8 Mobile Gacha Games That Are Actually Good

Gacha games have blown up in the past few years, often going viral for their combat systems, world-building, and cutesy graphics.

If you’ve never played a gacha game before, you might be missing out on some must-see gameplay, visuals, and characters. Many of these games are designed with mobile in mind and offer unique stories to explore while you’re on the go. Here’s what you need to know and some great starting points.

What Is a Gacha Game?

A gacha game is a type of video game based on “gashapon” (Japanese: toy vending machine capsules) that is differentiated by its core mechanism of setting up players to earn in-game currency or rewards, often through gameplay. This currency is then used on rolls, draws, or pulls to acquire new characters, cards, weapons, outfits, or other virtual items to help clear stages or missions.

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Many gacha games are known for drawing players into addictive “grinding” (spending a lot of time on repeated actions to earn in-game rewards or currency) and spending real currency to purchase reward packs or unlock cards/characters through frequent microtransactions. However, most are free to play and can be played without spending any real currency, although the amount of grinding you put in often depends on how much you want to acquire a card, character, or other reward.

While the addictive elements of gacha games are well documented, some gacha games are less contentious and have even won awards and garnered positive reviews and praise from players and critics. Here are eight mobile gacha games that you need to try out if you want to get into gacha gaming and don’t know where to start.

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8

Infinity Nikki

Infinity Nikki (iOS, Android) is an award-winning game by Infold Games (Papergames) that won the 2025 Apple Design Award for Visuals and Graphics. This is a free action-adventure game with dress-up elements, set in the fantasy world of Miraland. Infinity Nikki lets you play as Nikki in Stylist Duels against opponents while acquiring outfits with different attributes for Nikki as you progress. This game stands out for its unique animation and world-building, as well as the stunning outfits that you collect instead of weapons.

Another interesting aspect of Infinity Nikki, apart from its detailed mobile graphics, is the gacha system it employs, which is also featured in other Infold Games (like Love and Deepspace). It includes a pity mechanism, which means you are guaranteed a five-star item after a set number of pulls, so there’s a better chance of getting the outfits or attributes you want (and a lesser chance of giving in to in-game purchases).

Apple has praised the game for its “lavish yet cozy” design and feel, while highlighting the work put into the lighting and effects of outfits and Miraland’s elements. A recent update allows for co-op gameplay of Infinity Nikki.

Infinity Nikki

Released

December 5, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood, Violence

Developer(s)

Papergames, Infold Games

Publisher(s)

Papergames, Infold Games

7

Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail (iOS, Android) won Best Mobile Game at the 2023 Game Awards, and for good reason. Developed by the same company as Genshin Impact (HoYoverse), this free RPG was highly anticipated even before its 2023 launch. This mobile game lets you play as the “Trailblazer,” traveling along the Astral Express while fighting in battles. You can build teams of up to four characters, using the gacha system (Warps) to acquire new characters as you progress through the game. There are guaranteed characters and others that can be obtained by clearing certain missions or limited-time events.

Honkai: Star Rail has received recognition for its visuals and graphics, voice acting, humor, and combat elements. The combat and gacha system is also set up in a way where you can progress through missions and acquire characters without spending money on in-game purchases. The game is also available to play on PlayStation 5.

Honkai: Star Rail

Released

April 26, 2023

ESRB

T for Teen

Developer(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)

Publisher(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)

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6

Arknights

Arknights (iOS, Android) is a free RPG tactical game that focuses on tower defense as part of its core gameplay. You play the role of “Doctor,” guiding an organization called Rhodes Island to combat the spread of a deadly infection. Managing and deploying a roster of Operators, learning and correctly using their abilities to gain victory, and strategic skill activation can help you navigate the game and progress through stages and unlock rare Operators.

The game also features more than just tower defense gameplay, notably complex combat puzzles and maps. As for its gacha system, Arknights lets players collect virtual currency through daily log-in rewards, gameplay, and limited-time events to be used to acquire new Operators. The game also features a base-building feature that involves constructing facilities and assigning Operators to them.

Arknights has received praise from fans and critics for its lore, world-building, and visuals. The game also focuses more on strategy and gameplay and less on grinding for difficult-to-obtain characters, which places less pressure on players to spend real money as they progress through the game.

Arknights

Systems

Released

May 1, 2019

ESRB

e

Developer(s)

Hypergryph

Engine

unity

Multiplayer

Local Co-Op

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5

Wuthering Waves

Wuthering Waves (iOS, Android) is a free, open-world action RPG developed by Kuro Games that is recognized for its story and combat system. Set in a post-apocalyptic, futuristic setting, you play as Rover, who has woken up from a slumber with no recollection of his past and has to explore this new world while fighting unknown monsters. Players also control playable characters called Resonators (allies), who are assigned four- and five-star rarities, and can be used in combat elements.

