The short version: There are at least 12 free games built for, or well suited to, Android TV that run fully offline once installed, ranging from racing games to simple card and puzzle titles you control with the standard TV remote. Most work fine with the remote's directional pad for menus, though racing and arcade titles play far better with a proper Bluetooth gamepad. I've grouped these by genre and added a section on checking Android TV compatibility before you download, since not every Android game supports a TV screen and remote well.
Racing and arcade games
These are the strongest genre on Android TV because they were largely designed with a big screen and a controller in mind.
- Beach Buggy Racing: a colourful kart racer with proper Android TV and gamepad support. The single player campaign runs entirely offline once downloaded.
- Asphalt 8: Airborne: a full arcade racer with Android TV support and offline career mode, though some online events obviously need a connection.
- Riptide GP: Renegade: jet ski racing with slick visuals, built with TV and controller support in mind, and the campaign plays offline.
- Mekorama: a relaxed isometric puzzle game about guiding a little robot through 3D mazes. Works with a remote's directional pad and plays entirely offline.
Card, board, and puzzle games
These need less precise control, so they're a safer bet if you only have the standard TV remote and no gamepad.
- Solitaire: a number of free solitaire apps are built or adapted for Android TV's big screen layout, and they play with just the remote's directional pad, fully offline.
- 2048: a simple tile merging puzzle that works well on TV with directional controls only, no gamepad needed.
- Chess Free: play against the computer at a range of difficulty levels, controlled entirely with the TV remote, no connection required once downloaded.
- Checkers: a simple, low control demand board game that suits the remote well and needs no internet to play against the computer.
- Card Wars: a turn based card game with TV friendly menus and an offline single player mode.
Casual and family games
A few lighter options that work well for a living room with more than one person taking turns.
- Bowling: a simple, forgiving bowling game that plays with a swipe on a phone acting as a controller, or basic remote input, entirely offline.
- Crossy Road: an endless hopping arcade game with proper Android TV support and offline single player play once installed.
- Very Simple Battleship: a basic naval strategy game against the computer, controlled with the remote's directional pad and playable with zero connection.
How to check a game really works offline
Android TV has a smaller, more curated game library than phones, so it's worth confirming both offline play and remote compatibility before committing to a download on a TV connection that might be slower than your phone's.
- Check the Play Store listing specifically on your TV, not your phone, since some apps show a different, more limited listing on TV that tells you whether gamepad or remote support is included.
- Download over wifi, then briefly disable your TV's network connection in settings and try to open the game and start a match or puzzle.
- Look for the phrase "works with Android TV" in the store listing rather than just assuming a phone game will scale up well to a TV screen and remote.
- Test navigation with the remote alone first before assuming you need a gamepad. Some games are unplayable without one, and it's better to find that out before a long session.
- If the game has a settings menu, check for a control scheme option, since some titles let you switch between remote, on screen touch controls mirrored from a phone, and gamepad.
Avoiding fake "offline" apps full of ads
Android TV's app store has fewer high quality listings than the phone store, which means low effort ad funded games are easier to stumble into by accident.
- Stick to apps that clearly show Android TV screenshots in their store listing, not just phone screenshots stretched to look like a TV. A listing with only phone images is a sign the app wasn't adapted well.
- Check how recently the app was updated. Android TV support changes over time, and apps that haven't been touched in a long while are more likely to break, hang, or drop back to needing a connection.
- Read reviews specifically mentioning "TV" or "remote" rather than general reviews, since a game can be great on phone and truly broken or ad heavy on TV.
- Watch for apps that show a full screen ad the moment you launch them, before you've even reached the main menu. That's a strong sign the whole app is built around ad revenue rather than the game itself.
- Avoid anything asking for permissions that make no sense for a TV game, such as camera or contacts access, since that usually points to a data harvesting model rather than genuine gameplay focus.
Setting up a gamepad for the best experience
Most Android TV boxes and sticks support Bluetooth gamepads out of the box, and pairing one takes a couple of minutes through the TV's Bluetooth settings menu. Once paired, racing games like Beach Buggy Racing, Asphalt 8, and Riptide GP recognise the controller automatically and switch their on screen prompts to match the buttons on your pad rather than the remote.
If you don't already own a gamepad, a basic Bluetooth controller is a reasonable one off purchase if you plan to use your Android TV box for games regularly, since remote only control works but feels noticeably clunkier for anything involving fast reactions or precise turns. For the card, board, and puzzle games on this list, a gamepad isn't necessary at all, and the standard remote's directional pad and select button cover everything you need.
One thing worth checking after pairing a new gamepad: open each game's settings menu and confirm the control scheme is really set to gamepad rather than defaulting back to touch or remote input, since a few titles don't switch automatically and need a manual toggle the first time.
Getting the most out of a shared living room setup
Android TV games work a little differently to phone games once more than one person is involved, since most living rooms have several people who might want a turn. Card and board games such as Solitaire, Chess Free, and Checkers handle this well because they're built around a single, slow paced session that's easy to hand over between players without losing progress. Racing titles are better suited to quick, timed rounds where each person takes a lap or a short race rather than a long career mode, since career progress usually ties to one profile on the device.
If your household shares one Android TV box, it's worth checking whether a game supports multiple local profiles before you get deep into a career style mode, particularly for titles like Asphalt 8 where unlocked cars and progress are tied to an account. Simpler games without profiles, including most of the card and puzzle titles here, avoid this problem entirely since there's nothing to lose by handing the remote to someone else mid session.
For family movie nights or gatherings, a rotation of two or three quick, low control demand games tends to work better than one deep career game, since it keeps everyone involved rather than watching one person play through a long single player campaign.
I have written more around this on the site: Free Offline Football Games for Android, Best Free Offline Games for Android in 2026 (Tested on Delayed Flights and Dead Wifi), The Best Free Offline Sudoku and Crossword Apps (Tested With the Wifi Off).
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I keep every related walkthrough in the Free Games to Play Offline and Online: Every Guide in One Place (2026).
A closely related guide: the big list of free offline games to play with no wifi.
On a phone instead? See the best free offline racing games for Android and best free offline adventure games for Android and best free offline RPG games for Android.
Reading in Portuguese? My list of jogos sem internet para celular e PC is organised by situation, from bus trips to two players on one phone.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a gamepad to play these on Android TV?
Not for all of them. Card, board, and puzzle games in this list work fine with just the standard TV remote. Racing and arcade titles like Beach Buggy Racing and Asphalt 8 are playable with a remote but noticeably better with a Bluetooth gamepad.
Will these games still show ads if my TV is offline?
Some games pre load a batch of ads while you're connected and then display those cached ads during offline play. The core gameplay in the titles above still works offline, but don't expect a fully ad free experience in every case.
Can I use my phone as a controller for Android TV games?
Some games, including a few racing titles, support pairing your phone as a controller over the same local network without needing full internet access, though this varies by title so it's worth checking the game's own settings menu.
Why can't I find some popular Android games on my Android TV store?
Not every developer builds a TV compatible version of their app, so the Android TV Play Store only shows titles that have been specifically adapted or flagged as TV compatible, which is why the library looks smaller than your phone's.
Do these games take up much storage on an Android TV box?
Puzzle and card games are usually small, often under 150MB, while racing games like Asphalt 8 can run over 1GB. Worth checking your TV box or stick's free storage before downloading a racing title, since some budget devices ship with limited space.
