Take the rough and tumble out of hockey by playing a game on your android instead of taking to the ice!
Playing sports games on a mobile device is a fun and popular activity. Indeed, many of the best sports apps are now so realistic that we feel we’ve actually been playing the game physically, even though we’re not getting the exercise we feel we are! In the case of hockey games, as this is one of the most physical roughs and tumbles sports of all, so rather than taking to the ice, it’s a lot safer to get stuck into a mobile game instead.
The NHL is the most known league of all, although hockey is also a popular sport across many other regions of the world. This popularity means there are now plenty of delightful hockey games on the Google Play Store. If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to help, as we’ve spent some time looking at a wide variety of those available and compiled our choice of the 10 best hockey games for android. These will get your adrenaline flowing as they provide action, excitement, thrills, and spills.
While these are free to download and free to play, they do have the freemium element of in-app purchases (IAPs). These are sometimes necessary if you want to progress faster through the game, remove time limits, access extra game modes, and more. There is also a paid Pro version of one of the games below, which we have mentioned. Without further ado, let’s crack on!
1. HOCKEY NATIONS 18
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
This game will get your heart pumping as it’s fast and furious. It features motion-captured animations, more than 80 club and international teams, 7 tournaments to play, and 50 challenges. You can take part in epic battles against your biggest rivals with a gold medal in the Winter Games as your ultimate goal.
One of the features is live games where you’ll lead your team in a bid to earn points and get to the top of the leaderboard. Further features include playoffs, face-offs, and an outdoor series where you’ll be playing games outside at stadiums and on frozen ponds. You can enjoy the action free, but some game modes require the use of in-app purchases.
2. FRANCHISE HOCKEY 2018
Price: Free/ Offers IAP
This CBS hockey app provides plenty of challenges and maximum entertainment. You’ll need your best managerial skills to create your squad and build a hockey dynasty like no other with Hall-of-Famers and All-Stars. You’ll need to get your players working on the ice every day to get them into peak condition (and earn rewards and drafts).
You can also play exhibitions, pro games, showdowns, or whole seasons, with over 3,000 cards to collect from player packs. The ultimate aim is to win the Franchise Cup although we will say that progress is steady but slow. You can progress faster if you’re willing to use in-app purchases though. The most recent update (just a few days ago) includes a new Captain’s Collection limited series and new icons for the team logo maker.
Download Franchise Hockey 2019
3. HOCKEY LEGENDS: SPORTS GAME
Price: Free with ads
The graphics of this one are a little odd, but once you get used to the big head players, it’s a neat game. You’ll be against the clock trying to score goals or defending your goal, with three gameplay modes to choose from, 15 achievements to earn, and a leaderboard to climb. If you opt for tournament play, you can choose your difficulty level, depending on just how good you think you are. The controls are not as intuitive as we’d like, but there’s enough here to make us come back for more.
4. STICKMAN ICE HOCKEY
Price: Free with ads
Stickman Ice Hockey has fun rather than realistic graphics. However, that’s countered by the rather proper hockey mechanics of the game with brutal body checks, smooth, fast-paced gameplay, and Quick Game and Training modes. More features include season modes (such as Short Season, Long Season, Westcoast Cup, and World Cup), and there’s a choice of 46 teams, Open Air Classic game, 4 difficulty levels, integrated leaderboard, and match statistics.
The app also supports MOGA and MFI game controllers, and simple but effective touch controls.
5. HOCKEY FIGHT
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP $0.99
There’s a difference with this one as it’s really more of a 3D fighting game with hockey as the theme. It’s a bit retro and definitely not for the fainthearted, but if you like aggressive games, this could be just what you’re looking for. Put basically, imagine the roughest clashes you’ve seen on the ice, and this is it and then some. Dangerous players go all out to attack each other with punch combinations in the tournament mode, and you’ll want to customize your player to optimize their skills.
There are 14 achievements to gather, and if you finish the game, there’s a unique hardcore mode to unlock. Hockey Fight will test your reflexes, and you can opt for the free version with in-app purchases or upgrade to the paid pro version, also with IAPs.
6. HOCKEY CLASSIC 16
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
Hockey Classic is an excellent option with plenty about it to recommend. There are 60 teams and 7 game modes, and the app brings the atmosphere to life with the crowd going wild as you give it your best. One of the highlights is the Hockey Giants mode where it’s first to 5 goals and no rules apply, or you can battle in the Rivals Series or bid to become the Outdoor Series champions. The game has intuitive controls, great dynamics, and immersive gameplay, so do check it out.
7. BLOCKY HOCKEY
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
Blocky Hockey has a comic touch, and you’ll soon understand the title once you see the character graphics. It’s a fun game that’s easy to pick up, and you can compete with friends to see who can get the highest score. The app has a variety of rink surfaces to test you out, and although Blocky Hockey may be light-hearted there is still fighting, body checking and running mechanics to enjoy
8. PIN HOCKEY – ICE ARENA
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
This hockey game played in first-person, so you’ll see the action from inside the rink looking out. That makes it feel almost as though you’re actually on the ice in the 3D arenas. You’ll need all your tactics, and speedy reflexes and the app boasts of “perfect puck physics” thanks to its realistic physical engine. You can play across various teams and leagues, and the in-app purchases are for in-game items but not really necessary.
Download Pin Hockey – Ice Arena
9. GLOW HOCKEY
Price: Free with ads
Veering away from the usual type of hockey games, we have Glow Hockey, a popular simple app that works well. It has been downloaded 100,000,000 times, and the best bit is that it’s totally free to play, as unusually there are no IAPs with this game. As the title suggests, the game features vivid glowing graphics in air hockey style, and you can play in single-player or 2-player modes. Additional features include a choice of pucks and paddles, as well as goal vibration on scoring.
10. PUZZLE HOCKEY
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
We feel that Puzzle Hockey has plenty of potentials as it is a hybrid puzzle/sports game. The app includes hockey mini-games to test your timing, vision, and skills, as well as Match 3 gameplay.
You can also collect and build your dream squad with more than 150 NHLPA superstars. These include the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, and Connor McDavid, to name just a few. Your goal is to level-up your players (progressively difficult), find the right lineup, and rise through the ranks to reach Puzzle Hockey legend status.
Last words
We tried a copious amount of the top-rated hockey games for android on the Play Store, and these are our current choices. It’s easy to get your hockey fix by using one of these 10 best hockey games for android. Whether you want to dust off your skates (metaphorically), grab your puck, and pass and swipe to your heart’s content, or simply want to build a dream team of hockey champions, there’s something here for everyone. Maybe you want to take on the great rivals of the game or want to concentrate on climbing the ranks of the leaderboard. Either way, you should find just what you’re looking for among this selection.
If you try any or all of these apps, we’d be interested in receiving your comments on which you liked best and the reasons why. Maybe we missed your favorite, and you’d like to share your choice of the top hockey game, so do drop us a line.
