20+ best NVIDIA Shield Console games!

There is a very real and very inaccurate assumption that there are no good games on Android or iOS. The argument exists that mobile phones aren’t the best game machines due to their touch screens, but what about if Android is a console OS? NVIDIA gave that a shot with their Shield Console and, to a smaller extent, their Shield Tablet. The difference is remarkable. In this list, we’ll take a look at the best NVIDIA Shield Console games. All of these have full controller support and yes, they all work with the NVIDIA Shield Tablet (with controller) as well!

[Price: $4.99]
First on our list is Anomaly 2. The game was one of the first to feature extra features for the NVIDIA Tegra K1 chipset which include a number of graphical enhancements that are made to impress. Heads up, it worked. This game is graphically impressive and fun to boot. Anomaly 2 is a tower defense game that features tower defense, tower offense, a single player campaign, and online play. It also has full controller support and a fairly reasonable price tag.

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
BADLAND was a critically acclaimed game when it first came out for its simple, but challenging game play, slick looking graphics, and old-school feel. It may not have the pizzazz or depth of many of these other games, but it’s a great free option that’s also kid friendly and it won’t take up much storage space. It features a single player campaign that’s decently long, a co-op mode, and it’s easy to play on touch screens if you’re on the Shield Tablet.

[Price: $1.99 with in-app purchases]
The Bard’s Tale has been out for a few years now but when it comes to the best bangs for your buck, you’d be hard pressed to beat The Bard’s Tale. It features a 20-hour story line filled with comedy and quirkiness, old school RPG-style game play, and complete controller support for only $1.99. Over the years, the game has also been updated to include some new content, cloud saves, Google Play Games achievements, and in-app purchases to buff yourself up if you don’t feel like level grinding.

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Dead Trigger 2 is a first person shooter where you mow down tons of zombies. It was among the first games to get controller support and remains one of the better looking shooters available for Android. Dead Trigger 2 features continuous updates to add new content, great graphics, easy controls, and challenging game play. It puts most other zombie games to shame and it’s another one of the rare options that is both really good and free to download.

[Price: Varies]
Grand Theft Auto has long been a cornerstone of a lot of platforms and Android is no different. You have your choice between three classic Grand Theft Auto titles but, frankly, the longest and most stable is San Andreas. All three games come with complete controller support, decent graphics, and tons upon tons of game play and shenanigans to get yourself into. Also, none of these games have in-app purchases

[Price: $9.99 / $7.99 / $7.99]
Half-Life 2 was one of the games developed specifically for the NVIDIA Shield series of devices and it is probably the best first person shooter available for the platform period. Along with the core game, NVIDIA has also released Episode 1 and Episode 2 to expand the core game even further. They’re a bit expensive but the campaign is fantastic, the graphics are great, and it’s an amazing option for nostalgic value or first time players alike.

[Price: Varies]
For those looking for something a bit more old-school, Kemco Games has a number of games available for the Shield Console. These games all have either a SNES or PlayStation jRPG feel to them which is great for those looking for some nostalgia. They’re relatively inexpensive, include tons of game play, and have all received generally high reviews. There should be around five or six total games available so you’ll have to search Kemco in the Shield Hub to find them.

[Price: $4.99]
Leo’s Fortune was released to exceptional reviews and is currently among the highest rated paid games out there. It’s a side-scrolling platform adventure game where you play as a little green fuzz ball looking to reclaim his lost fortune. The game uses classic platformer puzzles along with a 3-star system for a bit of replayability. The graphics are surprisingly good, the game play is simple to learn, and it’s a strong offering overall.

[Price: $4.99]
Limbo is a side-scrolling, atmospheric puzzle game that was released earlier in 2015. It features a unique, silhouetted design with some creepy monsters and challenging obstacles to keep you guessing. It’s not the longest game, but it does feature auto-saving and Google Play Games achievements. The mechanics are solid and it’s usually not hard to figure out what you’re supposed to do. $4.99 is a bit expensive for how short the game is, but it is a really good game.

[Price: $4.99]
Machinarium is another Android game that has been around for a few years but can still be fun for fans of puzzle games. You play as a robot as you find your way through a mess of obstacles to find your loved one. The puzzles are fun, the game can be challenging, and the graphics are pretty decent. The game has been continuously updated over the years to include Google Play Games support, better graphics, and cloud saving. There are way worse ways to spend $5.

[Price: $4.99]
Mobile has always been a challenge for sports games and there are only a few worth playing. NBA Jam is one of them. This throwback classic was one of the first to embrace the Android TV and NVIDIA Shield platform and remains one of the best sports games for those platforms. In this title, you play 2-on-2 basketball with a very relaxed set of rules and some fun game mechanics. It’s $4.99 but includes offline multiplayer and plenty of nostalgic value!

