Endlessly running towards something
At last, the deluge of endless-runner games for Android appears to have abated. The only trouble is… we kind of miss them.
Not that we ever want to see a return to the saturation point of a few years back. But the auto-runner went through a bit of a boom for a very simple reason: it’s a very fun genre to play on your phone.
Or rather, the best examples of the format were very fun to play on your phone. We’ve assembled 25 examples in the following list.
So what constitutes an autorunner, or endless runner games? It’s simple really: auto-runners are games where your avatar automatically moves through an environment, leaving you to dodge, jump, or otherwise shift their possession as obstacles appear.
They can be side-scrollers, top-down, 2D or 3D. And they can cover a surprising amount of thematic ground, too. These aren’t just 25 Temple Run/Canabalt clones.
Have we missed your favourite Android endless-running games? Let us know in the comments below.
A Mario platformer where you don’t have any directional control over Mario himself might sound like heresy, but Nintendo has found a way to work layers of depth into Super Mario Run.
It’s got all the classical auto-runner elements, but take them into the Mario universe, where, as you might well know, you’ve got quite a challenge on your hands. You know all those speedrunners, setting world records in this game and whatnot? Super Mario Run is the perfect game to showcase your fast reaction speed and skill! Want to know more about the game? Then make sure to read our Super Mario Run review!
Alto’s Odyssey is a stunning endless skier that has you leaping and flipping down a vast mountain. There’s nothing original about it, but auto-runners don’t come any more polished or satisfying than this.
From the colour scheme to the simple controls, the game is easy to play and understand, and the fairly minimalistic approach makes it a joy to look at. If you need more information about the game, then make sure to check our Alto’s Odyssey review!
This auto-runner is another one that is part of the classic but dangerous squad. It’s a game that will get difficult extremely fast, just like Temple Run and Jetpack Joyride, and it’s specifically created to keep you on your toes.
You basically control a character that runs along the train tracks and tries not to get hit by any moving or stationary obstacle. Much like many of the games on this list, it’s a game that receives updates at a steady pace and never has a shortage of active players. It’s one of the longest-standing endless runner games on phones and tablets in 2023.
Smash Hit is one of the oldest endless runners for Android, but still one of the best. The developer updated it in 2019, so it works on modern devices. In the game, you will have to move toward tons of glass panels while throwing fireballs at those panels to break them. In this game, the amount of your ammo is also the amount of your health.
In Smash Hit, unlike in the majority of runners, it is extremely important to plan your actions and think ahead instead of just moving forward and wasting your ammo. Smash Hit is definitely one of the best mobile endless runners, which is going to impress even an avid fan of this genre.
From the creators of the abovementioned Subway Surfers, we have a new endless runner that will eradicate your free time! The gameplay will take you back home if you’ve played similar titles before, it’s snappy and smooth. I hope you have good eye and finger coordination because it will test your limits!
If you’d like to know more about it, we have a MetroLand guide to help you out, especially if you’re new. There is also a MetroLand characters guide to help you unlock every character in the game.
Alone is a super-stylish endless flier that sees your doomed space shuttle crashing through a crumbling cave system. It’s pretty brutal. The game is, in essence, an auto-runner survival in space, featuring minimalistic graphics that cleverly combine with the immersive playstyle.
This engaging game is like none of the other auto runners that you’re accustomed to, but it’s a very welcomed change to the genre. ALONE is truly one of the top endless runner games for Android. And if you still have some concerns about this game, make sure to read our ALONE review!
Ultimate Sackboy is colorful, vibrant, and fun! You run forward as a version of Sackboy, who you can customize with a bunch of different unlockable. The whole world has a hand-knitted feel, kinda like it’s made of kids toys. You can find yourself dodging obstacles, watching things pop-up from the ground, swinging over gaps, and rolling around in a giant hamster ball.
There is just a lot of juice and polish in this endless runner, making it a fun and whimsical game that’s very clearly enjoyed by many!
Sky Dancer Run is another incredible endless runner with some interesting features. It is a runner with its own unique concept, where you have to run, jump, and fall. The game has simple but, at the same time, dynamic gameplay, fantastic soundtracks, and high-quality graphics.
It is a great game that definitely deserves your attention. If you are looking for more information about this incredible game, make sure to check our Sky Dancer Run review.
An extremely slick and challenging first-person runner with a sharp sci-fi setting. If you want to feel like you’re really running through a futuristic dystopia, this is your game.
Unlike the other “typical” auto runners, you enjoy endless running in the third person. Here, you can immerse yourself into the game a lot easier, and you’ll feel like your decisions will impact the game much more. It’s exciting and definitely worth a play!
We’ve had a game for cat lovers, and now it’s time to pick one for the puppy lovers out there. An auto-runner that sees you taking control of an adorable dimension-hopping pug. Or rather, two, as you switch between them according to the colour of the obstacle.
In Double Pug Switch, you can enjoy the colourful-looking graphics and gameplay (that gets challenging pretty fast) with a cartoonish approach to the genre. We recommend playing it on a bigger screen to really enjoy the thrill. Therefore, we’ll go ahead and say that it’s one of the best mobile endless runner games for tablets out there.
A brilliant, twitchy arcade masterpiece that takes the 3D endless runner to new heights. Boson X takes the player into a minimalist particle accelerator and challenges them to run and jump around the various randomly-generated platforms.
It’s a challenging game that looks fantastic and follows a unique approach. In a way, it’s similar to the good ol’ SkyRoads on DOS – from the platform perspective at least. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
Did someone mention the Boson X Review? Of course, we have it.
