AR games or augmented reality games are still a budding concept in the world of gaming; however, analysts have stated that it is soon going to be the front runners of the industry. If you are unaware of what AR gaming is let us give you a brief idea.
AR gaming is integrating the audio and visual aspects of a game to the real-time environment of a user. Need I translate that in English? AR games are games that you play wearing a VR headset or other AR devices.
10 Best AR Games – Augmented Reality Games List
AR gaming is quite possible without getting one of those exorbitantly expensive headsets, all you need is an AR-enabled smartphone, let’s check a few of the best AR games that are currently ruling the AR games market.
1. Pokemon GO
The very first name that pops up in our minds when thinking about AR games is Pokemon goes. This legendary game developed by Niantic is what brought AR games in vogue amongst gamers.
How is this AR game? Well, it’s pretty simple, virtual animate objects are superimposed into the reality of a user thereby syncing with their real environment. This has made people catch billions of Pokemons since 2016.
- Download: More than 100 million
- Ratings: 3.9 iOS / 4.1 Android
- Revenues: In-app purchases
2. Ingress Prime
Next on the list for the best AR game is Ingress prime, another one developed by Niantic. In this game, the whole world is a part of your stomping grounds; you need to move through streets and various locations to find unimaginable sources of energy. You can then use this energy to build tech that would help you in making weapons that you’d use to fight factions across the globe.
- Download: More than 10 million
- Ratings: 3.9 iOS / 4.3 Android
- Revenues: In-app purchases
3. ARrrrrgh
ARrrrrgh is a hide-n-seek spin-off, old wine in a new bottle, as it has a pirate twist to its game play with a parrot and rum, oh! I almost forgot treasure hunts, lots of treasure hunts. Your immediate surrounding is turned into a quest map, enabling you to sniff out treasure boxes full of gold and other prizes. It’s not just meant for kids, everybody can have fun with it, including friends and family.
- Download: More than 10,000
- Ratings: 4.0 Android
- Revenues: Undisclosed
4. Temple Treasure hunt
Myth and mystery lovers, this one’s for you, a geolocation AR game tailored just for the mystery lovers. You can choose to play as a treasure hunter or a protector, it is payable both indoors and outdoors. The game is an adventurous thrill-seeking treasure hunt, where often Indian mythological creatures pop up as guardians of particular treasure. You need to find the treasure by exploring trails or if you choose to be a protector, you need to create trails yourself.
- Download: More than 10,000
- Ratings: 3.8 Android
- Revenues: In-app purchases and advertisements
5. Sharks in the park
Developed by Geo AR, this is a game meant for the whole family, both adults, and children. By just a few taps you have the power to turn your garden into an extraordinary world of unforgettable landscapes and fantastic animals. This game gives you a chance to escape your reality and live in a fairy tale. The GPS is used by the app and it turns into a dinosaur world or an epic underwater adventure. Kids would love this game.
- Download: More than 1000
- Ratings: 4.6 Android
- Revenues: In-app purchases and advertisements
6. dARk: Subject One
dARk is a twisted adventurous AR game, it is dark by every sense of the term as the plot of the game is something shady happening in your own house! You need to step into a parallel universe and find a missing person. As simple as that sounds, it is perilous, you need to find clues, dissect them and then find the secrets. A lot of players have stated the game is a real scare and has a lot of similarities with Stranger things. However, some have reported bugs and glitches that spoil the fun. Try it yourself and let us know!
- Download: More than 1000
- Ratings: 3.8 iOS / 4.4 Android
- Revenues: Undisclosed
7. WallaMe
The Game is a combination of social activities with geolocation AR; I don’t think this was ever meant for kids. You use it to share hidden messages, just take a picture of a wall and put in a message. Later on, you can share the location with a friend who would be able to read the hidden messages. One aspect that makes the game more interesting is that you don’t need to make any in-app purchases and you would never be disturbed by ads.
- Download: More than 50,000
- Ratings: 4.0 iOS / 4.1 Android
- Revenues: Undisclosed
8. AR Smash Tanks
This here is a premium game as it would cost you $ 3 to purchase this game. However, believe me, this best $ 3 you’ll ever spend on a game. This game is projected onto the surface of your choice and you need to deploy tanks to destroy things and smash your opponent’s tanks. This right here is an epic fun game. Just like any other shooting games you need to choose a missile, then pull back to power it up, aim and then tap to fire!
- Download: More than 500
- Ratings: 4.6 iOS / 4.3 Android
- Revenues: $ 3 to purchase
This brings us to the end of our list of the best AR games, although this is not the only list, there are hundreds of other games that can be found a cross-platform. Although you might notice that there is a trend for the shooting games to be premium, meaning you’d need to buy them.
That’s because the AR shooting games need a lot of money and effort to be developed so it charges a petty amount from users like a dollar or two. However, if you are adamant to save every penny for your retirement plan, there are always free options and good ones too, just scroll up this list!
9. Kings of Pool
Kings of Pool is a indoor game with a unique premise. It has a pool table on top of any flat surface in your house. King of pool has a feature were online multiplayer with 8-ball can play.
In additionally, there is a global chat, a player profile with all of your stats, and some more stuff. There are some bugs and the developers are actively working on this one at the time of this writing.
- Download: More than 500
- Ratings: 4.5 iOS / 4.2 Android
- Revenues: $ 3 to purchase
10. Knightfall AR
Knightfall AR is game by A&E. Knightfall AR one is a short game that is more proof of concept than anything. The controllers are pretty amazing and easy. It’s basically a board game that you play through your mobile device.
The controls need some work, but it’s a really neat way to leverage ARCore for gaming. It does have flaws. However, it’s also completely free with no in-app purchases.
- Download: More than 700
- Ratings: 4.4 iOS / 4.3 Android
- Revenues: $ 5 to purchase
Ashtosh is a Senior 3D Modelling & Graphics designer with 11 years of experience specializing in Virtual Reality development, He holds Masters in 3D Visualization from University of Texas and a Certified designer.