5 obsolete Android games you'd like to see back

One of the unexpected events of 2024 was the announcement that Flappy Bird would be coming back 10 years after disappearing from the App Store and Play Store. This is good news for those who missed its addictive gameplay, but it's an exception to the rule that canceled Android games don't come back.

If you regularly use hardware such as the most powerful gaming tablets, you know how frustrating it can be to have your favorite games disappear forever. There are a lot of great Android games in 2024, but many of the games that would be included in this roundup haven't been available for years. Here are some games we hope will come back from the cold like Flappy Bird.

5 peggle

Peggle Blast is a shadow of the original game

The mobile port of Peggle launched on June 21, 2011 as a free Amazon Appstore exclusive. Now available on Play Store and iOS for $2.99. Although the mobile version lacked UI scaling and device support, it was an impressive port of the PC and console versions.

Peggle was quietly removed from the Play Store in 2014 to make way for Peggle Blast, a free-to-play spin-off packed with microtransactions. Peggle Blast offered slick graphics and fresh animation, but aggressive monetization left us longing for the classics again.

Unlike Peggle 2, which can be played on the cloud through the Xbox Game Pass app, Peggle doesn't have a similar workaround. We'd love to see it come back to our devices, but it's unlikely to do so as long as Peggle Blast exists.

4 Shadowrun Returns

One of the best turn-based RPGs on the Play Store

Shadowrun Returns was a great turn-based tactical RPG that disappeared from the Play Store six years ago. This is because Google introduced a GDPR-compliant policy on the Play Store, which resulted in non-compliant apps and games being delisted overnight without warning. Hundreds of publishers, including Shadowrun Returns developer Harebrained, woke up to find their games disappeared from the Play Store. the brainiac claimed A simple fix could bring the game back within two years. Six years have passed and we are still waiting.

Shadowrun Returns was released in 2013 for $9.99, which was a hefty price for a mobile game in an era before AAA ports were common. Its isometric gameplay, classic RPG features, great graphics, strategic turn-based combat, and flexible class building made it an instant hit. Shadowrun Returns deserves to come back to our phones and tablets. It remains one of the best RPGs on Android.

3 dead space

A surprisingly good mobile spin-off

Games like XCOM 2, Alien: Isolation, and Minecraft use the latest hardware to deliver console-quality gaming through your Android smartphone or tablet. But 2011 was a different time, and the closest thing to a console or PC experience required spin-offs of vastly different quality.

Dead Space stood out as a great example of a mobile spin-off of an established console game. IronMonkey Studios has accurately recreated the feel of the main series on mobile, making the necessary compromises to mobile hardware while maintaining the survival horror gameplay. It was a great example of how to make a great mobile spinoff, but EA quietly dropped the game in early 2016.

Games like Alien: Isolation have proven that there's a lot of interest in mobile horror games, so we think Dead Space should make a comeback. But unlike Alien: Isolation, Dead Space proved that you can create a successful horror game exclusively for mobile. However, it needs a graphical upgrade to stand out today.

2 Zenonia 1, 2, 3

Classic ARPG with a retro twist

The “Zenonia” series started in 2010 as an action RPG for mobile devices (including home game consoles such as Nintendo DSi). The original game was compared favorably to classic RPG games such as The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy. It spawned five sequels, culminating in 2015's Zenonia S.

It didn't take long for a sequel to Zenonia to appear. Zenonia 2 launched on Android two days after the original's launch (Zenonia first launched on iOS in 2009), and Zenonia 3 arrived 11 months later. These games received positive reviews thanks to their combination of retro RPG themes and modern features. Still, it was removed from the Play Store in 2014.

Zenonia 4 and 5 are still available for download from the Play Store, but reviews are full of complaints about bugs that make the games unplayable. We hope that you will be able to download the Zenonia series from the Play Store without any game-breaking bugs. There are a lot of great RPGs to enjoy in 2024, but Zenonia will be sorely missed.

1 NOVA trilogy

A no-frills FPS game

Mobile devices have not been the best platform for FPS games due to the limitations of touch screen controls. However, NOVA Games showed that it was possible to play full-featured FPS games on mobile, on par with the console shooters of the time. Although the game lacked originality (NOVA had many similarities to games like Crysis and Halo), it was packed with enough content to satisfy FPS fans.

Gameloft released a remake of the first NOVA game in 2017 called NOVA Legacy. After its release, the NOVA trilogy was removed from the Play Store. NOVA Legacy lasted for 6 years, but also died in 2023.

Given the cost of servers, I don't expect the multiplayer elements of NOVA games to return, but I would love to play through the single-player campaign again. In the meantime, you can play Halo via the Xbox Game Pass app.

Many Android games were too good to forget

These Android games are some of the biggest titles lost to time. As Flappy Bird's return shows, there's always hope. Many of these games, such as NOVA and Zenonia, are staples of the Play Store library and would be well-received if they were brought back.

These Android games are just a drop in the ocean of games removed from the Play Store. Perhaps you miss Mass Effect: Infiltrator? Don't forget the Star Wars-themed Tiny Tower spin-off, Tiny Death Star. In an era where developers are neglecting Android games, the return of some mobile classics is welcome.