Latest entries - April 10th, 2025:

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Introduction

(scroll down for the actual list)

I recently realized there are still, to this day, some actual “hidden gems” in the Play Store. Not the fake ones everyone talks about which, in a way or another, often have a catch or aren’t very “hidden”. I mean free games with no ads or IAPs of any kind that are fun to play.

So I was thinking maybe it’s time to compile a list of them. Please suggest the ones you’ve found and enjoyed!

Edit: I'm now including free games (no piracy) from other sources beside the Play Store (which will be specified within brackets), such as github or F-droid. If they're also FOSS, like all F-droid games, they'll have this green checkmark ✅️. For the games that have both F-droid and Play Store versions, the green checkmark is for the F-droid version.

I won’t try them all as I did with my premium games list here, because you could simply download and try them for yourself without spending a dime. I’ll simply list them.

‼️Also, please do checkout MiniReview - Game Reviews for more free games that match the following criteria (use the “Browse” tab and select the correct filters). The same app for iOS - App Store - is here.‼️

 

Entry Criteria

  • FREE
  • NO ADS
  • STRICTLY NO IAPs (except donation buttons, but I’ll have to check before adding the game to the list, so no guarantees it’ll be added quickly)
  • NO PIRACY
  • it has to be a legit, full game you’ve played and liked. No demos, no emulators (everyone knows RetroArch anyways)
  • no entire repositories. You can recommend them in the comments if you really want, but this list is for games you’d like to recommend
  • if it’s a Play Store game, it should be compatible with the latest Android version at the time of entry
  • must include a link to the game, especially if from sources outside the Play Store. Not direct-download links, just links to the page
  • sketchy sources won’t be considered. Play Store, GitHub, and F-droid are welcome

I’ve saved this post so to keep it updated over time, for my own reference and for your benefit. So feel free to save it and check out new entries every so often.

 

THE LIST

 

Legend

✅️ - Free and open-source software (FOSS)

☕️ - includes a fair donation button, with or without minimal cosmetics only

[Game title] - removed from Play Store

 

Shooter

 

Stealth

 

Platform

 

Rhythm

 

Arcade

 

RPG

 

Roguelike dungeon crawler

 

Deck builder

 

Adventure

 

Puzzle

 

Tower defense

 

Strategy

 

Racing

 

Management

 

Simulation

 

Casual

 

Sport/Competition

 

Visual novel

 

Happy gaming ;)

ps: please let me know if there’s any wrong information about the games included in this list (especially regarding the ones with free donations) so that I’ll fix the post, if necessary.

  • char_stats@lemm.eeOPEnglish
    1·
    25 days ago

    While I enjoy emulation, it is kinda OT for this list.

    Also, is it me or the two links in your comment are broken? It seems like they both miss an “h” in “https”.

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      25 days ago

      While I enjoy emulation, it is kinda OT for this list.

      Kinda, but only kinda. I wouldn’t put any how-to guides or anything here, but letting folks know that it’s an option is worth posting.

      Also, is it me or the two links in your comment are broken? It seems like they both miss an “h” in “https”.

      Weird. They both worked for me; I changed them to the ! links - see if that works any better. …actually iirc that makes it better for mobile users anyway.