Gacha games originated in Japan, but they have gained popularity in recent years worldwide, undoubtedly due to the growth of mobile gaming. There are now lots of gacha games available with captivating stories, fully developed characters, and immersive worlds. We’ll include the best gacha games in this article. Gacha Games that work on iOS or Android have been included.
What Is Gacha Game?
Knowing the origins of the name “gacha”—a Japanese capsule-toy vending machine—will help you better comprehend what a gacha game is (gachapon). When you use a gachapon machine will give you a capsule containing a mystery toy. The most expensive toys are also the hardest to find. Gacha games are video games that incorporate and adapt this method. They often offer a shop where you can purchase loot boxes (capsules) that give you random items. Characters, weapons, and skins are a few examples. The “best” items are also the most difficult to obtain in gacha machines. It shouldn’t be surprising that most gacha games contain JRPG characteristics, such as a strong story focus, turn-based gameplay, and a more distinctive graphic style.
Some Best Gacha Games
Let’s start our selection of the best Gacha Games.
1. RAID: Shadow Legends
You’ve undoubtedly heard about RAID: Shadow Legends, even if you’ve never played a gacha game. This fantasy role-playing game is so notorious for its aggressive marketing strategies that it has become an internet meme. Despite this, RAID: Shadow Legends isn’t “all talk” and has no substance. Instead, this turn-based role-playing game transports you directly into a dark fantasy world and brings it to life with amazing, lag-free visuals.
RAID features a broad range of game modes for you to explore. Campaigns, Dungeons, Faction Warfare, and the Arena are examples. In Faction Wars, you and your friends form a clan and cooperate to defeat battle bosses. You can earn some fantastic rewards in the Arena, a PvP mode. Throughout the game, there are various classes and many characters. There are now more than 300 characters. Each character has a lovely look and their own special abilities and plays style. You may upgrade these characters (buffs) by gathering tools and artifacts.
Despite the jaw-dropping graphics, the story is weak, making it appropriate for individuals who enjoy the eye candy. The plot needs to be more forgettable and relies on common fantasy cliches. This gacha game relentlessly nags you to splurge. It frequently displays pop-up messages on buyable packs with “limited-time deals.” Premium items can give your characters a huge boost in power. As a result, this game is truly “freemium.” Nevertheless, RAID is still a fantastic gacha game, even if you’re not interested in the story and don’t mind the freemium model.
2. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Although being a solo storyline, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius revolves around the Final Fantasy world. This role-playing game fills the world with lapis, a potent stone from which individuals pull power. Power inevitably draws evil. Two knights set out on a trip into dungeons and arenas to save the world from disaster, fighting anything that attempts to stand in their way. Although the game features original characters from the Final Fantasy series that may be unlocked through prizes, the gameplay is simple and easy. Oh, and the game also offers a PvP mode so that you may enjoy heated battles with other players.
3. Marvel Strike Force
A turn-based gacha game called Marvel Strike Force. It enables you to fulfill your lifelong ambition to lead a team of Marvel supervillains or heroes. After its debut, it has received several honors, including “the best breakthrough game of 2019 (Google Play)”. There is a decent selection of game modes, and the animations are smooth and engaging. Each mode is easy to learn. You may unlock new Marvel characters using orbs (the gacha component) and gathering shards. To upgrade your characters and items, you may use a variety of various currencies. Every fight seems different because of the over 170 characters and the number of rooster combinations. This makes it a difficult gacha game to become tired of.
4. Summoner’s War
A well-known smartphone game, Summoner’s War, claims to have over 100 million players globally. This is an action-packed RPG game and also an MMO. You can PvP with tonnes of other players as a result. Not a fan of PvP? So don’t worry; Summoner’s War has a fantastic storyline with various dungeons, quests, and monsters. You will have your own set of combatants and monsters in your time. You must follow and upgrade the storyline to summon tons of potent monsters and heroes. Also, the game lets you create many items to help you develop into one of the best and strongest Summoners. And if you feel up to it, take part in the World events the game frequently hosts and fight the world to show off the strength of your monsters and fighters.
5. Azur Lane
Azur Lane is a one-of-a-kind gacha game that blends side-scrolling shoot them up gameplay with JRPG features. The entire story is centered on naval conflict, and you play the part of a naval fleet commander. In 2017, the game was released. Since then, it has become among the most played gacha games, particularly in Japan. In just four months, it attracted more than five million players in Japan. Moreover, a console game and anime adaptation were released in 2019 for it (Azur Lane: Crosswave).
