Free kingdom games on Android range from puzzle kingdoms like Royal Kingdom to empire builders like Forge of Empires and online war strategy such as Rise of Kingdoms and Empire: Four Kingdoms. Most are rated Everyone 10+, and Royal Kingdom is the gentlest.
Every kingdom needs a ruler, and phones are full of thrones going spare. Some of these games want you to plan an army for weeks. Others just want you to match three gems so the royal family can fix up their castle.
For each of the ten, I read the Google Play page and noted the developer, installs, ads and in-app purchases labels, the age rating and any offline wording. They're not ranked, just loosely grouped from gentle to warlike.
Before you start, a heads-up: none of these listings mentions offline play, and Empire: Four Kingdoms says plainly that it needs the internet. Kingdom games tend to be online games, because your neighbours are real players.
Kingdom games compared
| Game | Developer | Google Play installs | Ads / in-app purchases | Offline wording on the listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Kingdom | Dream Games, Ltd. | 100M+ | No ads label, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Empire: Four Kingdoms | Goodgame Studios | 50M+ | No ads label, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade | LilithGames | 50M+ | Contains ads, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Kingdom Clash - War army games | CASUAL AZUR GAMES | 10M+ | Contains ads, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| CookieRun: Kingdom | Devsisters Corporation | 10M+ | Contains ads, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Forge of Empires: Build a City | InnoGames GmbH | 10M+ | Contains ads, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Infinity Kingdom | Yoozoo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd | 5M+ | No ads label, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Kingdom Maker: Build & Battle | Global Worldwide | 1M+ | No ads label, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| Age of Kingdoms: Forge Empires | NutGame Studio | 1M+ | No ads label, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
| The Northern Kingdom Sim | HC GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION LIMITED | 500K+ | Contains ads, in-app purchases | No offline claim on the listing |
Ten kingdoms to rule
Royal Kingdom
From the makers of Royal Match, a match-3 puzzle adventure with King Richard, Princess Bella and a new royal cast. It's the friendliest kingdom game here: rated Everyone, with no Contains ads label.
Empire: Four Kingdoms
A medieval MMO strategy game: build a fortress, rule as Lord and King and battle millions of other players. Its listing says it requires an internet connection. No Contains ads label.
Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade
Civilisations from history at war, so Julius Caesar's Rome can clash with ancient China on one battlefield. It's a big, slow strategy game for players who like plans that take days.
Kingdom Clash - War army games
Lead knights in battle and defend your kingdom from attack. It's a strategy and defence game that's simpler to get into than the big MMOs on this page.
CookieRun: Kingdom
The Cookies from CookieRun build a kingdom and go on adventures, every character voiced by actors. It mixes kingdom building with character collecting and has a cartoon look that suits younger teens.
Forge of Empires: Build a City
Build a city and guide it through the ages, from a village to a whole civilisation. InnoGames' listing calls it a city-building strategy game, and it rewards patient players.
Infinity Kingdom
A cartoon-style MMO strategy game where you defend the land of Norheim from evil gnomes while watching out for other players. No Contains ads label.
Kingdom Maker: Build & Battle
Dragons, knights and real-time battles in a medieval fantasy world. It's the only game here rated Teen, so it's for older players, and it shows no Contains ads label.
Age of Kingdoms: Forge Empires
Shape the land, build your kingdom and train an army to battle online players from around the world. Another no-ads-label game, and a straightforward war strategy one.
The Northern Kingdom Sim
The free version of an older strategy game, Majesty: The Northern Expansion. Its trick is indirect control: you don't order your heroes about, you set rewards and hope they act. The listing is full of dry jokes about dragons.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Puzzle throne, city or battlefield?
Puzzle kingdoms: Royal Kingdom wraps match-3 levels in a royal story, and CookieRun: Kingdom mixes building with collecting characters. City builders: Forge of Empires is about growing a civilisation through the ages. War strategy: Empire: Four Kingdoms, Rise of Kingdoms, Infinity Kingdom, Kingdom Maker and Age of Kingdoms have you building armies to face other players.
Kingdom Clash is the lighter take on battles, and The Northern Kingdom Sim is the odd and clever one, where you guide heroes through rewards instead of direct orders. If you've never played a strategy game, start with Kingdom Clash or Royal Kingdom before committing to an MMO.
Ratings and the label check
- Everyone: Royal Kingdom.
- Teen: Kingdom Maker: Build & Battle.
- Everyone 10+: the other eight.
- No Contains ads label: Royal Kingdom, Empire: Four Kingdoms, Infinity Kingdom, Kingdom Maker and Age of Kingdoms.
- In-app purchases: all ten. In war games the shop often offers speed-ups, so turn on approval for in-app purchases for younger players.
Playing with friends
Most of these MMOs are built around alliances, where players band together against other groups. That's half the fun, and it works best with people you know. If you'd rather play in the same room, these Android co-op games to play with mates nearby are made for sitting side by side.
When you want strategy on the table
Kingdom games scratch the same itch as a good strategy board game: planning ahead, reading your opponent, building something over time. This guide to strategy board games and where to start is a fine way to take that off the screen.
And if you'd rather your knights did their fighting up close, the beat em up games round-up swaps grand strategy for brawling.
New ruler checklist
- Play the tutorial fully. Strategy games teach a lot in their first hour.
- Join an active alliance early in the MMOs. A quiet one won't help you.
- Don't rush to use speed-ups. Patience is most of the skill.
- Turn off notifications for attacks unless you enjoy being woken up.
- Give it a week. Kingdom games start slowly and open up later.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best free kingdom games?
Popular choices include Royal Kingdom, Empire: Four Kingdoms, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade, CookieRun: Kingdom and Forge of Empires: Build a City. Choose by whether you want puzzles, building or war strategy.
Are kingdom games free?
Yes. All ten are free to install from Google Play, and all ten have in-app purchases.
Can I play kingdom games offline?
None of the ten listings mentions offline play, and Empire: Four Kingdoms says it requires an internet connection.
Which kingdom game suits younger players?
Royal Kingdom is rated Everyone and is a match-3 puzzle game, so it's the gentlest. The others are Everyone 10+ or Teen.
Which kingdom games have no ads label?
Royal Kingdom, Empire: Four Kingdoms, Infinity Kingdom, Kingdom Maker: Build & Battle and Age of Kingdoms: Forge Empires.
What's indirect control in The Northern Kingdom Sim?
You don't command your heroes directly. You set rewards and they decide whether to act, which is the trick it takes from Majesty.
