Beginner's guide
Explains the controls, the interface and your first decisions. Especially useful in games with lots of menus and currencies.
Guides and walkthroughs
Guides and walkthroughs
A guide helps you get to grips with a game faster: understand the interface, beat a tough level, avoid wasting resources. But it's worth starting earlier, with a safe installation. In this section we explain the kinds of guides available for mobile games, how to install a game without getting a malicious app along with it, and which signs give a fake away. This is also where the catalogue of standalone articles will appear.
If a “guide” offers you a special version of the game with unlimited currency, it isn't a guide any more. It's bait.
How this section works: we explain how to use guides and install games safely, and we do not retell the plots of specific games. We do not link to files, modified versions or cheats. The catalogue only publishes material that can be checked against official sources and on your own device.
Kinds of guides
Five kinds of guides that mobile players come across most often.
Level walkthroughs
Hints for specific puzzle levels or stages of a game. Read only the level you are stuck on so you don't spoil the fun.
Resource guide
How to spend in-game currency and energy wisely and avoid situations where the game nudges you towards a purchase.
Event guide
Descriptions of limited-time events and seasons in online games. This kind of material dates quickly, so check it against the announcements inside the game.
Settings guide
How to set up graphics, sound, notifications and controls so the game runs more smoothly and uses less battery.
Publication catalogue for English-language readers
This section will feature standalone articles written for English-speaking owners of Android phones and tablets. They are written with these readers' interests in mind and are not translations of material from other language versions of the site.
- A practical guide to ARC Raiders boosting services and progression options: Player Experience
How progression feels in ARC Raiders, four realistic ways to move forward, the risks of boosting and account sharing, and where to find news and guides.
- GTA 6 Gameplay Coaching and Skills: Practical Guide
How to build transferable GTA skills before GTA VI launches, using GTA V and GTA Online as practice, and how legitimate coaching differs from account sharing.
- Aion 2 Empyrean Traces: Strategies, Limitations and FAQs
A cautious guide to Aion 2 Empyrean Traces: how to verify what the system does in your client, general strategies, account-safety limits and common questions.
- Battlefield 6: Redsec — Progression Road Map
A step-by-step road map for progressing in Battlefield 6 REDSEC: what carries over from Battlefield 6, how to plan sessions, alternatives and account risks.
Topics the editors are planning
- How to review a game's permissions and data safety section before and after installing
- Setting up Google Family Link and purchase approval for a child's first Android phone
- Loot boxes, gacha and battle passes: understanding what you pay for in free-to-play games
- How to prepare a phone for offline gaming on flights and long journeys
Editorial rules
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not publish unverifiable ratings of games or apps, prices or reviews, and we do not distribute files for download.
How to install a game safely
Open the official store
Launch Google Play or your phone maker's store. Don't look for the game through ad banners or links in messages.
Search for the game by name
Type the name into the store search and compare the page you find with the developer's official website, if there is one.
If the results show several similar games with the same icon, check the developer name for each of them.
Check the app's page
Look at the developer, the date of the last update, the age rating and the information about ads and purchases.
Read the data section
Find out what data the game collects and why. If the requests look excessive, consider whether you really need this game.
Install and respond to prompts
On first launch the game may ask for permissions. Allow only what the game genuinely needs; you can deny the rest.
Keep protection switched on
Don't turn off Google Play Protect, and don't allow your browser or file manager to install unknown apps without a serious reason.
Signs of a fake app
- The developer name differs from the real one by a letter or two, or looks like a random string of characters
- You are offered the game not from the store but through a link in an ad, a chat or an email
- It promises paid features for free, unlimited currency or an “unlocked” version
- A simple game asks for access to your messages, contacts, calls or accessibility features
- The description is full of mistakes, and the screenshots don't match the game or come from a different one
- Intrusive ads appear straight after installation, or the app's icon disappears from the screen
Related sections
- Game catalogue
Genres and formats of mobile games for phones and tablets, with no scores, rankings or file links.
- Tips and mechanics
Battery, heat, storage and data while gaming, limiting purchases, and why root, mods and cheats are best avoided.
- FAQ
Answers about this reference, installing apps and app safety, in-game purchases and children.
Sources
- Google Play Help (purchases, parental controls, Play Protect)
- Android Developers — version history
Information about Android and Google Play is based on Google's official documentation and help pages. The store interface, setting names and policies change over time, so check them in official sources and on your own device.