The 5 great basketball games for Android may not be the basketball simulator you wanted to play, but they are incredibly addictive and hard to put down. The best part is you can play the games even if you have a twisted ankle or a sprained wrist. I’ll be honest here, and I wanted a game like the ones 2K made for consoles and PC on Android and was a little sad not to find one. Thankfully, the basketball games for Android that I found captured the essence of the game in slightly different ways, and it felt great playing them for hours. Note: The 5 Great basketball games for Android were tested on a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone. Some of the apps needed an active internet connection for multiplayer features. The second app took some time loading up the graphics, even though the sound was loaded a good 10 seconds earlier. So give it a little time to load, it is not stuck. Apart from that tiny hiccup, there were no problems faced during my play time.
1. Real Basketball
Despite having the word “real” in the name, the game is nowhere near the real deal. But that doesn’t mean it is not a great game. This game allows you to shoot hoops with surprisingly user-friendly controls. The real thing about the game is the shooting mechanics that simply work wonderfully. You need to flick your finger in an accurate manner to shoot the hoops. The speed of the swipe also determines the power of your shoot. This results in a game that rewards timing and skill, much like the real basketball. Several modes in the game allow you to use the fantastic shooting mechanics to win the games. The graphics are also top notch, but they are not as great as the best looking games for Android, but they do come close. Free Version
2. Basketball Stars
Now imagine if you have the same controls and gameplay mechanics as the previous game but with added benefit of playing it with a friend. This is exactly what Basketball Stars has to offer and to be frankly honest; I preferred this multiplayer game over any other game on the list. There is a sense of urgency to score hoops in the game, especially if you’re playing against another player. The 3-D graphics are fairly good especially when you compare this game with other basketball games for Android available on the Google Play Store. I also like how the game creates your finger swipes on screen, giving you visual cues on how to improve your next shot. I played around 15 different matches against online players, and it was very fun to lose even. I reckon with a bit of practice, and anyone can become unstoppable in this game, and that’s the beauty of it. Free Version
3. Basketball Shoot
This one is a rather simpler basketball game for Android thanks to its basic control scheme. If you have ever wondered how the Angry Birds control mechanics will translate to a basketball game, then Basketball Shoot is the perfect answer. Just like the best pool games for Android, this one also follows a simple gameplay mechanic. You tap and hold on the screen and drag your finger in the opposite direction of where you want the ball to go. It is exactly like the catapults connect used in Angry Birds and it feels really good. The best thing about this game is that you can hand it over to any kid and they will have a lot of fun. Personally, I don’t see myself playing it for an extended period of time but I can certainly appreciate the simplicity and entertainment value this game has. Free Version
4. Big Win Basketball
What do you get when you mash up basketball with a card game? You get Big Win Basketball. It is a card game that gives a lot of importance to fine tweaking the deck. If you have played any of the best card games for Android, you’ll be intimately familiar how they all work. This time around instead of putting your fantasy creatures against mythical monsters, you’ll be making a deck of basketball players that will go head-to-head with others. The best part of the game is that you get to watch the game play out in detail as well. You can actually monitor the performance of each player on your team and adjust the roster accordingly. There are also game changing cards available that further modify the way your players behave during the match. It is very rewarding to see your team come together and perform well against another human. Free Version
5. Bouncy Basketball
I’ll have to admit, while this game has almost no gameplay mechanic that resembles an actual basketball, it is one of the most fun games I’ve played in a long time. The simple, one-button mechanics of the game make it a lot simple than many other simplistic games I’ve played. There are two teams with two players on the screen that try to score baskets. But the funky physics of the characters, as well as the ball, make the game highly fun to play. At first, you’ll find it hard to score baskets reliably but after a little while, you’ll be scoring three pointers almost every time. The best thing about this game is its unpredictable physics and the way your players will react to a button press. A point to be noted here is that both the players are controlled with the same button, and they may not react equally. That’s the beauty of this insanely fast basketball inspired videogame. I will be keeping only this game on my smartphone after the article is done. Free Version
Conclusion
These were a few great basketball games for Android that you will surely enjoy if you love the game. It is very understandable that you may be disappointed not to find any realistic looking basketball games on Android. At first, I was also a little bit sad not to see any direct basketball adaptation for touch screens but at the end of the day, I had a lot of fun playing these games. To be fair, it will be very hard to fully implement the complex control schemes of the controller on a touchscreen especially when you need to touch controls. So as of now, we only have these great gems to quench our basketball related thirst. Just like always, if you have any kind of questions or better yet, suggestions, feel free to talk to us in the comments below. Feature Image Credits
