Endless Runner Games for Android: Classics and New Ones
Sixteen endless runners on Google Play: who publishes each now, which play offline, and which versions sit inside Netflix, Play Pass or Halfbrick+.
The runners that made the genre are all still on Google Play and still free: Subway Surfers, Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride and Crossy Road. So is every game from the older version of this page.
If you want one to start with, take Temple Run 2. Its listing says in plain words that it needs no Wi-Fi and no internet, which most of the others leave to a tag. For something calmer, take Alto’s Odyssey.
We read each game’s Google Play listing and describe it from that. Every game in the table is free, with adverts and in-app purchases. Lookalikes that borrow a famous runner’s name are left out.
Runners at a glance
| Game | Published by | What you do | Rating | Offline play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway Surfers | SYBO Games | Dodge trains and outrun the Inspector | Everyone 10+ | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Subway Surfers City | SYBO Games | The same crew, with a City Tour mode | Everyone 10+ | Yes, says the listing |
| Temple Run | Imangi Studios | Take the idol and flee the temple | Everyone | Yes, says the listing |
| Temple Run 2 | Imangi Studios | The same chase, with mine carts and ziplines | Everyone 10+ | Yes, says the listing |
| Jetpack Joyride | Halfbrick Studios | Fly a jetpack through a laboratory | Everyone 10+ | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Crossy Road | Hipster Whale | Hop across roads, rails and rivers | Everyone | Yes, says the listing |
| Alto’s Adventure | Noodlecake | Snowboard down a mountain | Everyone | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Alto’s Odyssey | Noodlecake | Sandboard across a desert | Everyone | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Sonic Dash | SEGA | Run 3D courses as Sonic | Everyone | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Minion Rush | Gameloft | Run as a Minion | Everyone 10+ | Not fully. Some parts need the internet, says the listing |
| Talking Tom Gold Run | Outfit7 | Chase the Rakoonz for stolen gold | Everyone | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Zombie Tsunami | Mobigame | Lead a growing horde of zombies | Everyone 10+ | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| Lara Croft: Relic Run | Deca Games | Run, drive and fight as Lara Croft | Teen | Tagged offline by Google Play |
| MetroLand | Kiloo | Parkour across a city | Everyone | Yes, says the listing |
| Into the Dead 2 | PikPok | Run through zombies, stage by stage | Mature 17+ | Yes, says the listing |
| Bendy’s Nightmare Run | Joey Drew Studios | Run from cartoon bosses | Teen | Not stated |
The ratings are Google Play’s for the US. “Tagged offline” means Google Play attaches its Offline tag and the developer’s description does not mention it.
The classics and who runs them now
Subway Surfers
The listing is in the name of SYBO Games alone, and ends with the line “Originally co-developed by SYBO and Kiloo”. The page’s address still begins com.kiloo. SYBO itself has changed hands: Miniclip’s own site says SYBO and Subway Surfers have become part of Miniclip.
SYBO also has a newer game, Subway Surfers City. It keeps the endless run and adds a City Tour to work through, new districts to unlock and a stomp move for reaching hidden stars. Its listing says it plays without Wi-Fi or an internet connection.
Kiloo, the other half of the original pairing, now publishes a runner of its own, MetroLand.
Temple Run and Temple Run 2
Both are still published by Imangi Studios, and both listings say no internet is needed. The first game is the plain version: steal the idol, run from the Demon Monkeys, turn, jump and slide. Temple Run 2 adds mine carts, ziplines and an icy mountain to surf down.
Google Play rates the first Everyone and the second Everyone 10+.
Jetpack Joyride
Still Halfbrick’s, the studio behind Fruit Ninja. You steer Barry Steakfries through a laboratory with one finger, past lasers, zappers and missiles, picking up vehicles on the way. The listing does not mention offline play. The Offline tag is Google Play’s.
