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โ€”REUPLOADโ€”My favorite PAID games on the Play Store (+ user recommendations ๐Ÿ’ฌ) in c/android@lemdro.id
[โ€“] char_stats@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 week ago

I'll add Terraria. Minecraft has lots of IAPs so probably not โ€” it doesn't need exposure anyways

2
โ€”REUPLOADโ€”My favorite PAID games on the Play Store (+ user recommendations ๐Ÿ’ฌ) (discuss.tchncs.de)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by char_stats@discuss.tchncs.de to c/android@lemdro.id
2 comments fedilink
 

๐Ÿ‘‰For my free games list, please go here.

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New list entries - updated December 2025:

Other recent entries

Introduction

This is a list of all games, sorted by genre, that I've purchased, loved, and finished (or played extensively) over many years and I'd like to recommend as I found them excellent and without predatory monetization, gacha, or infinite microtransactions of any kind. I'm also including the most recommended premium titles by the communityโ€”which I haven't playtested yet or I'm not particularly interested inโ€”marked with ๐Ÿ’ฌ. Please check the entry criteria below before recommending a game.

Some of the games may be free with IAP's, but EXCLUSIVELY to unlock the full game, DLCs, or remove ads (no gacha or energy/gambling mechanics, "diamonds", pay-to-win, or any recurrent cash-grab bullshit of sort).

[Disclaimer: chances are some items in this list will inevitably be delisted from the Play Store as time goes by, or will not be compatible with future Android versions. I'll do my best to always keep it updated, but feel free to PM me if you come across any unavailable title and I'll fix the entry]

I'm planning to keep this list updated for personal reference with the new games I'll play and like, or old games I've played that will come to mind later. So feel free to save it and check out new entries every so often.

My ultimate goal is to promote worthy content and honest/talented devs, hoping to see more quality games in the future, rather than the cancerous cash-grab machines the Play Store is regrettably riddled with. And, of course, to let everyone have a great time playing great titles ;)

Entry criteria for user recommendations ๐Ÿ’ฌ

  1. paid Play Store games compatible with recent Android versions
  2. no ads or infinite microtransactions. Allowed: ads-removal, full-game unlock, or proper DLCs
  3. you love the game and think it's worth the price
  4. must include link and, possibly, genre

I will still use my discretion and judgment to filter the entries, in an effort to try and keep the list's quality high.

[If you want to play or recommend free games, without ads or microtransactions, here is the list for you.]

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THE LIST

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Legend

๐ŸŒŸ - top favorite ย 

๐Ÿ‘‘ - masterpiece ย 

๐Ÿ’ฌ - recommended by the community, but I haven't played it yet or not my jam ย 

๐ŸŽฎ - controllers are supported and, usually, strongly recommended ย 

๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ - controller recommended but not supportedโ€”you need a controller mapping app like Panda ย 

๐Ÿ“ฑ - portrait orientation (either exclusively or optional)

๐Ÿ‘ฅ - includes multiplayer

120FPS - 120 FPS on supported devices

~~[Game title]~~ - delisted, but you might still see it in the store if you've purchased it ย 

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Action shooter

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Action-adventure platformer/hack-n-slash

  • Hyper Light Drifter - S.E. ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (only PS controllers supported; pixel art)

  • Grimvalor ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ 120FPS (2.5D hack and slash medieval fantasy platform/RPG)

  • Shadow Blade ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D hack and slash action platform)

  • Swordigo ๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ (2D RPG action-adventure platformer; requires controller remap app; free with 2 IAPs that add compass or coin doubler, and either of them remove ads too)

  • Oddmar ๐ŸŽฎ 120FPS (2D action-adventure platformer)

  • Ninja Arashi ๐ŸŽฎ (2D hack and slash action platformer - free with IAPs to remove ads)

  • SAMURAI II: VENGEANCE ๐ŸŽฎ (top down/isometric hack and slash)

  • Dead Cells ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ 120FPS (roguelite action platformer)

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Platformer

  • Nameless Cat ๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ

  • Dadish ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D platformer, pixel graphics, easy)

  • Dadish 2 ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (2D platformer, pixel graphics, medium difficulty)

  • Dadish 3 ๐ŸŽฎ (2D precision platformer, pixel graphics, hard difficulty)

  • Suzy Cube ๐ŸŽฎ (3D platformer, good rip-off of Super Mario 3D Land)

  • MouseBot ๐ŸŒŸ (3D platform-like)

  • Sonic Runners Adventures ๐ŸŒŸ (2.5D platformer)

  • Levelhead ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ ๐Ÿ‘ฅ๏ธ

  • Leo's Fortune ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

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Metroidvania

  • Prince of Persia: Lost Crown ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (platform hack-n-slash - if bugs, try one of these: copy save onto a different slot; load game and save w/o connecting controller, then connect; backup+reinstall)

  • Carrion ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (inverted horror, pixel art - touch controls are recommended over a controller)

  • Blasphemous ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ (platform hack-n-slash)

  • Castlevania: SotN ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

  • Dandara Trials of Fear Edition ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

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Beat 'em up

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Turn-based RPG

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Tactical RPG

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Strategy

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Action RPG

  • Undead Horde 2: Necropolis ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ

  • Trials of Mana ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (added controller support and achievements!)

