Best Gacha Games For F2P Players

Gacha games become quite the turn-off for some players due to having to “spend” to get ahead of the competition, with elements such as characters and upgrades locked behind a rolling mechanic. With gacha games like Genshin Impact and Fate/Grand Order offering a pity system or a threshold that “guarantees” a rare character, it’s easy to be dissuaded or even be encouraged by the idea of spending to get that character or item on the banner.

However, players who want to give gacha a shot don’t necessarily have to spend money to have fun. While some free gacha titles can get rather tiresome for some gamers, certain gacha games still make the experience worthwhile for F2P players.

Updated November 24, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: If frequent updates to HoYoverse’s IPs are any indication, the free-to-play gacha scene is as strong as ever with new titles popping up and shockingly awesome characters coming their way to hit titles. For instance, Genshin Impact gets improved aerial abilities in its fiery Natlan region in Version 5.2, while new heroes are teased to come and go in Honkai Star Rail and its Version 2.7 update.

Fans who want to get into the gacha space without feeling so overwhelmed may want to consider giving certain titles a shot to get a feel of the thrill of collecting units and characters. Options include HoYoverse’s recent post-apocalyptic retro-esque title and a hit semi-tactical RPG featuring girls named after guns.

1 Zenless Zone Zero

Action Packed, Retro-Vibe Brawler

Fans of HoYoVerse titles who want to skip the fantastical premise of Genshin Impact and the world-traveling sci-fi setting of Honkai Star Rail might appreciate Zenless Zone Zero for a wild change of pace. Set in a world where pocket dimensions called Hollows have begun transporting monsters that devastated humankind, only the Agents of New Eridu and their stakes on the Hollows serve as the world’s last defense from total annihilation. This is where players come in, as their characters (either Wise or Belle from a brother-sister hacker duo) become embroiled in conflicts involving Factions across the world.

Aesthetics-wise, Zenless Zone Zero stuns with its retro vibe, with everything from architecture to character fashion all designed to provide some sense of nostalgia. Combat is just as flashy as it is forgiving, as Zenless Zone Zero heavily focuses on stringing combos in whichever way players find efficient – with character-switching emphasized to help trigger special effects. Its cast of characters is optimized to go wild in combat, all of which are pulled from Signal Search Banners. Similar to Genshin Impact, the limited-time Exclusive Channel yields an A-Rank and S-Rank Agent after 10 and 90 pulls, respectively, while their best weapons are pulled from the W-Engine Channel with a 10/80 ratio. There’s a Star-Studded Cast Banner (Permanent Banner) where there’s a guaranteed S-Rank Agent after the first 50 pulls and after 90 pulls thereafter, while a once-per-account 300-pull S-Rank guarantee also exists for players to enjoy.

2 Girls Frontline

Recruit T-Dolls To Fight A Global War

Set in a world rendered largely uninhabitable due to the dangerous Collapse Fluid while androids known as T-Dolls fight humanity’s wars on their behalf, Girls Frontline is both ways a traditional unit collection gacha with some army-focused combat spliced in. The story largely focuses on the player-controlled Griffin & Kryuger PMC tasked to stop the rampage of the rebelling AI of the Sangvis Ferri from eliminating humanity, with players tasked to recruit T-Dolls – mostly named after firearms – to accomplish this. The gameplay is turn-based with moments of automated combat, where players move across the map to fulfill missions while their units are sent to a combat zone to auto-fight enemies they meet. Players can activate upgradeable skills attached to their T-Dolls while they engage opponents, adding an element of real-time tactics to fights.

While Girls Frontline operates like other gacha systems where most T-Dolls are pulled from special currency, the accessibility of said currencies makes the game more bearable compared to other counterparts. The game boasts four resources that are technically farmable across different parts of the game. They may also be passively farmed, allowing players to enjoy gameplay while being able to proc pulls for banners they’re gunning for. This largely free-to-play approach has made Girls Frontline rather appealing to fans – especially when other modern gacha titles do offer free pulls but often after tedious grinding or with the caveat of not necessarily providing an appealing character.