Azur Lane is rather beginner-friendly, unlike certain gacha games that might be challenging initially. You won’t be thrown into the deep end (pun intended). The tutorial is well-developed and properly explains how the game functions. Despite being set in an alternative World War II era, the game also has several historical allusions. This makes it excellent for gacha-loving history nerds. The story isn’t as hooking as other gacha games, but most of the conversation is spoken and well-acted.
The game’s 2D shooter combat, as we previously mentioned, is a key component. The characters are easily controlled, and their weapons fire automatically in this mode. Buttons may be tapped to launch more damaging special attacks. In the game, you may choose from hundreds of characters and collect them (through gacha!) Characters have different rankings and rarities; you can also unlock gear for them.
The characters are battleships from World War II in human form. This strategy produces some amusing character designs, as you would have anticipated. For instance, USS Spence (a destroyer ship class) is turned into a nervous and shy loli. Azur Lane is sometimes tedious and needs more repetitions. But, fresh content is routinely added.
6. Cookie Run: Kingdom
A fun and addictive game called Cookie Run: Kingdom features the player as a strong cookie. As strange as it may sound, the game is engaging and filled with incredible surprises. The game begins with a back story describing how the world and characters were created. The primary character of the game, GingerBrave, is who you end up playing as. As the game progresses, you collect more allies, unlock surprise rewards and characters, and fight the evil that has taken over the world. Despite the game’s simple gameplay, its storyline and gacha system makes it extremely compelling and addicting.
7. Dragon Ball Legends
One of the most popular anime series of all time is Dragon Ball. It impacted the genre, particularly the shonen cliches, and demonstrated that anime could be well-liked in the West. Given this, it shouldn’t be surprising that a gacha game adaption of the franchise is popular. Dragon Ball Legends features real-time combat in a 3D setting. Fun, quick, and exciting describe combat. Swipes and taps control your character, and you may use combos and special moves to attack your opponent. You can even deflect and parry assaults. It also features a card system that establishes your employable abilities. There are lots of game modes, including PVP and story mode. The story can feel like it drags on occasionally, but it is generally good and will keep you interested. The artwork is vibrant and in the traditional Dragon Ball style.
8. Arknights
A mobile tower-defense game with an anime flavor is called Arknights. The game is set in a bleak world. The last few survivors fight for Originium, a precious mineral. The turrets in this tower defense game have been replaced with characters (operators). Operators have unique classes, abilities, and attack gimmicks. There are eight classes in all, from sniper to medic.
Well, as you go through the game, Arknights increases the challenge, constricting the answers. As a result, you must strategically deploy your characters (turrets). As a result, it’s a great gacha game for individuals seeking mental stimulation. None of the stages in Arknights require you to splurge on expensive items, which is another fantastic feature. You don’t need exceptionally rare characters to complete every level.
Despite the straightforward gameplay, the story is interesting and doesn’t rely on cliches to move it ahead. With its 3D world and well-detailed visuals, the game is visually stunning. Despite having stunning visuals, the game nonetheless functions effectively on low-end smartphones. Arknights provides a particularly bountiful gacha experience. A 6-star rare operator is 2% more likely to be pulled than a 5-star rare one, and vice versa. Moreover, Arknights features a method that guarantees you’ll get at least one high-rarity operator out of every ten pulls.
9. Honkai Impact 3rd
Honkai Impact 3rd is a stunningly displayed 3D anime game. The game offers excellent combat and a lot of strong characters that you can unlock through the gacha system. You play the captain of a squad of Valkyries in the game. You are in charge of the battle with the supervillain group Honkai, which threatens the world’s survival. As mentioned, the game boasts fantastic combat that exceeds expectations, especially on mobile platforms. Honkai Impact 3rd also features cooperative modes and lets you cast friends as cast members. Speaking of casts, this game features a variety of characters that you may unlock using the gacha system. Play the varied game that his lovely game offers once you unlock everyone.
10. Fire Emblem Heroes
A turn-based strategy combat game called Fire Emblem Heroes. On a board like a chessboard, you move your characters to eliminate the opponent. The well-known Fire Emblem series inspired this gacha game. Yet even if you’re new to the franchise, you may still enjoy the game. There are many maps that you must navigate and solve. All the action fits nicely on your screen because it is designed for portrait mode. Smooth and one-handed-friendly, the touchscreen controls. Moreover, battles last between 40 seconds and a few minutes on average. Thanks to all these aspects, the game is easy to play while traveling.
