15 best gacha games and mobile RPGs for Android

Gacha games are pretty popular these days. The most popular ones have millions of installs, and even the smaller ones have loyal fans. The games have a specific style of play. They usually have old-school JRPG combat mechanics, long storylines, various special events, and sometimes online multiplayer. However, the hallmark feature of a gacha game is the gacha element.

You summon characters with in-game currency or items (often called pulls). As the game meta shifts, building and rebuilding your team multiple times becomes necessary, which helps keep things interesting. Plus, once you get an excellent meta team, the damage you can do is insane.

Some are friendlier with this mechanic than others, which helps separate them from the pack. With that in mind, here are Android’s best gacha games (mobile RPGs)! Free-to-play games change constantly by adding new events, characters, and mechanics. Most of what we have written here should still apply, but they will all have grown and changed at least a little bit by the time you read this.

What is a gacha game?

In a gacha game, players invest in-game currency or real money to acquire different items or characters. This system is similar to a virtual vending machine or any other randomized reward system. These obtained items or characters can play an important role in enhancing the players’ progress and overall gameplay experience.

The best gacha games and mobile RPGs for Android

Another Eden

Price: Free to play

• The game traces Feinne’s journey as she, accompanied by the cat Chrono, sets out on a quest to rescue the future.
• The gameplay centers on exploring diverse time periods, participating in turn-based battles, and solving puzzles to progress the story. 

Another Eden isn’t the most popular gacha game, but it’s pretty good. The story writer and music composer are the same guys who did Chrono Trigger. There are quite a few odes to Chrono Trigger in the game, including time travel and some other little story and design elements. The gacha element is relatively small, but we think it’ll grow over time. The mechanics stray a bit from the traditional mobile RPG. You move around a map and engage in story missions like early console JRPGs instead of the usual mission-style gameplay.

It’s surprisingly good, even if it differs slightly from most gacha games. The summer 2019 update also added many new story content and gameplay changes.

Pros:

• The art of the game is excellent especially the enemy designs. Unlike most in the enemies are just different versions of the same creature. 
• The music of the game is well-done. 

Cons:

• Some users have reported occasional crashes. 

Arknights

Price: Free to play

• Arknights is a hybrid of a gacha RPG and a strategy RPG.
• There is a campaign mode, various temporary events, and hundreds of characters to summon.

The combat in the game is a lot less JRPG and more SRPG. It’s almost like a pseudo-tower defense game in how the combat works and finishing levels are part of the puzzle and part brute force.

The game also comes with an auto-deploy mode and a surprisingly decent soundtrack. It has the same kind of allure for players as Azur Lane, and there’s a much larger focus on collecting characters than other parts of the game.

If you like the mechanics but want to try something new, Path to Nowhere (Google Play) has very similar tower defense-style strategy RPG mechanics. We think Arknights is the better game, but choices never hurt anybody.

Pros:

• The various characters are not only the highlight but support the gameplay and storyline really well as well. 
• Although the game includes in-app purchases you don’t essentially have to spend money to enjoy the game. 

Cons:

• It is a tower defense game which might be a con for some people.

Bleach Brave Souls

Price: Free to play

• It is based in the long running manga and anime series Bleach. 
• The game allows players to recreate iconic battles, assemble teams of their favorite Bleach characters, and engage in intense PvP battles.

Bleach Brave Souls is one of several gacha RPGs with a long-running shonen as its theme. We went with Bleach Brave Soul, but you can easily try out Ultimate Ninja Blazing (Naruto), Dragon Ball Legends, and One Piece Treasure Cruise. In any case, Bleach Brave Souls features action RPG mechanics, a fairly solid gacha system, plenty of characters to summon, and even play online PvP if you really want to.

Pros:

• If you are a fan of rock music you have to play this game for its rock title track. 
• The battles in the game are 3D, thrilling, and action packed. 

Cons:

• The grind in this game is a bit intense, and the pull rates can sometimes be a little frustrating.

Fate/Grand order

Price: Free to play

• The game throws the players into the realm of Fate, a universe with magical servants, heroic spirits, and the Holy Grail War.
• The gameplay of Fate/Grand Order seamlessly integrates visual novel storytelling with turn-based RPG elements.

Fate/Grand Order uses the mammoth cast of the popular Fate anime series. Thus, fans of the series should get a good kick out of this one. The game features a surprisingly engaging storyline and soundtrack. Additionally, you get tons of units to summon, plenty of special events, and decent anime-style graphics.

Pros:

• The storyline is engaging with themes of heroism, sacrifice, and hope. 
• The game is nuanced as well as simple to understand at the same time. 

