{"id":35850,"date":"2026-08-10T05:07:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T00:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35850"},"modified":"2026-08-10T05:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T00:07:39","slug":"best-new-mobile-games-on-ios-and-android-august-2026-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35850","title":{"rendered":"Best new mobile games on iOS and Android &#8211; August 2026 round-up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307635011-e6db.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29324735\" alt=\"Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt key art\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt is one of this month\u2019s best mobile games (THQ Nordic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tactical witch combat, medieval town building, and a cat-themed role-player are amongst the most interesting smartphone games this month.<\/p>\n<p>As the games industry continues its traditional summer lull, touchscreen gaming continues as if it was <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/christmas\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Christmas<\/a>. This month\u2019s releases include the mobile ports of Middle Ages city builder Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt, as well as Beat Hazard Arcade \u2013 which uses your music collection to procedurally generate a 2D shoot \u2018em-up. Plus, there\u2019s the latest addition to Game Stew\u2019s long running Tower Of Fortune series.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Witchcraft - Trailer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MjJuMS9mY1w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Witchcraft!<\/h2>\n<p>iOS &amp; Android, \u00a32.99 (Mantita Games)<\/p>\n<p>Witchcraft! is the touchscreen version of a solo card strategy game, that gives you control over a coven of witches with a set of discrete missions to undertake on behalf of local villagers, whose lives you must preserve.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s no easy task given the difficulty of many of the randomly chosen tasks, your witches\u2019 powers varying depending on when they\u2019re played, which other witches are on the board, and whether you choose to reveal them, removing them from play for the rest of the round, or let them work in secret.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s extremely complex, with decisions having knock-on effects not just for your current mission but also potential future challenges, although having your phone set everything up and apply a rule set that seems to have endlessly complex networks of buffs and bonuses, makes this far more accessible than it is on a physical board.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 8\/10<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt \/\/ Release Trailer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r7GMdkAtfgY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt<\/h2>\n<p>iOS &amp; Android, free \u2013 unlock all maps \u00a32.49 and scenarios \u00a32.49 (Handy Games)<\/p>\n<p>Townsmen is an isometric medieval city builder, that has you reconstructing dilapidated villages into thriving towns, making sure their populations\u2019 need are met, along with ensuring town guards protect against bandits, and firewatch prevents conflagrations.<\/p>\n<p>As is traditional for the genre, you\u2019ll be managing increasingly intricate networks of dependencies, and working your way past bottlenecks using your town\u2019s labour force to build, operate, and maintain various pieces of Dark Ages machinery.<\/p>\n<p>There is a sandbox mode, which starts you in differing landscapes whose size and difficulty you can select, but the meat of the game is scenario based, where you take on an existing town with a problem to solve.<\/p>\n<p>Its visuals might look friendly, but it\u2019s a rigorous challenge, the balancing act between keeping your populace happy, managing their various appetites, and not going bust turning out to be a significant acquired skill.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 7\/10<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"925\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307634668-0b10.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29324694\" alt=\"Meow Knights: Idle RPG screenshot\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Meow Knights: Idle RPG -people just do nothing (Monster Planet Corp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meow Knights: Idle RPG<\/h2>\n<p>iOS &amp; Android, free (Monster Planet Corp)<\/p>\n<p>This slick idle game features charming cartoon cats in armour, their increasingly powerful attacks auto-slaying legions of enemies and bosses, the game getting on with everything from battles to deciding which loot to keep, leaving you mutely following along in its robotic wake, collecting rewards when buttons flash to tell you they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n<p>It looks great, has jaunty music, and progress is initially swift, but it doesn\u2019t take long to notice that your own humble button pressing is the real inhibiting factor, and if those few dexterity and skill free interactions were also automated, things would work even better.<\/p>\n<p>That slightly depressing realisation doesn\u2019t add to Meow Knights\u2019 longevity, leaving you feeling like a spare part rather than a managing director, even if its high production values prop up a facade of colourful good fun.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 5\/10<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Beat Hazard Arcade - Out Now on iOS &amp; Android\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KYmrADQIKeM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beat Hazard Arcade<\/h2>\n<p>iOS &amp; Android, free \u2013 full game \u00a35.99 (Cold Beam Games)<\/p>\n<p>Beat Hazard Arcade is a twin stick 2D shooter that uses music from your phone\u2019s library to fuel procedurally generated waves of invaders, with each song creating its own unique level to fight through.