Monster Dash dates back to the early days of smartphone gaming, but it received an unexpected “bigger, badder” revamp in mid-2020. It still plays great, but it now looks a little sharper.
It’s from Halfbrick Studios, just like Jetpack Joyride, and that only means one thing – Barry is the OG character when it comes to auto runners. He’s the epitome of an amazing gunner, jumper, pilot and driver. In Monster Dash, for instance, he’s driving his motorcycle while slashing through all kinds of monsters. It’s that much more exciting.
A decidedly unusual 3D auto-runner that adds a schlocky horror vibe to this typically chirpy genre. There’s a swing-based control system that lifts the game a further notch above the ordinary.
This challenging endless runner takes various creepy elements and elevates the difficulty of Rest in Pieces to a never-before-seen level. If you’re not a fan of horror, you might want to stay away from it. Otherwise, make sure to check it out. This unique approach is something to behold.
Think the auto-runner genre is fresh out of ideas? Summer Catchers says hi, with its added deck-building elements and bouncy car-platformer gameplay.
The pixelated graphics make it that much more appealing because it simply says I don’t care about fancy-looking graphics, I care about playing well and offering a genuine experience – and that it does. It’s one of the top auto runners for Android you could try, and the premium price is well worth the money. If you are looking for more info about the game, make sure to read our Summer Catchers guide for beginner’s.!
Jumanji: Epic Run takes your typical endless runner game and gives it a brand-new look. It’s a beautiful game, and while there’s nothing that makes it clearly stand out from the rest, it’s a great game that doesn’t need other features to make it good.
Take your favourite Jumanji character on a stroll through the jungle and complete the adventure in style.
An undisputed endless runner classic from the early days of the Google Play Store. Jetpack Joyride’s tactile, surprisingly varied gameplay is still going strong. The game receives updates regularly, and the playstyle is as crazy as ever (if not more).
If you haven’t tried this classic before, make sure to do so. It not only has a plethora of free customizations, but also more than enough features to make it a highly competitive and engaging game. It’s one of the best auto runners for Android of all time – undisputed.
A game that ingeniously takes the familiar maze-running premise of Pac-Man and applies it to a modern Android endless runner framework.
This 8-bit endless runner game at its core is one of the best ever made, and the 256 release only adds a few more layers to the challenge it brings, when it comes to defeating the pesky ghosts and outrunning the glitch. It’s brilliant.
If you are looking for a more unique approach to the mobile runner games, you can shift your attention towards Into the Dead 2. Without a clear path that you can run on, you can choose the way you want to move, upgrade your weapons and take down zombies along the way.
Into The Dead 2 pulls the auto-runner genre kicking and screaming into the first person, as you run for your life through fields of the undead. Eek!
This starkly minimalist first-person auto-runner has you dashing and bounding through wireframe landscapes. It’s stomach-lurchingly immersive.
If you wanted one of our clear picks for the best mobile endless runners, here you have it. This premium title is all the rave for a number of reasons. You have the trippy minimalist graphics, the engaging play style and the unique approach. What is there not to like, really?
Minion Rush is a really fun mobile endless runner that kids and adults of all ages love. In this game, you will be met by everyone’s favourite minions from the Despicable Me universe, who will run around a wide variety of locations.
As the regular premise of this genre, you have to try to avoid traps and collect bananas. At first glance, it may seem a little childish, but if you have watched the cartoon, you should know how cruel minions can be.
The game that kicked off a new kind of auto-runner, Crossy Road combines tappy gameplay with adorably blocky graphics and loads of unlockable characters.
It’s a game that gives the endless runner genre a much more calming approach, by making the levels less… punishing by losing. Instead, it makes them fun, engaging, and extremely satisfying. While it’s not your typical game belonging to the genre, it is one of the best endless runner games for Android phones and tablets out there. Also, If you want to know how to get every mystery character in Crossy Road, you should definitely read our article!
Maybe this guide to unlock every character in Crossy Road will get you hyped up about the game!
Dragon Hills 2 is like an inverse Tiny Wings, but with oodles of gleeful destruction. One of the most empowering auto-runners on the Google Play Store.
Dragon Hills 2 will let you pilot a powerful dragon through different world, all while trying to take down enemies lurking around at every corner. It’s one of the most exciting auto runners on this list!
An endless runner with a gruesome twist – you have to murder your way through a stream of screaming teens. It’s all pulled off with a bright, schlocky horror movie flourish.
Slashy Camp is an unexpectedly brilliant auto-runner, despite not looking at the part at first glance (if we were to be a tad bit judgemental). It’s definitely worth a shot though!
The sequel to the daddy of 3D endless runners isn’t as fresh or as game-changing as the original – how could it be? – but it is a very polished example of the format.
It’s a very classical-looking endless runner, without additional layers of beautifying features. It doesn’t need them. The game is as good as it could get, and it’s everything you could ever want from it. A timeless classic.
Crash Bandicoot always had the spirit of an auto-runner at its core, so this mobile adaptation makes perfect sense. It’s a fairly typical 3D runner, but with that extra dash of charm and polish.
It’s got all the characters you may or may not know, and that’s just another layer of fun to this already hyper-engaging auto-runner. In Crash Bandicoot: On the Run, you have a game that’s fairly similar to Temple Run and Subway Surfers, but with enemy battles and much more. And while you are still here make sure to check our list of the best auto-runner games for iPhone and iPad. Good Luck!