3 Naruto X Boruto Ninja Voltage (2017)

Enjoy Isometric Combat Featuring Dream Team Matchups

Despite its quirky visuals and UI, Naruto X Boruto Ninja Voltage is a surprisingly engaging Naruto game that is the closest fans could get to a casual team-up simulator. The title will have players build teams of four ninja, all composed of Naruto heroes and villains – complete with variants that possess different elements and Jutsu Cards. Missions take place in isometric environments, where teams run around and defeat other characters either by manual control or through auto-battles. The game even has a town simulator mini-game, where the main menu is a version of Konoha that players steadily upgrade. Characters they unlock will also populate the village, paving the way for quirky easter eggs such as the Akatsuki leisurely strolling Konoha without a care in the world.

Where Ninja Voltage can strike a gacha gamer’s fancy would be its innate generosity, especially when a lot of a newcomer’s free rolls would likely unlock a majority of the characters in the game. The grind comes in the form of Jutsu Cards, which can only be used by certain character variants. This forms a key part of both the customization and the overall meta in Ninja Voltage, where leveled Jutsu Cards are mixed and matched across character setups to maximize buffs and combos.

4 Alchemy Stars (2021)

Decent Free Gacha Mechanics In A Standard RPG

Alchemy Stars boasts quite an in-depth gameplay loop despite having a straightforward story, wherein players collect and unlock Aurorian warriors across different elements, classes, and factions to save Astra from invaders known as Eclipsites. In Alchemy Stars gameplay, players create teams of five characters that they take to an isometric grid-based battlefield, with tiles consisting of different colors. Whereas usual tactical RPGs will simply have characters move and attack based on several available tiles, Alchemy Stars characters can only attack based on how many tiles of the same color they select – with some skills only being triggered based on specific tile requirements.

This in-depth strategic take is both a hit-and-miss for the game, as while replays of levels occur in the same battlefield but with different tile formations, the game also lacks the ability to auto-finish completed levels. Gacha-wise, the game is generous in its pulling resources, especially if players participate in events throughout banners. Quests can also help players unlock some of the game’s stronger characters, while the default 2% chance of winning the highest-rating 6-Star characters makes the game more generous compared to other popular titles.

5 Bleach: Brave Souls (2016)

Relive The Bleach Story With New Versions Of Characters

Similar to other titles based on popular anime franchises, Bleach: Brave Souls is a retelling of the Bleach story from the perspective of an isometric hack-and-slash team-building RPG. Highlights of the gacha title that could appeal to fans would be the game’s adaptation of not just the main story but even supplementary media like light novels, giving Bleach fans and newcomers a more comprehensive take on Ichigo Kurosaki’s story than what the anime and manga could provide. Combat-wise, Brave Souls is quite engaging for a standard-fare gacha title. Players create teams of three out of popular Bleach characters, of which variants may exist across different types with different skills.

A key part of Brave Souls‘ replayability has to do with its assortment of modes, including a monthly Senkaimon tower mode that has progressively difficult stages. Unlike other gacha games, Brave Souls is surprisingly F2P friendly: character progression rewards alone give players many character tickets, while weekly rewards and daily log-ins usually provide a premium currency that could help newcomers unlock a multitude of high-ranking characters that will propel them throughout both the story and early-game PVP.

6 Epic Seven (2018)

Standard-Fare Fantasy RPG With GEnerous Gacha

The grand scope of the story of Epic Seven begins with a simple premise: the player is the Heir of the Covenant, created by Goddess of Creation Diche to fight the Archdemon who’s already destroyed the world six times. While the anime-style visuals of Epic Seven add a level of playfulness to its grandiose story, they also pave the way for enjoyable visual designs. Characters possess standard-fare gacha RPG mechanics, where they possess unique roles, abilities, and elements that possess type advantages.

Its F2P elements are similar to other gacha titles, where players who aim to play entirely for free have to save up pulling currencies through daily log-ins and special events. However, Epic Seven‘s F2P is only gated from a PVP standpoint, as players who wish to focus on casual play can obtain most of the characters they need for story progression through F2P means. Unfortunately, while some players can luck out on obtaining powerful units by saving up on banners, leveling them up is among Epic Seven’s criticisms as “true meta” builds can be locked behind tedious gear grinding.