<\/p>\n<p>The sounds trigger the appearance of attacking enemies, which leave behind power-ups when they die, letting you gradually increase your ship\u2019s firepower as you progress through each song, the aim being to complete an entire track. Doing that unlocks a choice of new ships that are also created from the music, the twist being that everyone gets the same ones, so a tune that gives you an especially choice reward ship will give the same one to a friend completing that track.<\/p>\n<p>Without any progression between songs, things start to feel a bit formless after a while, and there\u2019s something about the sparkling, strobing visuals that can make threats and buffs hard to distinguish, but if you\u2019re looking for a quirky diversion, and one that features easily the best soundtrack of all time, the free version of Beat Hazard Arcade lets you see exactly what you\u2019re getting.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 6\/10<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ringdown: Switchboard Puzzle - Preview\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1kGE8CkvCOU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ringdown: Switchboard Puzzle<\/h2>\n<p>iOS, \u00a33.99 (Ironic Thought)<\/p>\n<p>Presented with an old school wooden switchboard that takes up your whole phone screen, your job is to connect incoming calls to the right internal phone line by dragging coloured leads and plugging them into the correct numbered sockets.<\/p>\n<p>As you play, calls come in more rapidly and with shorter deadlines before they expire, forcing you to work quickly, prioritising high paying callers, who also have the shortest fuses, the whole thing becoming increasingly hectic as the calls rain in.<\/p>\n<p>The interface works nicely, and is well suited to a mobile screen, but the switchboard process itself has too few surprises, settling for adding more lines and making you connect them more quickly, which doesn\u2019t feel like enough to sustain interest.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 5\/10<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n\t<span class=\"embed-youtube-shorts\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tower of Fortune: Pralaya Trailer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9NnhheFp1mg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tower Of Fortune: Pralaya<\/h2>\n<p>iOS, \u00a32.99 (Game Stew)<\/p>\n<p>Game Stew\u2019s Tower Of Fortune series has been trundling along for well over a decade, its peculiar mix of randomised action and role-playing scenarios soliciting an equally mixed response from players.<\/p>\n<p>The latest, Pralaya, leans even further into RNG, with a fruit machine style interface that dictates your avatar\u2019s movement, attacks, loot, and injury by enemies, with each turn bringing a new roll of almost completely random consequences.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s mildly compelling, the very small amount of input you have proving to be enough to make you feel at least involved. Its turn-based roguelike runs aren\u2019t exactly tense, but they do leave you wanting to see more next time in this resolutely bizarre, pixel art take on role-playing.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 6\/10<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Voidloop | Trailer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fdzV-7JJ4KQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Voidloop<\/h2>\n<p>iOS &amp; Android, \u00a31.99 (Jasper Levin)<\/p>\n<p>Voidloop is a mining roguelite that arms you with a sword and pickaxe to take out enemies and mineral deposits as you adventure your way towards each level\u2019s exit portal. Get through all 20 floors in a single run and you\u2019ll find the material to forge a key to unlock the next biome.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need to do quite a bit of upgrading to get to that stage, smelting ore into ingots to improve your tools, unlocking new abilities in the game\u2019s massive skill tree, and brewing potions at the witch\u2019s hut to add temporary buffs.<\/p>\n<p>Runs are tense, with each completed against the clock, but because movement speed and enemies are relatively slow, the touchscreen controls don\u2019t feel too cumbersome, suiting the pace of the action, with Voidloop\u2019s sense of compulsion coming mostly from its well-constructed meta game of upgrades and deeper exploration.<\/p>\n<p>Its difficulty level is a bit uneven, causing plateaus in progress, and it suffers from a noticeable number of crashes, but with such a solid set of underlying mechanics those should be fixable problems, and despite its rough edges there\u2019s a lot of entertainment here for a tiny price.<\/p>\n<p>Score: 7\/10<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Email\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/10\/best-new-mobile-games-ios-android-august-2026-round-up-29324662\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a>, leave a comment below,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GameCentral\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To submit Inbox letters and Reader\u2019s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more stories like this,\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/entertainment\/gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check our Gaming page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/07\/gta-6-boss-says-discs-dont-really-make-sense-predicts-streaming-future-29324648\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">GTA 6 boss says discs \u2018don\u2019t really make sense\u2019 as he predicts streaming future<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/07\/gta-6-pre-orders-astonishing-says-take-two-cancels-unannounced-game-29323844\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">GTA 6 pre-orders are \u2018astonishing\u2019 says Take-Two as it cancels unannounced game<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span 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best mobile games (THQ Nordic) Tactical witch combat, medieval town building, and a cat-themed role-player are amongst the most interesting smartphone games this month. As the games industry continues its traditional summer lull, touchscreen gaming continues as if it was Christmas. This month\u2019s releases include the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307635011-e6db_1786137650.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}