Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Merge games have a simple premise. You take a thing, merge it with another thing, and it creates a better thing. I use the word thing here because merge games can have you merging almost anything. That includes monsters, numbers, objects, and whatever else. A lot of developers combine merge mechanics with idle mechanics as well. These aren’t much different from match-three games. Match-three games have you removing items by matching similar shapes, whereas merge games add new things to the board when you match similar shapes. In any case, here are the best merge games for Android.
The best merge games for Android
2048 or Threes
Price: Free / $0.99
2048 and Threes (Google Play) are two of the original merge games on mobile. Both games play very similarly. You take two of the same numbers and merge them to create a new number that is double that of the old one. From there, you create another one and merge those as well. 2048 uses factors of two whereas Threes uses factors of three. Otherwise, the games are nearly identical. We like these games because they are easy and family-friendly. Plus, they are both premium options in a space with many free-to-play games.
Griddie Islands
Price: Free to play
Griddie Islands is one of the most popular merge games on mobile. You start on an island where you merge little Griddies to create newer, bigger Griddies. The goal is to unlock everything. There is also an incremental idle element as well. Griddies produce money when left alone, and you use that money to upgrade things even more. The merge and idle elements make it a chill game to play, and a good option in this space.
Hexagon Dungeon
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Hexagon Dungeon has simple merge mechanics. The goal is to merge three hexagon monster blocks to generate an upgraded monster block. This clears the board so you can add and merge more monster blocks. It plays and feels a bit like a match-three game, which we don’t mind in the slightest. It’s a unique twist on both genres. There is also a small bit of story to play through as well. It’s pretty good overall, although some reviews say that it could use a bit more polish.
Medieval Merge
Price: Free to play
Medieval Merge is another game that uses both match-three and merge mechanics. Players craft various tools and then merge them to create other tools. You’ll fix up the town and beat bad guys as you progress through the game. The game encourages players to explore their surroundings, and there’s even a little story for you to experience. It feels a bit less focused on the mechanics than some other games, which is a good thing sometimes. The only downside is the developer’s nerf-happy updates that make the game harder and harder on players. Other than that, it’s a good time.
Merge Mayor
Price: Free to play
Merge Mayor is another merge puzzle game. This one uses merge mechanics, match-three mechanics, and city-building mechanics. You merge items to help grow your town, complete missions, and progress through the story. The game also boasts few pay-to-play mechanics, offline support, and decently balanced gameplay that isn’t too easy or too hard for most. It’s a good experience overall, and we think the developers did a good job balancing free-to-play elements, advertising, and gameplay with this one.
NecroMerger
Price: Free to play
NecroMerger is a merge game that hits most of the correct notes. Players merge minor monsters like skeletons and zombies into more powerful monsters before feeding them to their Devourer. The Devourer grows in power, and the idle elements of the game take over to generate resources for you. You spend the resources to expand your lair and do other things. That’s the major gameplay loop. There are over 70 monsters to merge, plenty of things to unlock, and more things to do. The advertising is optional, the in-app purchases don’t get in the way, and it’s deep enough to play long-term. There isn’t much wrong with this one.
Om Nom: Merge
Price: Free to play
Om Nom: Merge is a merge game spinoff of the popular Cut the Rope series. This one is a fairly standard merge game. You merge the Nommies to create new creatures. Those creatures consume fruit in the forest. There are dozens of creatures to unlock, various locations to do your merging, and power-ups to help advanced faster. The beginning of the game is much faster and more fun than endgame, but you aren’t supposed to play these games forever. It’s family-friendly, cute, and enjoyable for a while at least.
Random Dice: Defense
Price: Free to play
Random Dice: Defense combines the merge mechanic with tower defense and match-three. Players merge their weapons in a match-three style to defeat bad guys before they get to the end of their lane. The gameplay is fun and slightly frenetic, which gives it a more action feel than many other merge games. There is also online PvP, solo play, crew battles where you play with others, and special challenges to keep things fresh. There are no forced ads as of this writing, so you can play as you please. This is one of the good ones, especially if you like tower defense games and merge mechanics.
Triple Town
Price: Free / Up to $8.99
Triple Town is a merge game that is mixed with city-building mechanics. You merge various items to generate new items. You use the new items to merge again or build your city. You start with things like rocks and grass. Eventually, you wind up with things like buildings. There are some obstacles along the way, but it’s usually no big deal. The developers are also very open about the fact that you get turns. Players can buy more turns with in-app purchases or subscribe to the game for unlimited turns for a year. We like that since you can pay once to overcome the game’s biggest drawback. We wish more turn-based games did something like that.
Vivid Knight
Price: $10.99
Vivid Knight is a sort of wild card on this list. It’s a roguelike adventure game, first and foremost. You create a party, dive into dungeons, find loot, and repeat to form the best possible party. You get jewels from dungeons, which you merge to increase your party’s stats and unlock various new abilities. That’s the main merge mechanic. Since it’s a secondary mechanic, we’re unsure if that qualifies this game as a merge game. However, it’s often recommended in merge game circles, so we’re adding it here. It’s a good game with quick gameplay and plenty of things to do.
If we missed any big merge games, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.
