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 things like that. It hasn’t changed much. Most augmented reality games are still proof-of-concept and time-killer type games. However, the ARCore and the general interest of Google seem to be moving things forward. There’s a lot of unrealized potential in this space, but we’re not seeing as many good augmented reality experiences in gaming just yet. I hope this changes soon. These are the best augmented reality games for Android.
The best augmented reality games for Android
Angry Birds AR: Pig Island
Price: Free to play
Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs is what you’d expect from an AR game about the popular bird-launching franchise. The game puts the puzzle on a nearby table using your camera. You then use a slingshot to launch birds at the building to try and take out all the pigs. The game features 70 levels, some of the classic Angry Birds characters and more. Sadly, this one hasn’t had an update in a few years, so we don’t think the developers are adding any more. The AR part can be a little finicky at times, but overall it works well.
Draconius GO
Price: Free to play
Draconius GO is similar to Pokemon GO, but it’s 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, right down to the stylized map you use to walk around. We don’t think that’s a bad thing though, as Pokemon GO has 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 of course Draconius GO is too.
egg, inc
Price: Free to play
Egg, Inc. is one of them best idle clicker farm games. You tap the screen to generate chickens. Those chickens generate income, which you then use to expand your farm. It’s a fairly relaxing game where you spend most of your time waiting to buy 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 to the gameplay using Google’s ARCore. Some might not consider it a full AR game, and we respect that, but there’s enough AR in there to put 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, on this one, they pop out of the walls at you as you shock them to stop them. The game doesn’t really stop, so you can play anytime, anywhere. There are also some collectibles you can get to eventually build your own animatronics. The game hasn’t seen an update in about a year, but it still plays pretty well on most phones.
Entrance Prime
Price: Free to play
Ingress Prime was one of the first really good AR games on Android. It is developed by Niantic. It had a huge buzz when it first came out. The way it works is you go out into the real world. The game shows you where some of the portals are. You hack the portals for your team and then build them in such a way that the other team can’t. You have two teams to choose from and that’s where the challenge comes from. The game underwent a massive change in late 2018 and was renamed Ingress Prime. The core mechanics are intact, but the app part has undergone a massive 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.
Jurassic World is alive
Price: Free to play / $9.99 per month
Jurassic World Alive is an AR game that is similar in mechanics to games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Pokemon Go. Players roam the real world in search of various dinosaurs to collect. From there, players duke it out with other players and can even create hybrid dinosaurs in the game’s lab mode. The game had a number of bugs early in development, making the game difficult to recommend. However, it seems to have hit its stride. This one is also unique in that you can subscribe to the game to get additional rewards instead of relying solely on in-app purchases. Whether 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 2023. The game uses the core mechanics of most of the Niantic games such as Ingress and Pokemon GO. You roam the world, collect items and challenge other players in PvP. This game uses basketball instead of collecting or hacking monsters. There’s also a greater emphasis on 1v1 combat rather than collecting stuff. There are real NBA players in the game that you can play against and also do mini drills with. It’s a good game and it shows that Niantic is still going strong even in 2023.
Orna is easily one of the best augmented reality games on mobile. It bills itself as a GPS RPG. You roam the real world and the game treats it like dungeon crawling. Combat is turn-based, just like old JRPGs from the 1990s, so it’s pretty easy to pick up and play. The game also features over 1,000 in-game items, 50 character classes, and PvP. The game starts off a bit slow, but once you get rolling, it’s a challenge to stop. Along with Niantic and Dragonius GO, this is probably the best example of an AR game on Android.
PokémonGO
Price: Free to play
Pokemon GO is one of the greatest mobile games of all time. It also turns out to be one of the greatest AR games ever. Like Ingress, the premise is that you go out into the real world. You catch Pokemon, hit Pokestops and battle Gyms. The game is still in development. That means the features are evolving. It had a ton of hype when it first came out. The hype isn’t 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 much-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 you go for a walk or a run. Along the way you will unlock different parts of the story. The drama engages you in a creative way that helps motivate you to keep going. The game even works on treadmills in case you don’t want to go outside. It is a popular game and it will help you stay in shape. You can play the first four missions for free and you can unlock new missions every week. Alternatively, you can pay for the subscription service and unlock everything.
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