[Price: $14.99]
Never Alone is one of the more expensive games on the list but it’s also one of the best. In this ridiculously good-looking side scroller, you player as a little girl named Nuna and her pet Fox as you traverse the Arctic while avoiding obstacles and dangers. You can play as both the girl or the fox by switching between the two or you can grab a second controller and play offline co-op with both characters at once. This game is really good.

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Overkill 3 is a third-person shooter with a whole ton of features. There is a campaign mode which can be played online with other people. Along with that, there are boss fights, gun customization, endless mode, and a lot more. When you pair that with decent graphics, you get a solid game. It is free with in-app purchases but those looking for some cheaper games with a lot of content should get quite a bit of enjoyment out of this one.

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Pac-Man 256 isn’t the most impressive game on the list but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a lot of fun. Despite turning Pacman into an infinite runner, the developers managed to keep the spirit of Pacman alive and even added a few additional features. Combine that with its kid-friendly atmosphere, small storage foot-print (comparatively speaking), and a cheap price tag, and this is probably one of those games that everyone’s going to have just to have.

[Price: $9.99]
Like Half-Life 2, Portal is an NVIDIA Shield exclusive and it’s a really good one. For those who may not have played this iconic puzzle game, you play as a test subject for a crazy artificial intelligence and you must use a tandem of portal guns to make your way through various tests. It’s dark, comical, challenging, and unique in a way few other games, console or mobile, have been able to match. It’s a really, really good game.

[Price: $1.99 with in-app purchases]
Riptide GP2 is a wave runner racing game and a favorite of ours here at Android Authority. The game features good graphics, easy controls, tricks, and Google Play Games achievements and cloud saving. There are multiple race events including freestyle, hot laps, elimination, and standard races and there is also complete online support if you want to race against other people. It’s about as solid of a racing game as you’ll find.

[Price: $13.99]
Soulcalibur is a classic fighting game that first came out in the late 1990’s. It features a total of 19 playable characters and you can play them through a variety of fighting modes including arcade mode (campaign mode), time attack, survival, extra survival, and practice mode. It also comes with Google Play Games achievements and leaderboards so you can compare your scores to friends. It’s expensive but there are no in-app purchases and it remains faithful to the original game.

[Price: Varies]
Square Enix has been slowly upgrading their collection to work with controllers, Android TV, and NVIDIA Shield devices. For now, they have Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, and Secret of Mana listed as having full controller support and we imagine more will appear over time. These games are expensive, but they have no in-app purchases and they contain long, narrative-driven story lines and tons of content.

[Price: Varies with in-app purchases]
Telltale Games is one of the best mobile publishers out there, period. Their games include Game of Thrones, two Walking Dead games, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands. All of these have good story lines that hold true to their respective franchises, decent graphics, and mechanics unique to their series. They can get a little expensive thanks to their episodic nature, but these are among the best games available on mobile period.

[Price: $14.99]
Last and certainly not least on our list is Valiant Hearts. This scrolling adventure game is a narrative-driven, four-part episode adventure based on the real life stories of four soldiers from World War I. It features a blend of exploration, adventure, and puzzles as you work from level to level helping others and avoid being killed. It’s exceptionally well done with unique, comic book-style artwork and the price tag comes with all four episodes, an art book, and an interactive comic book.

Honorable Mention: NVIDIA GRID

[Price: Free (for now)]
NVIDIA has been working on GRID for quite some time and it’s almost ready for mainstream. You can access it for free for the time being although that’s going to change very shortly. For those who don’t know, NVIDIA GRID is going to be like the Netflix of video games. If you’re willing to try it out, you’ll find a plethora of big name titles including Homefront, Devil May Cry 4, Dead Rising 2, Batman Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, Borderlands, Saints Row: The Third, and many more. There is no doubt that these games help round out an already very strong offering of games from NVIDIA.

Honorable Mention: Emulators

Emulators have been a long-time favorite way to play games for many people for many years. With the emulators currently available, you can play NES, SNES, Sega, and PlayStation games with very few problems and a few other consoles such as the Nintendo 64 and GameCube are in development as we speak. Having these options adds an insurmountable number of games to the NVIDIA Shield Console lineup and literally all of the games (and most of the emulators) are controller friendly. It is an ethically gray area and we do hope you’re only emulating games you actually own, but nevertheless, playing old console games on a TV with a controller just feels right.
Click here to check out our list of the best Android emulator apps.

Wrap up

Naming the best games is a very subjective topic and we’d love nothing more than to hear your opinions on the best NVIDIA Shield Console games!