7 Granblue Fantasy (2014)

Flexible Unit Management With Generous Gacha

With the current popularity of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising among fighting game players, fans of the title might be curious about the game that started it all: Granblue Fantasy. More importantly, fans might be surprised to find out that the game isn’t another weapon-based fighting game title but a full-fledged gacha RPG. In its story, the player’s character embarks on a journey to find their missing father, only to be involved in a course of events that may change the fate of the world.

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However, what makes Granblue Fantasy quite an interesting experience is its decade-long existence tied to a compelling combat system. In GBF, players are not only able to easily recruit characters as allies through its generous rewards system, but their main character also follows a unique class system where players can progress through various class tiers to unlock new skills to aid the team. This flexibility in unit management and acquisition as well as multi-use combat options such as chain combos and summons can make the game quite engaging for gacha fans.

8 Touhou LostWord (2020)

Generous Gacha Perfectly Built For Its Sprite-Heavy Gameplay

What began as the bullet hell Touhou Project that featured anthropomorphized cutesy girls snowballed into its own franchise with a heavy following, this time culminating in Touhou LostWord where the series’ expansive cast reside in the mystical world of Gensoukyo and players are in charge of helping them retrieve lost words.

However, LostWords amps up player appeal not just with its cute sprites and immersive OST but also with its engaging gameplay systems. Squads of six square off against waves of opponents, with characters possessing unique attacks that can build power, unleash stronger moves, or even shield themselves from enemies. The game is rather generous with its gacha offerings as well, as events and activities regularly reward players with summon resources, and its flexible autoplay system is a dream come true for gacha players with busy schedules.

9 Punishing Gray Raven (2021)

Fast-Paced Combat With Sleek Aesthetic

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Released

2019-7-16

Developer(s)

Kuro Games

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While sci-fi gachas set in a dystopian world bring to light the likes of Honkai Impact 3rd and Aether Gazer, Punishing Gray Raven brings a breath of fresh air for gamers who want a more combat-heavy game. Players take control of Lucia and her fellow cyborgs in the Gray Raven team to take Earth back from the robots that now control the planet.

As with other AAA gacha titles, Punishing Gray Raven boasts fast-paced gameplay, this time with special features such as QTE combos with allies as well as color-coded skill boosts. While the gacha remains optimized for purchases, the game does let players choose their first S-Class Unit, lower-tier units can be enough to clear the main game and pull resources that are earnable across a playthrough.

10 Dragon Ball Legends (2018)

Engaging Auto-Battler Featuring Dragon Ball Characters

Dragon Ball Legends

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Released

May 17, 2018

Developer(s)

BNE Entertainment , Dimps

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Fans of the Dragon Ball franchise can finally create their dream teams in Dragon Ball Legends, a lite fighting game that retells the Dragon Ball story in the eyes of the amnesiac Shallot. With his presence in the timeline, Dragon Ball characters from different parts of the original story manage to cross over and get involved in their own plots.

However, where Dragon Ball Legends becomes a must-play is its gameplay. Players build teams of six, three of which are deployable in battle. Combat happens in real-time, where players attack using “decks” of attacks with the occasional dash and teleport. On top of this engaging combat is the game’s gacha mechanics, where Dragon Ball Legends generously provides opportunities to pull across banners with multiple guarantees for Ultra Rare units.

11 Honkai: Star Rail (2023)

A Turn-Based Sci-Fi Alternative To Action-Heavy HoYoVerse Titles

Set in the universe of Honkai Impact, MiHoYo’s Honkai: Star Rail is the company’s most recent offering in its line of acclaimed anime gacha RPGs. Players take the role of the Trailblazer, a vessel of the destructive Stellaron that the crew of the Astral Express invites to their ranks as they help others while traveling the Star Rail. Unlike the action-oriented Genshin Impact, Star Rail returns players to a turn-based RPG system. As with other gacha games, Star Rail features a plethora of free characters and banner-exclusive characters – both of which players can roll for with free currency they can earn while doing missions.

