There is a plethora of free Android games on the market, with new content being released almost daily, it seems. With so many from which to choose, how does one find the best, most entertaining games for their Android device? Certainly, the games being free is a big plus, but even so, everyone has only so much leisure time.

Each of our picks are games that stretch across multiple genres, and we feel that each are in their own way, games that bring something new to the market.

Asphalt: Xtreme

This is a popular-racing game that, considering it is free, makes the huge amount of content that much more impressive. Featuring a wide variety of different tracks to race on and a huge number of vehicles to unlock, the game’s content will keep any racing fan entertained for quite some time. There’s even online multiplayer support to keep the fun going if you’re bored racing against the AI or just trying to unlock vehicles.

We should note however that while the game is free to play, like many games, it has in-app purchases that are optional, and the developers have a rather in your face strategy when it comes to promoting their content.

Critical Ops

We like Critical Ops because it really seems to have hit all of the right notes, despite being a work in progress still. It’s not only one of the newest FPS games for Android, it also has some really cool features:

• Large Variety of Urban Levels The amount of levels to play give this game some longevity, and the visuals are pretty great.

• Play as Good Guys or Bad If you get bored just fighting the bad guys, you can switch it up for some variety.

• Active Online Community Some games with multiplayer components suffer from a lack of activity on the boards and grow stale. Luckily this is not the case with Critical Ops, with a very active Multiplayer section. In fact, it’s estimated that at least

half a million players currently flock to Critical Ops.

• Active Development While the game is still growing and finding itself, that’s okay, because the development teams are frequently updating Critical Ops with new, exciting content.

Fallout Shelter

This pick already has some huge following thanks in no small part to it being extremely popular both within its own franchise and by itself. It may not be a brand-new game, but it’s had a ton of content added to its already large scope since its release, which is great news if you haven’t yet tried it.

It’s pretty much a standard simulation game with a Fallout skin, but it’s so involved, especially for an Android game, that fans of Fallout or sim games in general will have tons of entertainment with this one. Take in dwellers, build the shelter, and maintain an ecosystem, just to name a few of the intricate tasks you’ll do here.

Skyforce Reloaded

This one is part of its own Skyforce franchise, all of which are free to play games as well. Its beauty lies in its nostalgic look and feel as it mimics old style top down shooters. And yet, it adds even more content by allowing players to do a huge variety of quests in addition to the standard avoid projectiles and defeat A.I. enemies of the top down shooters to which Skyforce Reloaded pays homage. The old school play style is perfect for when you need to pass the time having some fun, or for when you want a serious challenge seeing how long you can dodge and fire without getting hit.

These are just a few of the best free to play games that we think will appeal to most any gamer out there. After all, mobile games are popular with all age groups. We encourage you to try at least one, if not all. And don’t forget that some of these games are part of their own franchises or series, and they have more games for Android to try.

Remember that there are in-app purchases often associated with these games. Some, like Fallout Shelter, usually keep these “reminders” to a minimum and whatever the case, you’ll get full functionality and fun without spending a dime.