Gacha games are bigger than ever before—here are the best you can play right now

Sure, gacha games have been long-affiliated with varying levels of freemium greediness on mobile, but recent years have seen fantastic opportunities for developers to bring their games to PC, creating more intricate experiences that can be played at your desk or picked up on the go.

What is gacha?

The name comes from Japanese gachapon machines, those funky little toy vending machines that spit out a mystery item from a wider selection. In the context of these games, it's usually paying gems or a related currency for a select pool of characters, weapons, or clothing items. Because of that origin, you'll find a lot of games slapped with the gacha label share a similar anime-style aesthetic, with most western takes more referred to as something like "game with loot box system" instead.

Something I personally really enjoy about gacha games is the sheer versatility of them. It's more of a monetisation method than a genre, which means you can dive into all sorts of different games while largely knowing what the developers expect from you and your wallet. They're often free-to-play, too, meaning you can dip your toe into an assortment of options without making any firm financial commitments right off the bat.

The trick is to know which gacha games are worth your time and—if you're willing and financially stable enough to—your money. Some offer great value for free-to-play gamers, while others will demand more of your hard-earned cash to actually get a good experience out of. Ultimately, the question is: Which ones are the most fun to play? I've compiled a list of some of my personal favourite gachas and some that are a hit with the wider community, the best ones you can play on PC right now.

One final note: All of the games I've listed here have their own official PC client, no Bluestacks or other Android emulator required. It has to actually be an official PC release to make the list!

The best gacha games right now

Genshin Impact

Released: 2020 | Developer: Hoyoverse | Link: Hoyoverse

Arguably the game that started the whole gacha fad on PC, Genshin Impact remains one of the most popular offerings in the space. It boasts a gorgeous open world that Hoyoverse continues to expand—the most recent major update in August brought us the Natlan region—and a huge spread of characters, making it nigh-impossible to walk away without some kind of waifu or husbando to fawn over. It also boasts some of my favourite combat to come out of a gacha game. Each character has their own elemental affinity which can react with that of other elements in your party, creating some huge damage numbers and deadly combinations.

If you're a fan of exploration and platformer puzzles, you'll find plenty of that in Genshin Impact. Personally, I do find this is a game best enjoyed casually as an open-world adventure game rather than a gacha—the dailies can be quite demanding, as can material farming for building each character. That's no fault of Genshin really, though, more so the consequence of the gacha formula in an open world space.

Wuthering Waves

Released: 2024 | Developer: Kuro Games | Link: Official site

Many developers have since tried to replicate the Genshin Impact formula with varying degrees of success, but I'd say Kuro Games pretty much nailed it with Wuthering Waves.

I'd argue it does combat just as well or even better than Hoyoverse, with some gorgeously animated dodging and parrying that'll have you feel like you're fighting in an anime. You can even capture certain enemies and make use of their abilities, either fighting alongside you or being able to transform into them. I'm also a huge fan of its parkour movement which feels delightfully crisp.

Arguably the weakest part of Wuthering Waves is its narrative, if that's something you're particularly hot on. It often errs on the side of being nonsensical and suffers from all manner of 'made up word bloat' that proper does my head in when I'm playing these sorts of games. But if that doesn't bother you and you just want to get stuck into some sick combat, Wuthering Waves is definitely the game for you.

Honkai: Star Rail

Released: 2023 | Developer: Hoyoverse | Link: Hoyoverse

If Genshin's huge open world and demanding dailies are too time-consuming for you, I could not recommend Honkai: Star Rail enough. Hell, I'd recommend it anyway. The game is a delightful sci-fi space comedy romp with some fantastic character designs: Shark-teethed Boothill in particular got a lot of love when he was released. There's even some recognisable folk in there if you've played Honkai Impact 3rd.

Hoyoverse is no stranger to crafting some wicked fun combat systems, and Honkai: Star Rail is no different. Its turn-based battling wouldn't feel amiss in a top-class JRPG, and it even included an auto-battle option so you can get your daily missions cleaned up with ease.

It also eliminates some of my more gripping issues with Genshin's grind—materials and equipment aren't locked to specific days, meaning you can farm for character builds whenever you like so long as you have the energy for it. Honkai: Star Rail is easily one of my favourite gachas you can play right now.

Reverse: 1999

Released: 2023 | Developer: Bluepoch Games | Link: Steam

Listen, I know I keep saying how pretty all of these gachas are, but there's something about Reverse: 1999's painterly art style that really scratches an itch in my brain. While most games on this list are set in the modern day or far-flung future, Bluepoch's strategic RPG takes things back to the 20th century, with a hefty dose of time travelling.

It's a game that's not at all short of narrative ongoings, though the English translations often leave something to be desired. But uniquely, the whole thing starts in media res rather than carefully soft-launching the main character into a larger plot, which I find to be a fun spin. There's also a ton of fun little historical references throughout, which makes Reverse: 1999 really feel unique compared to other games in the gacha space.

Reverse: 1999 may also be one of the only gacha games where you can pull for a literal dog. His name is Pickles and he is freakin' adorable. There's also a scarecrow called Rabies which, yeah. If you're looking for some unique designs beyond your usual anime offerings, this is the game to be playing.