One can argue that the free-to-play features in Honkai: Star Rail are more beneficial to its players compared to its fantasy counterpart. Unlike Genshin, Star Rail‘s equivalent of a Standard Banner called the Departure Warp guarantees a 5-Star after their first five 10-pulls and features characters that can dramatically change a player’s combat style. If players manage to pull off 300 Pulls, the game even lets them choose a guaranteed 5-Star on top of their current Pity’s offering. Even the game’s Trailblaze Power and Light Cones (Resin, Weapon) benefit from nifty features such as overstacking and being purchasable in the in-game shop using free currency, respectively. However, Genshin Impact takes the cake for F2P play for its larger roster of characters and fully open world.

12 Genshin Impact (2020)

An Engaging Open World Experience

Set in the world of Teyvat, Genshin Impact stars the Traveler and their companion Paimon as they journey across its seven continents and master the elements in their quest to be reunited with their twin. In the Hoyoverse game, players can explore a fully open fantasy world chock-full of enemies, quests, unlockables, and delightful scenery to behold.

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The game boasts a fluid combat system and co-op support for up to four players. Although earning pulls via F2P can be slow and tedious, the satisfaction of rolling for characters and playing dedicated storylines makes the grind more worthwhile.

13 Girls’ Frontline: Neural Cloud (2022)

A Deeper Take On The Original Concept

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Released

September 23, 2021

Developer

Sunborn Japan, Shanghai Sunborn Network Technology Limited Company

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With the first Girls’ Frontline game in 2018 earning a niche following courtesy of its appealing turn-based gameplay and rather deep lore, the Tactical Dolls return in Girls’ Frontline: Neural Cloud, a spinoff and prequel. In Neural Cloud, players take the role of the Professor as they investigate why a virtual world was destroyed before the first GF game.

Similar to the core GF franchise, Neural Cloud’s core gameplay needs players to position T-Dolls and maneuver around a board to defeat opponents. When finishing a level, players select a “path” and follow its sections that have combat stages or stat modifiers. Despite being a gacha game, Neural Cloud’s generous pull rates and cast of interesting characters significantly boost the appeal of its tactical gameplay.

14 Aether Gazer (2023)

A Full Fledged Hack And Slash Spectacle

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Released

April 22, 2022

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Developer

yostar games

Set in the virtual world that serves as humanity’s last bastion of civilization, players of Aether Gazer are left in charge of virtual programs known as Modifiers to stop an evil virus called Visbane from destroying what’s left of mankind.

While similar to MiHoYo’s Honkai Impact 3rd, gameplay in Aether Gazer offers a full-fledged hack-and-slash experience. Players take control of a Modifier as they tear through enemy forces with unique attacks and combos, all the while the AI controls two other Modifier teammates. While gacha mechanics still exist in its character-pulling system, every character having stunning visuals on top of flashy techniques more than makes up for using F2P characters and saving up for SSR Modifiers in the long term.

15 Limbus Company (2023)

Features A Deep Combat Loop

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Systems

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Released

February 26, 2023

Developer

project moon

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The dark tale of Limbus Company has players take the role of “Dante,” the manager of the eponymous corporation’s Sinner group. As players search for unique Golden Bough power sources across the City, “Dante” comes to terms with his identity while the Sinners they recruit slowly make amends for their past. All of this is done with a deep turn-based gameplay loop that involves a careful selection of attacks and skills to clear maps as fast as possible.

Gacha-wise, not only is all Limbus Company content free, but paid content is generally used for collection purposes only. Players can theoretically grind for all characters, with separate pulling systems for actual characters or collecting their character shards. Moreover, it’s possible to defeat the main game with lower-star teams, although with difficulty.

