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15 best free Android games with no in app purchases
It’s true that the very best Android games cost money. Unfortunately, not everyone has money to spend. There are many reasons why this can be the case, but suffice it to say that there is a market for games that are totally free. The good news is that those of you who can’t afford games are in luck because there are great options out there that cost nothing. In this roundup, we’ll take a look at the best free Android games with no required in-app purchases. Please note that many of these do have in-game advertising to support the developers. Free games with no in-app purchases aren’t common releases.
We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (Google Play), an excellent free dungeon crawler that’s only not on the list because we had to cap it at 15 games.
The best free Android games with no in-app purchases
AI Factory Limited games
Price: Free / Varies
AI Factory Limited is a developer on Google Play. They make a variety of simple free Android games. That includes Chess, Checkers, Gin Rummy, Hearts, Euchre, Go, Reversi, Sudoku, and many others. Each one is free with no in-app purchases. Some of them have paid versions that remove advertising. However, the ads really aren’t that bad. A few of them, especially the Chess game, are actually fairly in-depth. You can’t go wrong when it comes to simple, free Android games.
See also: The best chess games for Android
Alto’s Odyssey and Alto’s Adventure
Price: Free to play
Alto’s Odyssey and Alto’s Adventure are two of the best free mobile games for runner fans. Players ski down gorgeous landscapes while avoiding obstacles, collecting coins, and performing neat tricks. Alto’s Adventure is the older game and its mechanics are a little simpler in terms of scope. Alto’s Odyssey adds to the Adventure experience and adds some extra stuff. Now, technically, these do have in-app purchases. However, they are purely cosmetic. The entire game and everything in it is unlockable through gameplay, although it does take a while. The developers went on record to state that the game makes most of its bones from ads anyway so hardly any of the players actually buy anything.
Antiyoy
Price: Free
Antiyoy is a turn-based strategy game with simple graphics and simple rules. You move your pieces around the game board to take as much land area as you can. The winner is the one with all the land at the end. The game generates random maps and you can control game length by controlling the map size. The AI is tough at first, but you easily overtake them in terms of skill. It also features multiplayer. The game plays smoothly and it’s entirely free with no ads or in-app purchases.
Crossy Road
Price: Free to play
Crossy Road is another extremely popular free game. It’s basically this generation’s version of Frogger. You navigate a chicken (or other characters) across streets, streams, and other areas while avoiding obstacles. If you fall in the water or get hit by a truck, it’s game over. The game also features tons of unlockable characters, online and offline multiplayer modes, Android TV support, and more. It’s also family friendly, if that helps. Like Alto’s Odyssey above, Crossy Road does technically have in-app purchases. However, they are purely for cosmetic purposes. The game itself is entirely free.
Cytoid
Price: Free
Cytoid is a rare, totally free rhythm game. You simply tap and swipe the screen when instructed. The game features a few decent tracks and simple controls. The big feature is song porting. The game’s community-made hundreds of songs. You download them, install them in the game, and you get more stuff to play with. It’s otherwise a very dry game. This is a great game for people who like a real challenge. Plus it’s free, obviously. As of the time of this writing, the game boasts over 1,000 user-generated tracks to play through so you’re not starved for content with this one.
Doom and Destiny Advanced
Price: Free (with ads) / $4.99
Doom and Destiny Advanced is a JRPG. It’s also free. The game features a 30-hour storyline. In addition, there are side quests and plenty of other things to do. That includes 100 hidden secrets and a bunch of hidden areas. The experience is quite lighthearted and fun. Finding full RPGs for free is not an easy task. Doom and Destiny is definitely the best one. The free version has ads and a few limitations. However, it does contain the entire base game and that’s what’s most important.
OpenTTD
Price: Free
OpenTTD is an open-source version of Transport Tycoon. It has a lot of the same features as well. Players build complex systems of transport from railways to bus routes. The goal is to transport everything that needs transported. You can play the single player against the computer as well as online against real players. It’s a nice simulator and one of the only free tycoon-style games on Google Play. You may need to hit up YouTube for tutorials, but otherwise, this is a solid play. It’s also way longer than most free Android games with no in-app purchases.