Crossy Road
Its listing calls it an endless arcade hopper, and it belongs here all the same. The listing is under Hipster Whale, though its address still begins com.yodo1, after Yodo1 Games, a separate publisher on the store. It counts more than 300 characters and 28 worlds, lists offline play among its features and has a multiplayer mode on one phone.
Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey
Noodlecake publishes both on Android, free with adverts. Adventure is the snowboarding one, with runaway llamas to catch and 180 goals. Odyssey moves to the desert and adds wall riding, hot-air balloons, a photo mode and Zen Mode, which removes scores, coins and power-ups and leaves the ride.
The rest of our old list
Into the Dead 2 is still PikPok’s, and its listing still says you can play offline with no internet connection. Two things to know. It is rated Mature 17+, and it is a story told in 60 stages across seven chapters, so it is not endless. The first Into the Dead, rated Teen and tagged offline, is the one built around beating high scores.
Bendy in Nightmare Run is now called Bendy’s Nightmare Run, and its listing opens by saying it is back. You run from a cartoon boss through four episodes, collecting weapons to throw back at it. The listing calls it an endless runner and, further down, lists endless mode among the features still to come.
More runners on the store
- Sonic Dash: SEGA’s 3D runner through Green Hill and other zones, with boss fights. Google Play shows it as Sonic Dash Run.
- Minion Rush: Gameloft’s game with the Minions. The listing describes a new look and a new Endless Run mode, and warns that parts of it need a connection.
- Talking Tom Gold Run: Outfit7’s runner for younger players, rated Everyone.
- Zombie Tsunami: you are the horde. Every pedestrian you catch joins it, through more than 300 missions.
- Lara Croft: Relic Run: another that has changed hands. It is listed under Deca Games, and its address still says squareenix. It has a campaign and an endless mode.
- MetroLand: Kiloo’s city runner, with a base to build between runs. The listing says you can play and level up offline.
Runners inside a subscription
Some versions are locked to a subscription, and their listings say so in the first line.
- Netflix: Sonic Prime Dash and the Netflix edition of Into the Dead 2 are both published by Netflix and marked “Available exclusively for Netflix members”. Neither shows adverts or in-app purchases.
- Halfbrick+: Jetpack Joyride Classic is part of Halfbrick’s own games subscription. The listing promises no adverts and no in-app purchases, with a one-month free trial that renews automatically.
- Google Play Pass: Google Play tags both Alto games as Play Pass titles.
None of these is worth a subscription on its own. If you already pay for one, they are the versions without adverts.
Which one to pick
- To play without a connection: Temple Run 2, because its listing says so outright.
- The one everybody knows: Subway Surfers.
- For a young child: Temple Run, Crossy Road or Talking Tom Gold Run, all rated Everyone.
- To calm down: Alto’s Odyssey in Zen Mode.
- Something newer: Subway Surfers City or MetroLand.
- Not for children: Into the Dead 2, rated Mature 17+.
For more games checked the same way, see our pages on skateboarding games for Android and offline car racing games.
Quick answers
Which endless runner games work offline on Android?
The listings for Temple Run, Temple Run 2, Subway Surfers City, Crossy Road, MetroLand and Into the Dead 2 say they play offline. Google Play tags Subway Surfers, Jetpack Joyride, both Alto games, Sonic Dash, Talking Tom Gold Run, Zombie Tsunami and Lara Croft: Relic Run as offline.
Are the old endless runner games still available?
Yes. Temple Run, Subway Surfers, Jetpack Joyride and Crossy Road are all on Google Play, free with adverts and in-app purchases.
Who owns Subway Surfers now?
SYBO Games publishes it, and Miniclip’s site says SYBO is part of Miniclip. Kiloo, which co-developed the original, is no longer named as publisher.
What games are like Subway Surfers and Temple Run?
Subway Surfers City, MetroLand, Sonic Dash, Minion Rush and Talking Tom Gold Run are the same kind of chase runner.
What was the first endless runner game?
Temple Run’s listing calls it “the original endless runner”. That is Imangi’s claim, and we have not tried to settle it.
