Free Android Games (incl. FOSS ✅️) - no ads, no IAPs, no gacha.

[char_stats@lemm.ee]

Latest entries - 3 May 2025:

• Kids Memory Game ️ (GitHub or Play Store) - Educational

::: spoiler Other recent entries

• The WereCleaner - Stealth

• Fractal Space ️ - Puzzle

• Orzmic (itch.io) - Rhythm

• Satryn (itch.io) - Shooter

• Octo Blast - Shooter

• To arms!! ️ - Deck builder

• Drill Down ️ ️ (itch.io) - Management

• Techmino (GitHub) ️ - Puzzle

• AAAAXY ️ (F-droid or Play Store) - Puzzle

• osu!(lazer) ️ (official website) - Rhythm

• Forge ️ (GitHub) - Deck builder

:::

::: spoiler Introduction

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, 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.️

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.

:::

::: spoiler 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 really want, but this list is for 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.]

:::

THE LIST

 

Legend

️ - FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software). Listed on top in their respective categories

️ - includes option to donate, with or without minimal cosmetics only

[Game title] - delisted

 

Shooter

• Satryn (itch.io)

• Octo Blast

• Zombotron Re-Boot

• Pico Hero

• PewPew Live (from MiniReview top chart)

• Touhou ThousandNightAnamnesis

 

Stealth

• The WereCleaner

• Mr Rumble - Stealth Action

 

Platformer

• Safari Forever w/ Level Editor

• Fast like a Fox

• Dock The Rocket

 

Rhythm

• osu!(lazer) ️ (official website or GitHub)

• Orzmic (itch.io)

 

Arcade

• Smash Sector

• Flex Armstrong

 

RPG

• Adventure Seeker

• Andor's Trail

• Pathos: Nethack Codex

• Emoji Quest [RPG]

 

Roguelike dungeon crawler

• Shuttered Pixel Dungeon ️ (F-droid)

• Dungeon Squire

• Bounty Hunter Space Lizard

• Angband (plus variants)

• Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup

• GnollHack

• Monk Tower

• Shattered Pixel Dungeon ️

• Skillful Pixel Dungeon ️

• Catacomb Chess

 

Deck builder

• Forge ️ (GitHub)

• To arms!! ️

• Underhand

• Beecarbonize

 

Adventure

• Kitty Q

• Turdbots

• Father and Son

• Please, Touch The Artwork 2

 

Puzzle

• Techmino (GitHub) ️ (tetris clone)

• AAAAXY ️ (F-droid or Play Store)

• Minesweeper - Antimine ️ (F-droid)

• Zoysii - Logic game ️ (F-droid)

• 2048 (Privacy Friendly) ️ (F-droid)

• Flowit ️ (F-droid)

• Gauguin ️ (F-droid or Play Store)

• Simon Tatham's Puzzles ️ (F-droid or Play Store)

• Fractal Space ️ (first-person puzzle, great story)

• Sudoku

• Tetrix

• Frozen Bubble

• Water Sorting Puzzle

• Freeze! 2 - Brothers

• Freeze!

• Empty.

• Skyward Joyrney

• Pixics - Pixel art puzzle game ️

 

Tower defense

• Anuto TD ️ (F-droid)

 

Strategy

• Unciv ️ (F-droid or Play Store)

• Master of War - Forces of Eo

• Opacha-mda

• Antiyoy Classic

• Seedship

• Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

• Starrows

• Lichess

 

Management

• Drill Down ️ ️ (itch.io)

• Mindustry ️ (F-droid or Play Store)

• OpenTTD

 

Racing

• SuperTuxKart

• Data Wing

• Vroomies

• Formula 2D - Steer to Persevere

• Night Riders Remastered ️

 

Simulation

• Parking Master

• The Powder Toy

 

Casual

• Lato ️ (F-droid)

• Snake Game

• Rabbit Run

 

Visual novel

• EDDA Cafe

• one night, hot springs ️

• Magical Witch Bell ️

• Tomato Clinic ️

• tong jyun ️

 

Educational

• Kids Memory Game ️ (GitHub or Play Store)

 

Delisted or outdated

• SuperTux (platformer)

• SuperTux Classic (platformer)

• Bad Trip (platformer)

• Dribble (outdated platformer)

• Phigros (rhythm)

• Lofi Ping Pong (rhythm)

• Code challenges and puzzles (puzzle)

• Rocket League Sideswipe (sport/competition)

• Butterfly Soup ️ (visual novel)

• Butterfly Soup 2 (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.

[rikudou@lemmings.world]

A memory match game made by me, fully open source, made with small (2-6) kids in mind. Comes in two flavours, one of them contains all the assets bundled and thus doesn't even need access to the internet.

Available on GitHub and Play Store (screenshots available on both):

• https://github.com/RikudouSage/KidMemoryGame/releases/latest
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.chrastecky.kidsmemorygame

[makingwork@lemmy.ca]

Thank you!

[rikudou@lemmings.world]

Glad you like it!