The Mina the Hollower reviews this month put metroidvania back at the centre of the discourse, where it belongs. There’s something about the genre, the unfolding map, the locked-door foreshadowing, the moment you remember a corner because you finally have the double-jump, that mobile gaming was made for. Phones with a good Bluetooth controller can do justice to the entire canon now.
We tested eight metroidvania games for Android that hold up in 2026, including the genre defining classics and a few indie standouts that took the formula somewhere new. The list is built around touch controls that actually work, save-state friendliness, and offline play.
What to look for in a metroidvania on Android
- Map-aware design. The whole point of the genre is gating and discovery. Games that hand you everything kill the mood.
- Controller support. Touch controls can carry a metroidvania, but a Bluetooth pad makes long sessions easier.
- Save states or cloud saves. Phone sessions get interrupted. The good ports save aggressively so you don’t lose progress.
- Honest difficulty. Metroidvania difficulty should come from learning the map and the enemy patterns, not from a stamina meter.
- No live-service grafting. A few free-to-play games slap a metroidvania label on a level grind. Skip them.
- Premium pricing without micro-transactions. Almost every game on this list is paid up front. That’s the right shape for the genre.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free | Platforms | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlevania Grimoire of Souls | Co-op metroidvania | Free, freemium | Android, iOS | Konami-blessed touch controls |
| Dead Cells | Roguelike metroidvania | Paid | Android, iOS, PC, console | Procedural maps with hand-crafted bosses |
| Bloodstained Ritual of the Night | Classic IGAvania | Paid | Android, iOS, PC, console | Igarashi-directed Castlevania successor |
| Castlevania Symphony of the Night | The canon | Paid | Android, iOS | Definitive port of the 1997 original |
| Guacamelee | Combat-driven metroidvania | Paid | Android (via cloud), PC, console | Lucha libre combos and dimension-swapping |
| The Mummy Demastered | Pixel-art shooter-vania | Paid (when available) | Android, PC, console | WayForward-developed Mummy tie-in |
| Evoland 2 | Genre-shifting RPG | Paid | Android, iOS, PC | Cycles through eras and genres |
| Bullet Knight | Bite-size metroidvania | Free, freemium | Android, iOS | One-handed mobile-first design |
The apps
1. Castlevania Grimoire of Souls — Best for genre fans on a phone
Castlevania Grimoire of Souls is Konami’s mobile-first take on the franchise. It pulls levels from across the Castlevania timeline (Symphony of the Night, Aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia) and stitches them into a story that lets you play Alucard, Soma, Shanoa, and others. Co-op missions add a multiplayer dimension that the older games never had.
Where it falls short: Free-to-play with stamina mechanics. The card-collection system has a gacha element.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases.
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Bottom line: Grimoire of Souls is the easiest way to play Castlevania-style content for free on Android.
2. Dead Cells — Best roguelike metroidvania
Dead Cells is the Playdigious port of Motion Twin’s seminal roguelike-metroidvania hybrid. Runs are procedural, but the rooms and bosses are hand-crafted, so the rhythm of exploration still feels intentional. The mobile port has every DLC, full controller support, and a tight touch control scheme that’s been refined over years.
Where it falls short: Pay once, but not cheap. Difficulty curve gets brutal in the late game.
Pricing: Paid.
Platforms: Android, iOS, PC, console.
Bottom line: Dead Cells is the best metroidvania on Android by combat alone.
3. Bloodstained Ritual of the Night — Best classic IGAvania
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night is Koji Igarashi’s spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night, ported to mobile by the same studio that did Dead Cells. It’s a long, content-rich metroidvania with hundreds of crafting recipes, dozens of shards (the game’s special-attack system), and a map that takes 20+ hours to explore fully.
Where it falls short: Performance varies by phone. Some mid-range GPUs see frame drops in busy boss fights.
Pricing: Paid.
Platforms: Android, iOS, PC, console.
Bottom line: Bloodstained is the right pick when you want a 20-hour metroidvania in the classical mould.
