Best Gacha Games, Ranked (2024)

Gacha games tend to be available on mobile and PC platforms and are often free-to-play. The in-app purchase options vary from optional speed up progressing to required unlockable aspects needed to level up. Though most people avoid gacha games - both because they dislike the in-app purchase pop-ups and because the word ‘gacha’ has such negative connotations - the games themselves can be quite fun.

Chances are you’ve played a gacha game at least once. If you have, you know they are compelling, relying on the dopamine hit you get as you earn your way to the next level. Some are pure action and battle gaming, but some also have highly story-driven plots, allowing you to choose your own pace.

Updated on April 30, 2024, by Sanyam Jain: Genshin Impact has certainly made the gacha genre one of the most popular in gaming, with new games being released almost every month. While most of these games don't last too long, AFK Journey has proven to be quite an exception considering the type of game it is.

19 Raid: Shadow Legends

You've probably heard of this game if you watch Twitch streams or YouTube videos since it's often a sponsor. Calling itself a ‘freemium’ RPG mobile game, Raid: Shadow Legends has you battle against mythical characters. There are over 100 playable characters to choose from, all in the mythic/magic/fantasy realm.

You can play the base game entirely free, but there are limits on what you can access without paying. In-app purchases will unlock characters, items, and other features for you to continue your gameplay. It can also be difficult to progress without either being extremely patient or paying to make things quicker.

18 Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time And Space

• Release Date: April 12, 2017
• Platforms: PC, mobile, Nintendo Switch

Aside from having one of the greatest subtitles in gaming history, Another Eden is a classic Sci-Fi RPG with cute and well-thought-out graphics. The game is story-heavy, following you as a time traveler with your pet cat, a unique concept to say the least. It's written by Masato Kato, the writer behind Chrono Trigger, so you may enjoy this game's story if you enjoyed Chrono Trigger's.

You can travel between the past, present, and future, encountering different NPCs and enemies based on the time period. The only truly gacha aspect of Another Eden is in-app purchases for gaining new characters. If you’re satisfied playing with the default characters, however, you can play it 100 percent free without issue.

17 Guardian Tales

• Release Date: February 24, 2020
• Platforms: PC, mobile, Nintendo Switch

An action RPG, Guardian Tales mixes puzzle-solving and strategic combat together to make their gameplay. There are options for PvP battles, complete with rankings, giving it a competitive edge and a sense of community that other gacha games may lack.

The overall story is light and fun with comical characters and situations. The graphics are done in an anime style, centered around knights in the city of Kanterbury - an obvious nod to The Knight’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. There will be times when you'll be tempted to use your precious gems just to get through particularly difficult stages, but if you're patient, Guardian Tales can be a fun part of your day.

16 Star Trek Fleet Command

• Release Date: November 29, 2018
• Platforms: PC, mobile

Star Trek has had numerous games, both in and out of the gacha realm, and typically knows exactly how to reach its target audience. Fleet Command isn't pitched as a gacha game, but rather as a 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate), but it checks a lot of the boxes to be classified as one.

Made by Scopely, the same company behind Marvel Strike Force, you collect character shards through randomized pulls and completing tasks. Since the game is an MMORPG, keeping up in your alliance is a must, so unless you plan to grind a significant amount of your day, you're going to end up sinking some real cash into Fleet Command.

15 Fire Emblem: Heroes

A tactical RPG, the game is over 30 years old and is now available in the gacha format on mobile. As a Nintendo title, its history and branding make it an obvious choice when considering reliable and fun gaming. There are story-based quests and battles, all of which are family-friendly.

The in-app purchases are mainly for enhancing characters and gaining equipment to beef up your stats fast. It’s possible to play Fire Emblem: Heroes without spending money, as long as you’re willing to grind and wait for timed stats to regenerate.

14 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation DX2

• Release Date: January 22, 2018
• Platforms: Mobile

A classic RPG from another gaming titan, Sega, Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation DX2 is an off-shoot of the canon SMT games, featuring new stories and characters. The characters you play as, as well as your party, are fully customizable, and there are over 100 demons to wage war against.

SMT: Liberation has a deep story-telling aspect carrying the game along, making it easy to sink time into it. In-app purchasing is primarily to unlock features and character options, so it is possible to play the game with little to no spending.

13 Final Fantasy Brave Exvius

• Release Date: October 22, 2015
• Platforms: Mobile

A classic RPG from the Final Fantasy series, the mobile battles are simple in style for easy play. There’s strategy-based gameplay, and PvP battles, along with open-world elements. You can explore hidden paths and dungeons during the main story or side quests.

Brave Exvius does a solid job of capturing the overall world of Final Fantasy in a smaller medium and with a story as strong as the large releases. When it comes to in-app purchases, you’ll find them most enticing when trying to level up or beef up your character in PvPs.

12 Dragon Ball Legends

• Release Date: May 17, 2018
• Platforms: Mobile

An action RPG based on the iconic anime, Dragon Ball Legends brings an original story and brand-new characters to the ever-expanding world. You can also play as familiar characters from Dragon Ball if you don’t want to learn about all the new people.

There are non-ranked battles and PvPs against friendlies and rivals. Though you can play it completely free, there are times when in-app purchases can help you level up and get past certain battles if you’re struggling on your own. The game's website even has a number of helpful things, such as a beginner guide and tips for playing, as well as a profile card generator.

11 Pokemon Masters EX

• Release Date: August 28, 2019
• Platforms: Mobile

Another iconic name in gaming, Pokemon built their gacha game to make in-app purchasing entirely optional. You can play the game completely free, or pay for extras or faster boosts. There are new stories available to play with class trainers from the previous games, too.

