What are Gacha Games: Explaining the Hype
With the skyrocketing number of mobile video games, gacha games are now gaining popularity and are in fashion for all kinds of mobile players.
Millions of Android and iOS mobile gamers spend hours on end playing many different types of gacha games. Our article breaks down the basics of this video game and reveals the factors that have turned an Asian gacha game into an international hit.
Table of Contents
What Is a Gacha Game?
A gacha game is a video game inspired by the Japanese “Gashapon” system, a type of toy vending machine. It encourages players to spend in-game currency to buy different virtual items, characters and collectibles. Gamers purchase virtual currency with real-world money.
What Makes Gacha Games So Popular?
Play-to-Earn
There is hardly any gamer who has never heard of this well-known video game in recent years. Originally from Japan, the game became popular in other parts of Asia as well, including China and South Korea. Soon, due to the lockdown restrictions, Gacha spread far and wide and has been a persistent conqueror since. Our article sheds digital light on the main factors that make the game so popular. Let’s try to decode the engaging yet addictive nature of the game.
The first big appeal is that Gacha games provide players with a slight element of mystery and surprise. They give feelings similar to the excitement when players open a gift or win a lottery. And these emotions, when combined with traditional gaming features like adventure or fantasy, provide players with an exciting gaming experience.
The second big appeal is excessively beautiful and high-quality graphics, which every player loves and appreciates. Stunning visuals keep the gamers gripped to the very end.
The third big appeal is that Gacha has comfortable gameplay and an easy user interface. Gacha games are free of sophisticated requirements, which makes them accessible to gamers of all age groups.
Last but not least big appeal is that users have too many options and they can choose from over 50 characters which are the backbone of all top gacha games. Players want to try every character with its own skills and abilities and this ends up purchasing all characters and using them.
The Most Popular Gacha Games
There are an absolute ton of gacha game options available on the market. And it can be a little tricky for players to choose the best game, particularly if they are beginners. So, with the help of our video game experts, we provide you with the list of top Chacha games to get into today.
Raid: Shadow Legends
Our number one pick is an expertly made gacha game, Raid: Shadow Legends. The game works across PC and mobile and provides players with stunning visuals and high-quality graphics. It’s a dark fantasy action RPG (role-playing game), and due to its Western-style animation, users enjoy a realistic experience while playing. Raid: Shadow Legends features a wide variety of characters to collect. Users can choose from more than 300 characters that have unique skills and abilities and create a fleshed-out experience.
Genshin Impact
What the most popular Gacha games list would be complete without arguably the best of the genre, Genshin Impact? This open-world action RPG challenges the player to explore every pixel of the wide-open world and buy the game’s numerous characters through gacha elements. The game’s popularity stems from its excessively beautiful graphics and the resemblance to the famous Nintendo’s Zelda: Breath of The Wild.
Azure Lane
It’s impossible to discuss the best gacha games without emphasizing Azure Lane. It’s a combination of RPG, bullet hell and naval warfare. On this blue planet, rather than collect characters, players collect ships and they can enjoy almost 500 different warships. The warships are cute anime characters (known as moe anthropomorphic), each of which has its unique stats and skills.
Fire Emblem Heroes
Fire Emblem is another gacha RPG: Nintedoes’ foray into the gacha game industry. Fire Emblem Heroes allows users to play as characters from the long-running strategy RPG franchise, however, you are limited to only four characters at a time. The game provides users with an excellent story and gameplay mechanics.
FAQs
Are Gacha Games Gambling?
As we have discussed, gacha games encourage users to spend in-game currencies to win random prizes. Users purchase these in-game currencies with real-world money. The random nature of the game allows most people to classify it as a form of gambling. However, legally speaking, gacha games are not gambling: when you gamble, you risk your money to win something or nothing at all, while a gacha game is guaranteed to always give you something, by the way.
Takeaway
Gacha games are considered the most popular game genre in recent years thanks to their emotional impact, highly entertaining gameplay and free-to-play model. Now that you know what is a gacha game, what makes them so popular and what the most popular ones are, it’s high time to get into it and take your gaming experience to the next level. And if you enjoy the uncertainty of rewards, the gacha is the best genre to dip your toe into its waters, just be mindful of the amounts you are spending!
