Augmented reality gaming is still a new concept. The first seriously popular AR games on mobile were Ingress and Pokemon Go. Before that, it was mostly proof-of-concept games and stuff like that. It hasn’t changed much. Most augmented reality games are still proof of concept and time killer-style games. However, Google’s ARCore and general interest seem to be pushing things along. There is a lot of unrealized potential in this space, but we don’t see as many good augmented reality experiences in gaming just yet. Here’s hoping that changes soon. Here are the best augmented reality games for Android.
The best augmented reality games for Android
Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs
Price: Free to play
Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs is what you would expect for an AR game about the popular bird launching franchise. The game sets up the puzzle on a nearby table using your camera. You then use a slingshot to launch birds at the structure to try and knock out all of the pigs. The game features 70 levels, a few of the classic Angry Birds characters, and more. Unfortunately, this one hasn’t had an update in a couple of years, so we don’t think the developers are adding any more. The AR part can be a bit finicky on occasion, but it generally works okay.
Draconius GO
Price: Free to play
Draconius GO is similar to Pokemon GO, but its for dragons instead of Pokemon. Players roam the real world, find dragons, capture them, and then use them to battle other players. The mechanics and even graphics are remarkably similar to Pokemon Go, down to the stylized map that you use to walk around. We don’t think that’s a bad thing, though, because Pokemon GO has some legitimately good graphics. Those who have played one will no doubt be familiar with the other. That said, Pokemon GO is a shoo-in for this list, so obviously, so is Draconius GO.
Egg, Inc
Price: Free to play
Egg, Inc is one of the best idle clicker farm games. You tap the screen to generate chickens. Those chickens generate revenue, which you then use to build out your farm. It’s a reasonably relaxing game where you spend most of your time waiting around to purchase more upgrades. Most of the game’s UI is on your phone screen and not in augmented reality. However, there are a few AR elements within the gameplay using Google’s ARCore. Some may not consider it a full AR game, and we respect that, but it does have enough AR in it to include on this list.
Five Nights at Freddy’s AR
Price: Free to play
Five Nights at Freddy’s AR is one of the better crossover games that uses AR. It plays like a traditional FNAF game where you have to keep an eye on malfunctioning animatronics. However, this one has them jumping out of the walls at you while you shock them to keep them back. The game doesn’t really end so you can play anywhere and at any time. There are also some collectibles you can get to build your own animatronics eventually. The game hasn’t seen an update in about a year, but it still plays pretty well on most phones.
Ingress Prime
Price: Free to play
Ingress Prime was one of the first really good AR games on Android. It was developed by Niantic. It had a huge buzz when it first came out. The way it works is that you go out into the real world. The game shows you where some portals are. You hack the portals for your team and then build them up so that the other team can’t. You’ll have two teams to pick from and that’s where the challenge comes from. The game underwent a huge change in late 2018 and re-branded to Ingress Prime. The core mechanics are intact, but the app portion saw a huge overhaul. You can still play the classic experience if you search for Ingress(REDACTED) in Google Play if you don’t like Ingress Prime, but still want to play regular Ingress.
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Jurassic World Alive
Price: Free to play / $9.99 per month
Jurassic World Alive is an AR game similar in mechanics to games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Pokemon Go. Players roam the real world in search for various dinosaurs for them to collect. From there, players battle it out with other players and they can even create hybrid dinosaurs in the game’s lab mode. The game had some bugs early in its development and it made the game difficult to recommend. However, it seems to have hit its stride. This one is also unique because you can subscribe to the game to get additional rewards instead of relying solely on in-app purchases. Whether or not the subscription is worth it is entirely up to you.
NBA All-World
Price: Free to play
NBA All-World is the latest game from Niantic, released in January of 2023. The game uses the core mechanics of most Niantic games like Ingress and Pokemon GO. You roam the world, collect items, and challenge other players in PvP. This game uses basketball instead of monster collecting or hacking. There is also a larger emphasis on 1v1 battles instead of collecting things. There are actual NBA players in the game that you can play against and do mini-drills with as well. It’s a good game, and it shows that Niantic is still going strong, even in 2023.
Orna
Price: Free to play
Orna is easily one of the best augmented reality games on mobile. It bills itself as a GPS RPG. You roam around the real world, and the game treats it like dungeon crawling. Battles are turn-based, like old JRPGs from the 1990s, so it’s pretty easy to pick up and play. The game also includes over 1,000 in-game items, 50 character classes, and PvP. The game starts a little slow, but once you get rolling, it’s a challenging game to stop. Along with Niantic and Dragonius GO, this is probably the best example of an AR game on Android.
Pokemon GO
Price: Free to play
Pokemon GO is one of the biggest mobile games of all time. It also turns out to be one of the largest AR games ever. Like Ingress, the basic premise has you going out into the real world. You’ll capture Pokemon, hit up Pokestops, and battle Gyms. The game is still very much in development. That means its features are evolving. It had a ton of hype when it first came out. The hype isn’t quite what it used to be. However, the game still has a wicked loyal following. Recent updates in 2018 brought trainer battles, Pokemon trading, and some other highly requested features. Other augmented reality games are measured by Pokémon Go.
Zombies, Run!
Price: Free / $3.99 per month / $24.99 per year
Zombies, Run is a fitness game. It bills itself as an immersive audio adventure game. The way it works is that you go for a walk or a run. As you go, you’ll unlock various pieces of the story. The drama involves you in a creative way that helps motivate you to keep going. The game will even work on treadmills in case you don’t want to go outside. It’s a popular game and it’ll help you stay in shape. You can play the first four missions for free and you can unlock new missions each week. Alternatively, you can pay for the subscription service and unlock everything.
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