Pathos
Price: Free
Pathos is a retro game with a surprising amount of depth. It’s a roguelike adventure game so players will spend most of their time roaming the game and collecting loot. The graphics are super simple, but you can choose between 13 classes and play through the game for free. It’s a Nethack port so it’s something that existed before the mobile game appeared. The mechanics are good, but the game has a bit of a learning curve. In any case, it’s an excellent free game with no in-app purchases whatsoever.
See also: The best retro games for Android
Pocket City
Price: Free / $4.99
Pocket City is a city-building simulation game. It’s a lot like Sim City. You build a city, its infrastructure, and all of that. The goal is to build a self-sufficient city where everybody is happy. There is a free version and a premium version of this game. The free version has fewer features, but it’s still a full game. You can build your whole town without issue. The only things the full version adds are a sandbox mode and a few extra features.
See also: The best action games for Android
Resonance of the Ocean
Price: Free
Resonance of the Ocean is a short but fun little game. You collect items along the shoreline and combine them to make musical instruments. You use those instruments to echo the sounds you hear from the ocean to progress the game. When we say it’s short, we mean it’s pretty short. Most people can complete the game in less than hour. However, it’s a relaxing, chill game without a ton of complexity. We think it’s nice, even if you can probably finish it on your lunch break.
Seedship
Price: Free
Seedship is a space-themed strategy game. You start the game with a ship full of supplies and colonists. Your goal is to populate a new planet and make it all work out. It’s a text-based game, so all of your decisions are through text. You get a look at how your resources are going and how everyone is doing. Colonists will die off from exposure, dehydration, and other issues. A lot of the elements are randomized, so no two playthroughs are the same.
The Spike
Price: Free to play
The Spike is a volleyball game sim. It has a basic story about a group of students trying to win volleyball games. It lasts for 18 levels, and it doesn’t very long to finish. The true joy of this game is in the harder modes, where the game actually becomes rather challenging. Balls travel quickly and get harder to defend over time. Plus, the AI is pretty good as well, resulting in some truly competitive matchups. The game has grown over time and now includes in-app purchases, but they are, by and large, optional. It’s honestly not bad for a group of high school students.
Vampire Survivors
Price: Free / $1.99
Vampire Survivors bills itself as a roguelite survival RPG. It’s also a bullet hell game, similar to other titles on our best bullet hell games list. It has a top-down view where you move around and kill loads and loads of bad guys. You level up your character, get better gear, and go back out to kill even more bad guys than the previous round. We like this one because it has minimal gameplay that is easy to learn and fun to do. It scales up pretty quickly, so you’ll take on thousands of monsters in pretty short order. You can watch ads for revives and extra gems. There is also an optional purchase to remove ads, but otherwise, the game is free to play.
Vector Pinball
Price: Free
Vector Pinball is a simple, but enjoyable pinball game. It omits the realistic pinball machine graphics of most pinball games. Instead, what you get is a smooth, enjoyable pinball experience. The game includes seven table layouts, so there are a few different ways to enjoy the game. This one was originally launched in 2010 and still gets updates as of 2022. We do wish it had a few more tables in that time frame, but the ones that exist are fun enough to kill a few minutes.
Vodobanka
Price: Free
Vodobanka is a puzzle game with a neat premise. You command a SWAT team, and you must make your approach and breach without losing hostages. There are some goofy elements to lower the intensity of the subject matter, but it’s a pretty neat little game. Each level is a map with bandits, and you use various tactics and abilities to disarm them and keep them from harming hostages. This one could’ve easily gone for a few bucks if the developer decided to charge money for it. The developer has a bunch of other free games with no in-app purchases as well.
If we missed any of the best Android games with no in-app purchases, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.
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