It also has the added benefit of being on Steam, whereas most of these on the list require you to install a separate launcher. If having all your games consolidated onto Valve's platform is important to you, then Reverse: 1999 is a good one to try out.

Nikke: Goddess of Victory

Released: 2023 | Developer: Shift Up | Link: Official site

I'll say right now: If you're not into heavy fanservice, Nikke: Goddess of Victory is not the game for you. But if you can withstand some rather saucy character designs, I implore you to give this game a try because it's my personal obsession. It's also one of the rare cases where the game is undeniably superior on PC to its mobile version, being a rail shooter and all.

Beneath the scantily-dressed lassies lies a surprisingly gripping—and oft depressing—story. Think Nier: Automata if Yoko Taro had amped things up to the nth degree. Yes, there are moments that'll have people like me cringing at its more overtly sexual interactions, but I've rarely been so determined to see a story through 'til the end as I have with Nikke.

I'd also argue that Nikke is one of the more generous gacha games on offer. Its biggest and most tempting wallet-opener will be the dreaded "160 wall" which requires you to obtain four copies of five different Nikkes in order to continue the levelling grind. But it also regularly sprinkles your account with gems and recruit tickets, and—more crucially—rarely excludes any of its characters from regular recruitment.

There are a handful of limited units, which return annually, and some collaboration units from the likes of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Nier: Automata which are unfortunately unlikely to ever return. Aside from that, though, it's fair game.

When it comes to dailies, I'd say Nikke's are some of the easier ones to complete, mostly hindered by the fact the game has entirely too many loading screens.

Honkai Impact 3rd

Released: 2019 (on PC) | Developer: Hoyoverse | Link: Hoyoverse

Okay yes, I know this is the third Hoyoverse game on the list. I'm sorry! This is what happens when a developer manages to dominate a growing market as well as Hoyo has. Like I said before, it's half the reason why we even have so many PC gacha games, so forgive me for its rather large presence on this list.

Anyway, Honkai Impact 3rd was one of the developer's first games to really pop off, and for good reason. It's got similar tellings of Star Rail's sci-fi adventure and, like I mentioned earlier, some crossover of character appearances. It swaps out turn-based combat for hack-and-slash rock-paper-scissors style action, retaining Hoyoverse's usual flair for fantastical animations.

Despite being one of the developer's older games, Honkai Impact 3rd is still receiving regular updates. Hell, it got a huge "Part 2" expansion in 2024 which added new characters, an updated UI and a shift to a more open-world format, all wrapped up in a shiny engine upgrade. It's still a great game to dive into, just different enough from other Hoyoverse titles to be worth trying.

Now, this is another rare gacha game to make a Steam appearance, but I'd recommend against using it. If you're like me and enjoy having the option to pick up your save on mobile when travelling or feeling too lazy to sit at your desk, you won't have that option with the Steam version. You're locked into a single account, which makes the whole cross-play thing sort of impossible. Besides, if you're listening to my recommendations and planning to pick up Genshin and Honkai: Star Rail anyway, the Hoyoplay launcher consolidates them all into one place.

Upcoming gacha games to be excited about

Infinity Nikki

Planned release: December 5, 2024 | Developer: Infold Games | Link: Official site

It may not be out yet, but I'm already wicked excited for what Infinity Nikki is bringing to the gacha game. Not to be confused with the aforementioned Nikke, the Nikki series has actually been around for well over 10 years, with all the previous games in the series being confined to mobile.

Infold Games is taking the base formula of all its previous entries—Nikki and her cat companion Momo travelling Miraland and battling through the art of fashion and all things dress-up—while, for the first time, throwing the whole thing in an open world environment.

It's a big change for the series, which only just went 3D with 2021's Shining Nikki, but Infold has done a surprisingly good job of pulling it off. I had an absolute blast when I played the closed beta earlier this year: It's absolutely gorgeous, for a start, and every item of clothing is meticulously designed. There are a whole host of outfits with different abilities like fishing, gliding, and even one for combat.

The gacha element comes through various outfit banners, rather than the usual route of having multiple characters to pull for. You can still make Nikki totally your own thanks to a multitude of hair and makeup options though, as well as some limited skintone choices.

Arknights: Endfield

Planned release: Mid-2025 | Developer: Hypergryph | Link: Official site

It's a darn shame the first Arknights, Hypergryph's tower defence game, doesn't have an official PC port because it would have been an easy addition to this list. Thankfully, I have the upcoming spin-off game Arknights: Endfield to recommend instead.

It's a significantly more ambitious game, going for an open-world RPG with a smattering of base building which, as Austin Wood from our sister site GamesRadar says, "straight-up turns into Factorio after a point". From that sentence alone, sign me up.

If reception from the 2024 playtest is anything to go by, the combat doesn't seem to be everyone's favourite part right now, but the base-building is a certifiable hit. Arknights: Endfield still has plenty more time to cook in the oven, though. It's not expected to land until mid-2025, which should be more than enough time for Hypergryph to polish up some of the bigger issues folk were having.