  • The Bard's Tale (3D action RPG adventure - this game has some optional IAPs: they can easily be ignored but they're there. Also, some users experienced an auto-save bug that corrupts ALL save files, so I recommend disabling auto-save altogether. I'm keeping the game listed here for now as I still consider it a true premium game and I haven't personally experienced any bug)

  • Evoland ๐ŸŽฎ (action/adventure RPG with 2D and 3D graphics and a mix of genres. Touch controls work great)

  • Evoland 2 ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (action/adventure RPG with 2D and 3D graphics, mix of genres; controller recommended)

  • Pascal's Wager (soulslike) ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

  • Star Wars: KOTOR ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

  • Star Wars: KOTOR II ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ

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CRPG

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Text-based RPG

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Fishing adventure

  • Dredge ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ 120FPS (lovecraftian horror, RPG)

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Roguelite (cards, dice, deck builder, action)

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Action adventure/Zelda-like

  • Ogu and the Secret Forest ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (IAPs to unlock the full game. I got it for free on Epic, but not sure if/when it's gonna happen again)

  • Anodyne ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎโ—๏ธ ๐Ÿ“ฑ (lanscape/portrait. Adding controller support through Panda is a must if you want to complete the game without losing your mind)

  • Legend of the Skyfish 2 ๐ŸŽฎ (Zelda-like with a fishing rod for weapon)

  • Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion ๐ŸŽฎ (humorous, Zelda-like, pixel art adventure; Play achievements didn't work correctly, but they might have been fixed later on)

  • Oceanhorn ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŽฎ (3D Zelda-like action adventure)

  • Afterplace ๐Ÿ’ฌ ๐ŸŽฎ ๐Ÿ“ฑ 120FPS (landscape/portrait)

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Puzzle

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Puzzle adventure

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Puzzle-platformer adventure

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Point-and-click adventure

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Simulation/management

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Worker placement survival

  • This War of Mine ๐Ÿ’ฌ (DISCLAIMER: as of April 2025 multiple users still report crashes, but I'll keep the game here because it is otherwise worth it, and devs often donate part of the profits to victims of various wars)

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Survival crafting

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Survival horror

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Racing

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Sport

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Tower defense

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Idle

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Netflix games

(require an active Netflix subscription)

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Extras and emulators/engines

  • AppSales is an app that will make you save some money by notifying you when specific games (or apps) in the Play Store go on sale. Just add the games you wish to buy to the AppSales' watchlist and you'll get notified when the price gets cut.

  • Panda Gamepad Pro ๐ŸŽฎ is a tool that allows you to map your controller for touch inputs, practically adding controller support to those game that don't have it.

  • Gamedeck ๐ŸŽฎ (game launcher/front-end for controllers)

  • Beacon Game Launcher ๐ŸŽฎ (game launcher/front-end for controllers. Also optimized for emulators)

  • Retroarch ๐ŸŽฎ (emulator for almost all consoles) "jack of all trades" emulator, the only one that supports analog triggers for Xbox One S controller. It has a bit of a learning curve, and other individual emulators might offer better performance

  • Dolphin ๐ŸŽฎ best emulator for GameCube and Wii

  • DraStic DS Emulator ๐ŸŽฎ

  • PPSSPP Gold - PSP Emulator ๐ŸŽฎ

  • Delta Touch [9 x Doom engines] ๐Ÿ’ฌ (engine for Doom games)

  • Quad Touch ๐Ÿ’ฌ (engine for Quake games)

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Delisted or outdated

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Happy gaming ;)

ps: please let me know if there's any wrong information about the games included in this list (especially regarding IAPs or availability) so that I'll fix the post if necessary.

2
โ€”REUPLOADโ€”Free Android Games (incl. FOSS โœ…๏ธ) - no ads, no IAPs, no gacha. (discuss.tchncs.de)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by char_stats@discuss.tchncs.de to c/android@lemdro.id
0 comments fedilink
 

๐Ÿ‘‰For my paid games list, please go here.

ย 

New list entries - updated October 2025:

Other recent entries

Introduction

NOTICE: I'm reuploading this as I lost my first account on lemm.ee. The previous version of this list is now deprecated.

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 โœ…๏ธ. 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, because you could simply download and try them for yourself without spending a dime. I'll simply list them.

โ€ผ๏ธ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.โ€ผ๏ธ

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.

Entry Criteria

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

[If you want to recommend paid games, without ads or predatory microtransactions, here is the list for you.]

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THE LIST

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Legend

โœ…๏ธ - FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software). Listed on top in their respective categories

โ˜•๏ธ - includes option to donate, with or without minimal cosmetics only

~~[Game title]~~ - delisted

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Note: for sourceforge links, please disregard the green download button and look for the most recent apk version instead. Nothing malicious, just a website design flaw.

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Shooter

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Stealth

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Platformer

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Rhythm

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Arcade

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RPG

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Roguelike dungeon crawler

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Deck builder

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Adventure

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Puzzle

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Tower defense

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Strategy

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Management

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Racing

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Simulation

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Casual

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Visual novel

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Educational

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Extras and emulators/engines

  • Fabularium โœ…๏ธ (F-droid - engine and maker for text-based adventures, interactive books)

Delisted or outdated

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Free games with minimal ads/cosmetic IAPs

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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.