10 Best Games to Play on Your Galaxy S8
Flex Your S8's Muscles
Fortunately, the Play Store is filled with plenty of console-quality titles that can take advantage of your new phone's processing power, from fast-paced fighters to frantic strategy games that flood the screen with colorful characters. Here are the best games to try out on your Galaxy S8.
Star Wars Force Arena
Star Wars Force Arena is a game that practically demands a powerful, big-screen smartphone. This frenetic battle-arena title has you duel with other players in real time, strategically tapping your way around the battlefield, playing as iconic characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader while deploying reinforcements. The Galaxy S8+'s 6.2-inch display won't just make it easy to manage all of the chaos; it will also make every lightsaber, blaster shot and big explosion pop with color.
Credit: Netmarble Games
Mortal Kombat X
The mobile version of Mortal Kombat X is strikingly faithful to its console counterpart in terms of visuals, making it a great showpiece for your new S8. You'll get to enjoy every gory detail of the game's eclectic characters and over-the-top fatalities, and you'll have plenty of screen space to string together brutal combos with swipes and taps. If you're looking for the same console-grade action but with a superhero skin, the mobile version of Injustice 2 is right around the corner.
Credit: Warner Bros. International Enterprises
Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy
Telltale's take on Guardians of the Galaxy is a charming point-and-click adventure that one-ups the movie in many ways, and it looks just as good on mobile as it does on console and PC. The game's comic-inspired art style will really pop on the S8's display, and you'll be able to tap through its variety of interactive action scenes without worrying about any nasty slowdown. Plus, do you really need an excuse to play a game that has Rocket Raccoon and Groot in it?
Credit: Telltale Games
Vainglory
Vainglory is an intense multiplayer online battle-arena game (think League of Legends, but bite size) that floods the screen with colorful characters at any given moment. This is a game all about strategically navigating your way around a huge, vibrant map either alone or with a team, making it a natural fit for the S8's supersized display. Vainglory has a thriving competitive scene, and you'll need a good smartphone if you want to make it to the big leagues.
Credit: Super Evil Megacorp
Super Mario Run
Super Mario Run might not push your phone to the limit, but it's still one of the most gorgeous Mario games out there. The game's iconic, colorful stages are just begging to be experienced on the S8's big, vibrant screen, where you'll have plenty of real estate to dodge obstacles and see enemy Goombas and Koopas coming.
Credit: Nintendo
NBA 2K17
Playing NBA 2K17 is a great way to get your basketball fix on the go, with the title offering gorgeously realistic visuals and borrowing some of the best features from its console counterpart. It's an especially good fit for the S8, thanks to a Shaq-size display that gives you plenty of room for using the game's virtual on-screen controls with maximum precision.
Credit: 2K, Inc.
Asphalt 8: Airborne
Asphalt 8: Airborne has been around for a while, but it's still the best showcase of how gorgeous a racing game can look on mobile. The game's richly detailed cars, realistic lighting effects and colorful courses will appear especially drool-worthy on the S8's display. And thanks to the phone's beefy processor, the only speed bumps you'll be hitting are virtual ones.
Credit: Gameloft
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of the best Star Wars titles ever made, and it's a great showcase of what smartphone games are capable of. Every bit of BioWare's sprawling role-playing adventure is preserved in this mobile port. And the Galaxy S8's display will make it easy to plan out your attack combos and navigate the game's beautifully vibrant worlds.
Credit: Aspyr Media Inc.
Marvel Contest of Champions
Another console-quality fighting game, Marvel Contest of Champions lets you duke it out with the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America and Wolverine across a host of cool-looking stages. The game's colorful cast of Marvel characters will look great on the S8's screen, and its fast, swipe-based fighting action should play like a dream. It's a good thing the Galaxy S8 boasts some pretty good battery life, because collecting and leveling up your own crew of Marvel heroes can get quite addicting.
Credit: Kabam
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
It might be based on a decade-old classic, but the mobile version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a great smartphone showpiece thanks to its newly remastered graphics. Your Galaxy S8 should have no problem rendering the game's crowded open worlds and cinematic cutscenes. You'll also have plenty of screen space for setting up your controls as you see fit. Most importantly, San Andreas is still an all-time great, with a memorable story and a sprawling sandbox in which to wreak havoc.
Credit: Rockstar Games
Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored and was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.