The gacha mechanism in Wuthering Waves features banners (Convenes), which let you obtain Resonators and weapons. Like Infinity Nikki, Wuthering Waves features a pity mechanism for five-star items after a set number of pulls, which makes the gacha system in the game more forgiving than others.

While the game had its fair share of glitches and bugs at launch, they’ve since been patched, with new updates bringing new five-star characters, stories, and banners. Wuthering Waves can also be played on Windows, PlayStation 5, and macOS.

Wuthering Waves

Released

May 22, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Kuro Games

Publisher(s)

Kuro Games

4

The Battle Cats

The Battle Cats (iOS, Android) is a free tower defense game originally released in 2012, with an improved version released in 2014. The game is quirky and minimalist with unique gameplay: you get to defend the Cat Base by deploying cats onto a 2D battlefield to defeat the enemy base. Cats possess different traits (like “Metal,” “Angel,” and “Sage”).

As for its gacha mechanism, The Battle Cats uses Cat Capsules, an area where you can spend things like Cat Tickets and Cat Food to acquire Cat Units and Ability Capsules. Any reward you earn can then be used immediately or stored for later, or exchanged for Rare Tickets. As you clear stages and earn XP, your Cats can also evolve to unlock their True Forms.

The plot of The Battle Cats takes place across four main story sagas, with three Legend Stages that supplement the main story. A revamped port of The Battle Cats, The Battle Cats Unite!, was released for Nintendo Switch in 2021, with a co-op mode available.

The Battle Cats

Systems

Released

November 15, 2012

Developer(s)

PONOS

Publisher(s)

PONOS

3

Limbus Company

If you’re looking to try something a bit more indie, try Limbus Company (iOS, Android), a single-player, turn-based RPG published by the South Korean studio Project Moon. Launched in 2023, Limbus Company is set in “The City,” a dystopian and capitalist world where preceding games (Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina) developed by the same studio also take place.

The story follows an Executive Manager (Dante) as he guides twelve Sinners to find the Golden Boughs (a rare artifact). The gameplay features battles where you can choose Sinners (each having different identities) to fight against bosses. The gacha system in the game allows you to use Lunacy (the currency) or tickets to acquire new identities of Sinners (each possessing their respective skills and stats) as well as E.G.O.(skills).

Limbus Company also features Mirror Dungeons and Target Extraction Banners, with main story chapters that you can progress through. The design of the game involves gothic and dark elements, blended well into its grim setting. If you like strategy-based gameplay, then Limbus Company might be your cup of tea.

2

Zenless Zone Zero

Developed by HoYoverse, Zenless Zone Zero (iOS, Android) is an action RPG that won the “Best Mobile Game” Award at the 2024 UCG Game Awards. Set in the futuristic metropolis, New Eridu, the game is played through the eyes of one of two protagonists (siblings Belle and Wise), with the ability to switch to the other protagonist when outside Random Play. You also control Agents with separate Attributes and Specialties, with characters running on Battery Charge.

Zenless Zone Zero‘s gacha system lets you draw new characters through banners. The game is noted for its graphics, combat elements, world-building, and daily exploration. Zenless Zone Zero‘s combat system has been compared to HoYoverse’s previous game, Honkai Impact 3rd. This visually stunning game garnered over 50 million worldwide downloads within three days of its release.

You can also play this action game on Windows and PlayStation 5. In 2025, a port for the Xbox Series X/S was released.

Zenless Zone Zero

Released

July 4, 2024

ESRB

T (Teen) – Suggestive Themes & Violence

Developer(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)

Publisher(s)

HoYoverse

1

Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space

Enticed by time-travel narratives? Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space (iOS, Android) could be the free, single-player RPG that captures your interest. Developed by Wright Flyer Studios, the story lets you travel across three time periods (Antiquity, Present, and Future). You get to play the protagonist, Aldo, a boy who is attempting to rescue his sister Feinne from the Beast King and is transported to the far future in the process after a space-time distortion.

Another Eden‘s gacha system lets you collect Chronos Stones as you play the game to access the Star Dreaming Hall and obtain new characters. The combat system features turn-based battles with enemy characters, a side-scrolling game style, and an extensive main story. Critics have praised the game’s graphics and soundtrack, as well as the lack of gacha trappings for elements like stamina.

A Windows port was released in 2021, with a Nintendo Switch port is in development.

Another Eden

Systems

Released

January 28, 2019

ESRB

t

Engine

Unity

You can discover new gacha games with a quick surf through subreddits like r/gachagaming, which discuss and review popular and new titles.