Cons:

• There is a differences between the Japanese and global version. The Japanese version is a little further along in its development cycle while the global version lags behind.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius

Price: Free to play

• Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is one of the several Final Fantasy gacha games.
• It’s very F2P friendly.
• The combat is turn-based JRPG style with the usual array of special abilities.

It also has tons of cross-overs with other Square Enix properties for an extra dosage of nostalgia. The developer, Gumi, also makes the Brave Frontier (no longer available) series. It’s functionally identical to Brave Exvius minus the Final Fantasy part. Some other excellent Final Fantasy gachas include Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (no longer available) and FFBE War of the Visions (a strategy RPG). Square Enix is also highly competitive with Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe.

Pros:

• It is better than all of the Final Fantasy gacha games.
• It comes with a long storyline and tons of units to summon.

Cons:

• The large number of characters in the game make the game very complex. 
• Some users have reported that is crashes often and has a long load time. 

Fire Emblem Heroes

Price: Free to play

• Fire Emblem Heroes is Nintendo’s foray into the gacha games world.
• It uses strategy RPG mechanics just like the console games.

It has an excellent story and gameplay mechanics similar to the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game. We also like the little things about this game. For instance, Nintendo tells you the percentage chances of summoning the perfect units. Nintendo knocked this one out of the park. Nintendo also does Dragalia Lost (Google Play link), another excellent gacha RPG you should try.

Pros:

• This game is relatively rock-solid, with fun, colorful graphics and tons of stuff to do.
• There are a variety of characters to summon from the Fire Emblem series.
• It’s pretty F2P friendly and just straight fun to play.

Cons:

• The premium currency of the game is rare but even if you find it, it does not give a lot. 
• The game also tends to get redundant at times. 

Genshin Impact

Price: Free to play

• The game has a really big open world that is open for exploration. 
• The game transports players to the world of Teyvat.
• The players uncover the mysteries of the land and reunite with their long-lost twin sibling.

Genshin Impact is an action RPG with gacha elements. It’s also arguably one of the best of the genre from 2020. The game looks and feels a little bit like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You can explore every pixel of the landscape and even get a glider to make travel easier. There is a decent story, a competent soundtrack, and a good selection of characters. The gacha elements are quite different.

Like most other games, you earn characters through quests rather than pulling them from tickets. This one will be something special if the developers can keep it up. MiHoYo Limited also does Honkai Impact 3rd, another excellent gacha game.

Pros:

• If you are a fan of anime inspired art style then this game is for you. 
• It has a really immersive world and storyline. 

Cons:

• The game tends to lag a bit when there a various visible effects during a combat. 
• Some people complain about it taking a lot of phone storage. 

Goddess of Victory: Nikke

Price: Free to play

• It’s an immersive 3D action RPG (Role-Playing Game). 
• It is set in a post-apocalyptic world. 
• The humanity relies o the combat skills of dolls known as “Nikkes”.

Goddess of Victory: Nikke is a gacha game with some bullet hell combat mechanics. You do the usual stuff, like summon characters and build a team. In combat, you hide behind cover and shoot your enemies while dodging their bullets. It’s a unique concept in a genre that needed some fantastic ideas. Along with the neat combat, there is also a story, decent artwork, and more.

Pros:

• It has great artwork and music. 
• The cast of characters in the game is diverse and memorable. 

Cons:

• The combat can be a tad clunky at times. It asks you to do a few different things simultaneously; some players have found that difficult.
• Some users have reported that the game frequently crashes in between. 

Guardian Tales

Price: Free to play

• It features action-adventure combat where players roam the game world and dungeons to beat bosses, find loot, and gain levels
• It boasts a relatively smaller group of heroes (50), but it helps keep the game simple.

Guardian Tales is something a little bit different in the gacha games space.  Guilds, PvP, a house-building mechanic, and plenty of missions to play through. There is a lot to like about this one. It plays smoothly, and the in-app purchases aren’t too aggressive.

Pros: 

• The animation style and story is really good. 
• The game provides references to other games as well which the users found interesting. 

Cons: 

• Many users have reported that the game lags. 
• The game also gets stuck when you are gliding across the corner which might be a problem as a lot of quests require running. 

MementoMori

Price: Free to play

• Gamers assume the roles of a team of young witches tasked with travelling through a fragmented world to prevent it from destruction.
• It has a number of different characters. 

MementoMori is a gacha RPG with some AFK mechanics. We’re a bit weary of putting AFK-style games on this list, but people seem to like MementoMori. Players collect girls who are called witches in the game. Each one has its backstory to go along with the main story. The main mechanic is collecting the girls, putting together a team, and making your way through the story.