4. Castlevania Symphony of the Night — The canon
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is the 1997 original, ported by Konami to Android with touch controls and the inverted castle intact. It’s the game every modern metroidvania references, and the mobile port preserves the original soundtrack, the save points, and the secrets. Bluetooth controller support makes it the right way to revisit it on a phone.
Where it falls short: Touch controls are workable but not ideal. The original difficulty isn’t friendly to newcomers.
Pricing: Paid.
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Bottom line: Symphony of the Night is the foundational text. Everyone serious about the genre should play it.
5. Guacamelee — Best combat-driven metroidvania
Guacamelee! by DrinkBox Studios layers lucha libre combat onto a colourful Mexican-folklore metroidvania. The dimension-swap mechanic (flick between living and dead worlds) is the most original gating idea in the genre, and the combos open up well past the tutorial. The Android version is cloud-based or via emulator, not native.
Where it falls short: No direct Android port. You play via Steam Link, GeForce Now, or an emulator wrapper.
Pricing: Paid (purchase on PC, stream to phone).
Platforms: PC, console, Android (via streaming or emulation).
Bottom line: Guacamelee earns the spot for its combat alone. Pair it with Steam Link or GeForce Now.
6. The Mummy Demastered — Best pixel-art shooter-vania
The Mummy Demastered is WayForward’s underrated 16-bit-style metroidvania that quietly became a cult favourite. You play a series of agents (each one dies permanently and the next one starts where they fell), shooting your way through corrupted ruins. The shooter-meets-metroidvania structure feels closer to Contra than Castlevania.
Where it falls short: Distribution has been spotty since launch. Sometimes the only Android path is APKMirror.
Pricing: Paid (when available).
Platforms: Android, PC, console.
Bottom line: The Mummy Demastered is the right pick for fans of shooter-vania spinoffs.
7. Evoland 2 — Best genre-shifting hybrid
Evoland 2 isn’t a pure metroidvania but it borrows the gating structure beautifully. The game cycles through eras (8-bit, 16-bit, 3D) and genres (RPG, side-scrolling brawler, puzzle, shoot-em-up), and the metroidvania chapter is one of the standouts. The Android port is a generous 30-hour pay-once experience.
Where it falls short: The genre-shifts mean uneven pacing. Players who only want metroidvania can find it diluted.
Pricing: Paid.
Platforms: Android, iOS, PC.
Bottom line: Evoland 2 is for anyone who wants metroidvania to be one course in a varied meal.
8. Bullet Knight — Best one-handed mobile metroidvania
Bullet Knight is the indie pick that was built around mobile from day one. Levels are bite-size, the map is portable, and a single-thumb control scheme lets you play standing on a bus. It’s less ambitious than the AAA ports above but feels right on a phone in a way the others sometimes don’t.
Where it falls short: Shorter campaign than the premium titles. Visuals are functional, not pretty.
Pricing: Free with optional in-app purchases.
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Bottom line: Bullet Knight is the right pick when you can only spare a hand and ten minutes.
How to pick the right one
- If you’ve never played a metroidvania: Castlevania Symphony of the Night or Bloodstained.
- If you want roguelike runs: Dead Cells.
- If you want a free entry point: Castlevania Grimoire of Souls or Bullet Knight.
- If you want combat-first: Guacamelee (via streaming).
- If you want pixel-art shooter-vania: The Mummy Demastered.
- If you want genre variety: Evoland 2.
A controller helps for all of these. Cheap Bluetooth pads with phone clips have come a long way.
FAQ
Is Hollow Knight on Android?
No. Team Cherry has never released Hollow Knight on Android. The closest substitutes on a phone are Dead Cells and Bloodstained Ritual of the Night, both of which port the genre well.
Is Mina the Hollower on Android?
Not at launch. The current release is on PC and console. There’s no announced Android port.
What’s the best free metroidvania on Android?
Castlevania Grimoire of Souls is the most polished free entry. Bullet Knight is a strong indie alternative.
Do I need a controller for metroidvania games on Android?
Not strictly. Most of these games have decent touch controls. A Bluetooth controller makes longer sessions much easier and is the right move if you plan to finish any of the 15+ hour titles.
Can I play Castlevania Symphony of the Night offline?
Yes. After the initial install and licence check, the full game runs offline.
