Best Android Tablet Games in 2013

Mobile devices offer a number of benefits that come in handy in today’s modern world, such as the ability to work and communicate while on the go. They also make it easier than ever to goof off with a fun and diverting game.Apple is known for its App Store, which features no shortage of video games in mobile-app form. And while Android devices haven’t been on the market nearly as long as the iPhone, the Google Play store is beginning to catch up. Now, there are more games than ever for Android phones and tablets — far too many to mention in a single list. So in the interest of narrowing the playing field, here are some of the very best games for Android devices in 2013.

“Dead Trigger” —Free

If there’s a better stress reliever than mowing down wave after wave of zombies, it hasn’t come to light yet. This first-person shooter has everything going for it: easy controls, post-apocalyptic landscapes and a plethora of undead-obliterating weaponry.

“Bad Piggies” —Free

Rovio achieved great fame with a little app featuring ill-tempered members of the avian family. This entry focuses on the antagonists of that wildly popular franchise: the pigs. Like “Angry Birds,”“Bad Piggies” offers highly creative game mechanics that challenge players to create vehicles in which to launch their porcine cohorts into the sky.

“Kingdom Rush” — $2.00

Tower defense games are known for being addictive, and Kingdom Rush is no exception. This action/fantasy game features simple yet endearingly cartoonish graphics that render a world filled with orcs, elves, wizards and warriors. The goal of the player is to do battle and defend his or her territory across a number of landscapes, from charred wastelands to verdant forests. Kingdom Rush offers a dizzying array of upgrades and abilities as well as nine different heroes from which to choose.

“Pirates Showdown” — $3.00

Those who have a soft spot for real-time strategy games will likely enjoy this entry, as it delivers fun RTS combat in a fairly original setting: the high seas. Players take on the role of swashbuckling pirates, with the point of the game being to loot and plunder your way to fame and fortune. Players can build up a fleet of ships and take to the Caribbean in order to flex their pirate muscles.

“Fruit Ninja” — $3.00

An oldie but a goodie, “Fruit Ninja” achieves exactly what it set out to do: offer players a platform from which to hack away at virtual fruit with a virtual samurai sword. While this may not exactly be in keeping with the storied tradition of the actual Japanese samurai, it does help to pass the time on those long commuter trips. After all, a budding honor-bound assassin has to start somewhere.

With these games downloaded to an Android device, the user should be able to while away as much time as his or her lifestyle will allow killing zombies, slicing watermelon, launching pigs into the sky and whatever else his or her little gaming heart desires.