Gacha games can be quite divisive. Rather than a genre of game, gacha games are technically just a payment model; typically, they’re free-to-play games where you spend money on premium currency to pull for new characters or weapons. This is great for some people who want to devote all their time to one game, but not so great for others who feel like they’re missing out on essential pieces of the game because they don’t want to spend money.
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If you’re looking to start a new gacha game that feels nothing like a standard gacha game, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll take a look at several games that are more like full-fledged video games with a gacha mechanic slapped on top.
7 Another Eden
Another Eden is a turn-based JRPG that just happens to have a gacha attached to it. The story follows Aldo, a young swordsman, as he journeys across different points in time to rescue his sister. Along the way, Aldo is joined by a colorful cast of characters, from a talking frog to an android.
On the development side of things, Another Eden was written by Masato Kato, and has music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, who both worked together on Xenogears and the Chrono series, so you can expect very high quality in those departments. Overall, the game plays very similarly to a standard JRPG, but you can occasionally summon new characters.
6 Girls’ Frontline
Girls’ Frontline is a turn-based strategy RPG where you take control of an army of androids, called T-Dolls, to fight back against an army of rebelling AI. Every T-Doll is based on a real-life firearm, such as the M4A1, AR-15, or M16A1. Even if you aren’t a gun enthusiast, it’s fun to imagine different guns as anime girls.
Unlike most other gacha games, Girls’ Frontline handles acquiring new characters a little differently. In this game, you spend generic resources that can be gained en masse through normal gameplay to craft new T-Dolls. This makes the game very free-to-play friendly, as you can essentially get the whole cast of characters without ever paying a cent. Plus, the gameplay is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
5 Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- Released
- February 24, 2021
For a game that really doubles down on the whole gambling aspect, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is surprisingly enjoyable without engaging too much with the gacha system. The game is all about collecting and training horse girls, putting them through a variety of training courses before sending them off to their big race. The racers are also adept singers, so after the race, the winners get to perform a big concert.
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If that sounds weird, you’re right. But eventually the weirdness just kind of fades away, and you’ll be cheering for your horse girls alongside millions of other players. The gameplay is almost roguelike in nature, and is a breath of fresh air compared to the dozens of turn-based or open-world action games that are so prevalent in the gacha space (not that there’s anything wrong with those).
4 Wizardry Variants Daphne
Wizardry Variants Daphne is probably the furthest you could go from a gacha game while still being one. Following in the footsteps of past games in its series, Wizardry Variants Daphne is a first-person dungeon crawler in which you assemble a team of adventurers and explore a sprawling labyrinth filled with monsters.
You will need to pull for new characters, but it’s very easy to get a party of adventurers who can conquer the Abyss without spending. Beyond that, the game plays very closely to a traditional Wizardry game, with tons of exploration, party-building, equipment-refining, and big boss fights.
3 Reverse: 1999
Reverse: 1999
- Released
- October 26, 2023
Reverse: 1999 has one of the most unique aesthetics of any gacha game. While it’s primarily a time-travel story, the game spends most of its time in historical periods such as the Roaring ’20s or the turn of the century. The game also has voice acting true to the time period or location, utilizing a full English cast with British, French, and other accents.
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The protagonist of the game is the Timekeeper, whose duty is to uncover the mystery of the Storm that occurs in 1999, and seems to be erasing time after that point. Despite the world-ending premise, the game’s story is very focused, with cohesive, character-driven plots set within a variety of historical periods.
2 Limbus Company
Limbus Company
- Released
- February 26, 2023
Limbus Company is the latest entry in Project Moon’s expansive world, known simply as The City. In this game, you follow Dante, a mysterious man with a clock for a head, as he leads a group of Sinners on various missions throughout The City to uncover Golden Boughs, which are said to be relics of the fabled Lobotomy Corporation.
If you’ve played previous Project Moon games like Lobotomy Corporation or Library of Ruina, you can expect the same high-quality writing, voice acting, and art direction in Limbus Company. The story is so good, it doesn’t even need the ‘for a gacha game’ qualifier.
1 Bang Dream! Girls Band Party!
Bang Dream is a rhythm game where you play as several different bands. Unlike other idol-based rhythm games, there’s a wide variety of genres available in Bang Dream, with each band specializing in a different genre. The game’s de facto protagonist group, Poppin’Party, is J-Rock, while Roselia is primarily symphonic metal.
As a rhythm game, your ability to clear songs is dictated only by your skill. The gacha is essentially only there for getting different costumes for each band member, and only provides a sort of horizontal approach to power progression. Because of this, you can play the game without ever interacting with the gacha system, and it’s still a lot of fun!