Pros: 

• The auto-battle has multiple speeds, so you can play as quickly as you want.
• It’s a chill game where the story matters more than the combat.

Cons:

• Combat is mostly AFK-style, where you send your characters in, and they do the rest.   
• Since it is an AFK game some players might not like it because of its lack of control in the c0mbat. 

Princess Connect! Re:Dive

Price: Free to play

• The story follows a man who wakes up with no memories and is soon joined by a team to reveal his past. 
• It’s a real-time action RPG (Role Playing Game).
• It incorporates gacha system to obtain new characters in the game. 

Princess Connect! Re: Dive launched long ago in Japan, but it only had its worldwide release in 2021. The game is a light gacha with RPG mechanics. It also allows you to level up each character, equip various gear, and more. Each character has a bond rating that unlocks extra quests and other stuff.

Pros:

• There is a roster of over 50 characters to summon.
• This one enjoys a better combat system than most gacha RPGs, online PvP content.
• The storyline of this game is better than the most. 

Cons:

• There are some complaints about cheaters in PvP.
• Players also found the game to be a bit repetitive in nature. 

Revived Witch

Price: Free to play

• The game allows you to explore various worlds and engage in turn-based battles. 
• It allows you to form a team of Dolls in which all of them possess unique powers and characteristics.
• The main aim of the game is to play to recover the memories of the witch. 

Revived Witch is the latest game from Yostar, one of the heavier hitters in the gacha games genre. This one has you playing as a young witch traveling across the world to solve problems. There are the usual gacha elements like summoning companions and story-driven gameplay. The game also features voiceovers for most characters, simple battle mechanics, and a decent soundtrack.

Pros:

• The storyline is engaging. 
• The game is a treat for the fans of the pixel art style. 
• The soundtrack of the game is also really nice. 

Cons:

• It has the same pitfalls as most gacha games, where you may put in a lot of resources and not get the pull you want.
• The community has also complained about the banner events being too tricky.

Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe

Price: Free to play

• Players engage in a quest to liberate various worlds and explore different realms within the SaGa universe.
• It is set in an apocalyptic world that you have to rescue. 

Romancing SaGa: Re;univerSe is a JRPG series from Square Enix wrapped in a gacha format. It has a similar look and feel to most gachas with pixel-art graphics, simple combat mechanics, and plenty of characters to pull. The game boasts deeper-than-average character growth, a good story, the kind of excellent soundtrack Square Enix is known for, and it’s just an overall good experience. It could use a coat of polish, but that rarely makes the game unfun.

Pros:

• The game boasts deeper-than-average character growth.
• It has an excellent soundtrack.
• It is entirely free-to-play. 

Cons:

• Users have expressed the necessity for auto-clicker applications to operate this game, creating an inconvenience.

Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2

Price: Free to play

• It is for the fan of the Magami Tensei franchise players as it is the latest release of the franchise. 
• The game allows players to access a special app, making them members of the Liberators—an organization dedicated to defending the world against an opposing faction.

Shin Megami Tensei is a popular jRPG series mostly on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. Additionally, you get simple jRPG mechanics, plenty of events, and all of the other perks of the gacha game genre. You can probably see the pattern by now. It also comes with PvP elements and other typical gacha stuff. It’s pretty good, even if it’s newer.

Pros:

• It features over 160 characters to summon and use.
• This one also includes decent cut scenes.
• The animations and map design of the game are solid 

Cons:

• For a game this long, there aren’t enough environments and exploration opportunities.
• Most users have complained about the game lacking a good storyline

Tower of Fantasy

Price: Free to play

• It is a shared open world MMORPG (Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).
• It is set in a post apocalyptic world where the mankind has left Earth due to lack of resources and gone to another planet. 
• It provides a vast range of unique characters which you can customize. 

Tower of Fantasy is one of the biggest gacha releases of 2022. It’s heralded as the next Genshin Impact. It’s an action RPG where you roam the world, complete quests, defeat bad guys, and enjoy exploring things. You get your characters the usual way; each has its abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.

Pros:

• The game provides endless entertainment. You never run out of tasks and it does not get redundant. 
• The graphics of the game are really good. 
• The storyline of the game is also very interesting. 

Cons: 

• The game is new, so the developers are still working on lag, enemy balance, and other stuff.
• The microtransactions are slightly more aggressive than Genshin Impact.
• Some users also report some issues with mobile controls. 

If we missed any great gacha games, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.