each decision. They tend to suit short sessions and travel.
The Battle of Polytopia (Midjiwan)
A turn-based civilization game: you lead a tribe, explore a map generated for each game, expand, research technologies and fight the other tribes. The listing lists three game modes, diplomacy with peace treaties and embassies, online multiplayer with matchmaking, and Pass & Play on one device. Midjiwan states that the game "can be played offline". It is free to download with in-app purchases.
RAID: Shadow Legends (Plarium)
A turn-based fantasy role-playing game built around a collection of Champions: the listing announces more than 800 of them, from 16 factions. You equip them with artifacts, rank them up and plan their skills for dungeons, boss fights and a story campaign. A multiplayer Arena and Clans add the competitive side. It is free to download with in-app purchases; the listing shows no "Contains ads" label.
Card and duel strategy
Here the battle is short, and your deck is your army. What you choose before the match matters as much as what you play during it.
Clash Royale (Supercell)
A real-time multiplayer card game: you build a deck from more than 100 cards (troops, spells and defenses), then try to knock down your opponent's King's Tower and Princess towers before they take yours. Clans let players share cards and play Clan Wars. It is free to download; the listing says items can be bought "including random items" and that a network connection is required. Our page on games like Clash Royale explores this family in more detail.
Hearthstone (Blizzard Entertainment)
A turn-based collectible card game. You build decks around one of 11 classes and face another player turn by turn. The listing also lists solo adventures, a draft Arena, Tavern Brawl and Battlegrounds, an auto-battler mode against seven other players. Progress is synced between mobile and PC. It is free to download with optional in-app purchases.
Competitive PvP strategy
Almost every game above has a player-versus-player side, but it doesn't always work the same way. Before you pick a game for PvP, check which of these four models it uses:
- Live duels: both players are connected at the same time, and the match plays out in real time or turn by turn. Clash Royale and Hearthstone work this way.
- Attacks on a defended base: you attack another player's base, defended by the towers, traps and walls they built. Clash of Clans is built around this.
- War on a shared map: battles take place on one map shared by a large number of players (more than 80,000 per world, according to Rise of Kingdoms' listing), and alliances matter more than single fights.
- Ranked arenas: you pick a team of characters and face other players' teams to climb a ranking, as in RAID: Shadow Legends' Arena.
Three questions sort these models quickly. Do you need to be available at the same time as your opponent? Do you need a group (a clan or an alliance) to compete? And how long is one match? A live duel asks for your full attention while it lasts; a war on a shared map plays out over days and rewards checking in regularly.
Our own game, Astrakeep, is a hero strategy game where sieges are played with cards. Its PvP uses the second model: you besiege other players' villages, defended by the heroes they chose.
Side by side: price, ads, in-app purchases, offline, platforms
Comparison on verifiable criteria. Data taken from the official store listings.
| Game | Price (US) | Ads | In-app purchases | Plays offline (per publisher) | Platforms on Google Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clash of Clans | Free | No ads label | Yes (including random items) | No: network connection required | Android, Windows |
| Rise of Kingdoms | Free | Contains ads | Yes (includes random items) | Not stated by the publisher | Android, Windows |
| Kingshot | Free | No ads label | Yes | Not stated by the publisher | Android, Windows |
| The Battle of Polytopia | Free | No ads label | Yes | Yes | Android, Windows |
| RAID: Shadow Legends | Free | No ads label | Yes | Not stated by the publisher | Android |
| Clash Royale | Free | No ads label | Yes (including random items) | No: network connection required | Android, Windows |
| Hearthstone | Free | No ads label | Yes | Not stated by the publisher | Android |
| Astrakeep (our game) | Free | Contains ads | Yes | No for PvP, alliances and chat (per our site) | Android (also playable in a web browser, per our site) |
Sources: Google Play listings (United States), checked on October 18, 2026. "Windows" means the listing offers the game through Google Play Games on PC. "Including random items" repeats the wording of the listing or of its content rating. "Plays offline" only says "Yes" or "No" when the publisher's own text says so. Astrakeep: our Google Play listing and our page astrakeep.djoox.com/en/, checked on the same day.
Listings: Clash of Clans · Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade · Kingshot · The Battle of Polytopia · RAID: Shadow Legends · Clash Royale · Hearthstone
FAQ
What is the best offline strategy game on mobile?
Among our picks, The Battle of Polytopia is the only one whose publisher states that it can be played offline. Clash of Clans and Clash Royale state that a connection is required. For the others, the listings don't say: test them in airplane mode before a trip.
What is the best strategy game without in-app purchases?
None of the seven picks: they are all free to download with in-app purchases. If you'd rather pay once, look for strategy games with an upfront price and no "In-app purchases" label on their listing.
Which strategy games suit short sessions?
Card duels like Clash Royale, and turn-based games like The Battle of Polytopia, where a turn waits for you. Kingdom builders can also fit short check-ins, since construction often runs while the game is closed, but they reward coming back often.
Can I play strategy games against my friends?
Yes. The Battle of Polytopia has Pass & Play on a single device and online multiplayer. Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, Hearthstone and RAID: Shadow Legends have clans or friend features, according to their listings.
Our own game
We make Astrakeep, so it isn't ranked here. It's a free hero strategy game with sieges played with cards, PvP, a kingdom of floating islands and alliances, out on Android and playable in a browser. Discover Astrakeep. For more free picks across the whole genre, see our guide to free strategy games, and for city builders, our page on kingdom building games on mobile.