16 Blue Archive (2021)

Enjoy A Board Game With Auto-Combat Mechanics

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Released

February 4, 2021

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Instead of amassing a platoon of soldiers to stop an impending apocalypse, Blue Archive has players take on the role of a teacher called “Sensei” as they’re tasked with maintaining order in the academy city of Kivotos after the disappearance of the student council president. Players recruit students to help manage crises in schools across the city, all the while trying to figure out a warning from the president about an upcoming “apocalypse” before disappearing.

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Gameplay-wise, players clear missions by navigating a hex board efficiently to earn a high enough rating to trigger auto-farming. In combat, players deploy a team that navigates a map, and auto-attacking foes while players can trigger special skills that consume a shared resource. The game’s gacha is fairly generous with its 3% SSR rate and a hard pity of 200, with an added bonus of players being able to select which SSR unit they want to acquire.

17 Guardian Tales (2020)

Extremely Generous Dungeon Crawl

Players who try Guardian Tales for the first time might be surprised to realize that Guardian Tales is a chibi-esque RPG with gacha elements, where players take the role of a Guardian Knight as they recruit other heroes and defeat enemies in dungeons comprised of various floors. The action RPG element of the game can constantly challenge players to adapt to enemy strategies, sometimes to an extent that difficulty spikes can make the game feel overwhelming for players.

What makes players appreciate Guardian Tales is its extremely generous nature, not just with summons but with the content players can do for rewards. Weekly tasks should be enough to give players summoning gems, with regular reruns that often accompany new banners. Dungeons are also dedicated to upgrading characters, with even lower-tier ones having the opportunity to contend with their higher-tier counterparts in terms of stats. Skins aren’t also just for eye candy, as not only do they cost cheaper compared to summons but may also feature unique animations.

18 Azur Lane (2017)

Engaging Bullet Hell Mechanics

Azur Lane

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Released

May 26, 2017

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Developer

Manjuu, Yongshi

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The main plot of Azur Lane centers around ship girls as they fight a fictionalized alien-empowered version of the Axis Powers (Crimson Axis) on behalf of the Azur Lane military alliance. The story itself is inspired by naval battles in World War 2, with ships themselves inspired by existing warships at the time.

The gameplay in Azur Lane plays like a bullet-hell lite game with some tactical components. Players position a group of six ships as they duke it out in various scenarios, with frontline Vanguards raining bullets while the rear Main unit deploys aircraft and artillery. Gacha-wise, Azur Lane boasts some of the friendliest F2P options for players, with the game particularly known for its generosity in pulling resources, apology gems, and ease of character pulling.

19 Another Eden: The CatBeyond Time And Space (2017)

Full-Fledged Turn-Based Spectacle

Another Eden

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Released

January 28, 2019

Developer

Wright Flyer Studios

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What perhaps makes Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space such a hit gacha for fans is its build as a full-fledged turn-based RPG. Set in the small village of Baruoki, protagonist Aldo and his sister Feinne had been living a normal life so far until the Beast King abducts Feinne, sending Aldo into an adventure across time and space to save her.

The traditional turn-based format of Another Eden is interspersed with unique mechanics, including Switch, which trades active and reserve units, as well as Another Force gives active units one free turn of no-cost skill activation. Gacha-wise, Another Eden boasts a plethora of methods of grab pulls, with frequent crossover events giving players access to a wide array of units from other franchises.

20 Arknights (2019)

The Peak Tower Defense Experience

Arknights

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Released

May 1, 2019

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Developer(s)

Hypergryph

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Humans in Arknights who are exposed to the mineral Originium are infected by Oripathy, a lethal and infectious disease that gives them access to magic (Arts) while being anthropomorphized. Players controlling Arknights characters become the Doctor, the leader of the pharma-military organization known as Rhodes Island that is looking for a cure to Oripathy. Unfortunately, Rhodes Island will have to fight not just the anti-infected Terran governments but also the anti-oppression Reunion movement.

Playing as a pseudo-puzzle tower defense game, Arknights players need to choose which Operators work best in certain tiles. The game eventually opens up to players with base-building features, auto-battles, and being able to clear most stages with free units. Its gacha mechanic is also praised for being F2P friendly, boasting incremental resource management, multiple limited-time events, and generous pulling.

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