Some of Android's Most Interesting Games Aren't on the Play Store

When I read about gaming on Android phones (the “native” kind, not emulation!), the posts and comments usually revolves around big-budget ports, blockbuster mobile releases, and increasingly powerful hardware. Games like Red Dead Redemption, Subnautica, and Tomb Raider are pretty damn clear indications of just how far smartphones have come in delivering genuinely AAA-quality experiences. And to be fair, while that’s the most visible side of Android gaming, but there is another side of gaming on Android.One of the reasons I enjoy using alternative app stores such as F-Droid, or its more polished front-end Droid-ify (which I recommend), is that they shift the focus entirely. Rather than chasing the latest AAA release or free-to-play trend, they surface a different kind of catalogue altogether: smaller, open-source games built by independent developers experimenting with ideas they care about. That’s where things start to feel more personal, more expressive, and often more fun in ways…