The game takes place in the region of Pasio. You work to build up your team for three-versus-three battles with other trainers. The motives are the typical goals of all Pokemon games - catch ‘em all and battle to be the best trainer in the world.

10 Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes

• Release Date: November 24, 2015
• Platforms: Mobile

EA, Lucas, and Disney get together to give you a mobile RPG with a collectible card format that allows you to build your dream team of iconic Star Wars characters and battle them against other parties. You can participate in Light Side Character Campaigns, or Dark Side Character Campaigns, depending on what side you personally choose to be on.

In-app purchases are required for certain characters and some advancement in the game, but other purchases are fully optional. The amount of money you sink into Galaxy of Heroes is up to you.

9 Epic Seven

You can play solo or in PvP and 3v3 Guild Wars matches in Epic Seven. There's also the Raid Labyrinth that sends you on a quest to hunt down monsters to claim rewards. The animations are in 2D and the game features art similar in style to Genshin Impact. Also like Genshin is the rich world development and the engaging storyline to keep you moving forward.

While it is possible to play Epic Seven entirely free, it will take a while to gain the items you'll need to level up, so it will become increasingly easy to just buy what you need to supplement what you've yet to find during gameplay.

8 Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage

• Release Date: September 30, 2020
• Platforms: Mobile

Unlike the other games in this list, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage is a rhythm game. You obviously should try this game out if you're a Vocaloid fan, but even if you're not, the game has over 20 original characters who sing covers of popular Vocaloid songs as well as their own original songs.

You pull for character cards during events for three reasons: getting a good rank in the event, having absolutely gorgeous art of your favorite characters, and getting the 3D outfits that come with these cards for you to watch in the 3D music videos. There's such a diverse range of both characters and music that you'll most likely end up loving at least some of them.

A downside to this game, though, is that resources and pulling currency can get low quickly if you're not a saver, so you'll either have to choose what to pull on carefully or get out of your wallet.

7 Arknights

• Release Date: May 1, 2019
• Platforms: Mobile

A tactical RPG crossed with a tower defense game, Arknights is for mobile gamers looking for a single-player-only game. There are cute animations playing out a darker storyline of a pharmaceutical company fighting against time and people to cure an infection spreading over the country.

Unlike a lot of other games in this genre, Arknights features a full roster of useful and viable characters, so you don't have to keep feeding into the game to pull for the popular characters. This makes the game more enjoyable, but it's also purely up to you how you use your resources.

6 Alchemy Stars

• Release Date: June 17, 2021
• Platforms: Mobile

Alchemy Stars is like mixing Epic Seven and Arknights with strategy RPG and a world built with science and magic. The animation isn't as dynamic as with the other games, but the storyline is equally engaging. It also features multiplayer and competitive multiplayer modes, which make up for the visual elements.

Like with Arknights, you pull for characters with the gacha system in this game who specialize in different skills. Luckily, it's easy to make a roster with any characters you pull, so this doesn't affect gameplay or enjoyment at all.

5 Marvel Strike Force

• Release Date: March 28, 2018
• Platforms: Mobile

Marvel and Disney have released multiple gacha games, but Strike Force has been the most successful, generally. It’s a turn-based RPG with single and multiplayer options. A wide range of classic Marvel characters are available to play with (and against) - and the roster is constantly updating.

Real-time arena play makes the game battle-based, with a less strong storyline, but it does hit on plot points from the comics and films. In-app purchases are predominately to unlock characters and equipment, though not necessary to play.

4 AFK Journey

• Release Date: March 27, 2024
• Platforms: Mobile, PC

AFK Journey came out of nowhere and became one of the most-played gacha games of 2024. This was partly because of the sheer number of streamers sponsored by the game, but also because, while it might not seem like it at first glance, it actually is quite a great game.

Of course, the game has the regular pop-ups enticing you into spending some cash, but it also has various mechanics to keep your gameplay fun even without it. It's also one of the few gacha games out there that you can just relax in since the battle system is completely automated, and most of the strategy goes around the characters and artifacts you use.

3 Genshin Impact

A fun and deceptively intricate RPG with a fully plotted-out storyline, Genshin Impact has fantasy elements mixed with action-adventure in an open-world format. There are always new characters being added, as well as weapons, all of which you can earn through gambling in the Event Wishes — or you can purchase them outright.

All purchases are entirely optional, though, and the game is playable without sinking any money into it. The co-op mode in Genshin is limited, but as a solitary game, it offers countless hours of content free of charge.

2 Cookie Run: Kingdom

• Release Date: January 19, 2021
• Platforms: PC, mobile

Other gacha games could learn a thing or two from Cookie Run: Kingdom. It captures the whimsy of playing as different types of cookies pretty well, and it gives you so much to do that you'll never really be wondering why you should log in that day. Aside from its story stages, Cookie Run: Kingdom has a PvP arena, as well as a guild that you can contribute to and fight bosses in for rewards.

It's not all about battling, though. You have an entire kingdom that you can expand and decorate with a plethora of dessert-based furniture and buildings. Some of the furniture costs Gems that you use for pulling for Cookies, but not to worry; the game is so generous with pulling currency and resources that you won't feel bad about spending a few to beautify your kingdom.

1 Honkai: Star Rail

You can dive into Honkai: Star Rail whether or not you've played Genshin Impact. It takes place in a sci-fi setting, as opposed to Genshin's fantasy one, and features turn-based combat. Like in Genshin, you earn characters through either finishing missions or pulling on Event Wishes.

There are references to both Genshin and Honkai Impact 3rd, but Star Rail has an original, ever-evolving story with its own characters, adding more every so often. You earn the currency for pulling on Event Wishes by completing tasks and limited-time events, so you'll always have a chance of getting something good if you save up (or do a single pull every time you have enough). Otherwise, you get enough free characters to build two teams.