The game’s single-player campaign mode doesn’t have the most captivating story. Arena Duels is only one of several accessible game modes (PVP). A Special Maps game mode is also available. You can obtain special prizes in this mode’s rotational (or event) maps. Also, each map has unique victory requirements, such as “all allies must survive.” This makes for enjoyable gameplay.
You’ll always have fresh things to collect and explore in the game because there are over 700 unlocked characters. Are you a fan of the Fire Emblem series? You’ll be happy to learn that this game includes almost all the franchise characters. Via the “summoning” gacha system, additional characters may be obtained. From 1 to 5, with five being the best, characters are graded. The 5-star rate rise scheme results in generous drop rates. If you don’t receive a 5-star character after five turns, your probability of getting one rises by 0.25%.
11. Genshin Impact
Within six months of its introduction, Genshin Impact made over $1 billion in revenue for a good reason. It is a fantasy role-playing game with an open world and interesting combat. Genshin employs real-time action, while most gacha games lack interactive combat. This gives you complete control over your character. Each character has a unique set of abilities. Also, there are tonnes of possible elemental combinations to discover.
Even the environment is a factor in combat. For example, if you fight an opponent near water, they’ll be more susceptible to electro-assaults. The world of Genshin Impact will captivate you for hours on end. Every section is brimming with content; there is much to see and discover. If you wander around one area, you’ll encounter various combat events, quests, and puzzles. The game looks incredible, and the songs are lovely and captivating. The 23 playable characters have endearing looks, and the game has an anime-like, Legend of Zelda feel.
Moreover, you may unlock strong characters and weapons using the gacha system “Wish.” Despite the slim chance of receiving the best items, you may use the gacha system without spending a dollar. The approach that doesn’t pay will need some grinding. Yet it never seems like work because of the stunning world and characters. Even though the game is just a little over a year old, the creators already have many new upgrades and content planned.
12. Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle
Fans (and everyone else) may now play Dragon Ball Z, one of the most popular anime series, on their smartphones. All the original series characters are included in Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle’s new storyline. The game features epic battles with stunning endings that captivate players because of its excellent 2D graphics. Since there are so many anime-original characters, you can use the in-game cash to summon them and new characters. The game is in the action puzzle genre and includes a map that resembles a board game. So plan, activate super Saiyan mode, and summon all the Z-fighters in Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle.
13. Epic Seven
Epic Seven is a turn-based gacha game with a fascinating story. The characters and subplots are very complex, even if the main story is simple. When more realities are revealed, you get to establish close friendships, and the story gets more complex and hooking. The full-frame animation segments also engross you and bring the story to life. These animations are vibrant, and the characters and settings are detailed. At moments, it feels like you’re watching an anime. Even when it comes to gameplay, the game is still a visual pleasure, especially the special effects. They are beautiful, transparent, and smooth. Every character’s last move also includes a separate animation sequence.
Despite turn-based gameplay, it is complex. It may feel too complex, especially when you first start. Apart from the essentials, the tutorials don’t cover anything. You must use online community guidelines and figure things out as you go. Epic Seven has a vibrant community, which is a blessing. Finding players that are eager to assist you will be easy. You may summon new heroes or improve your gear and rating via the game’s gacha system. It provides customers with one free “roll” every day. A unique gacha roll will be available after you reach a specific level milestone.
14. Brave Nine – Tactical RPG
Brave Nine – Tactical RPG, a game with an engaging storyline, features a turn-based arena battle with several heroes that aid you in your mission. You follow Adel’s story as he tries to salvage a world filled with unfathomable perils despite losing everything. Battles with a high PvP component give you the most intriguing and distinctive experience. To strengthen your squad and complete the storyline, the heroes may also be unlocked in a gacha fashion. To make your life simpler, the game also features an auto-deploy capability. So please put on your thinking cap; it’s time to ensure you ascend to the top of the scoreboard and show the world your ideal battle configuration.
15. AFK Arena
You fight to protect the world of Esperia from the pernicious Hypogeans in the turn-based RPG AFK Arena, which features an intriguing storyline. You are assisted in battle by hundreds of heroes. Now is the time to gather your heroes and fight to your heart’s content. The possibility to log off while your battles are still in progress is an intriguing aspect of this game. You gave the game permission so that when you return to it the next time, you will find tonnes of in-game awards waiting for you. The game is ideal for individuals who only have a little time to spend on it because it takes care of everything while you are away. Therefore remain composed and AFK, gather all the heroes and rule the arenas you visit.
Conclusion:
We only included the best Gacha Games at the end, so if you have any further suggestions, leave them in the comment section below!