Augmented reality game developers continue to improve game graphics and offer more features for users, making AR one of the more popular platforms in the gaming industry. Augmented reality games allow users to compete in life-life battle zones, interact with realistic-looking settings and characters, and utilize plenty of weapons and tools to claim victory over other competitors.
Below we explore the most popular and critically acclaimed Augmented reality games for both iPhone and Android.
1. Ingress
Ingress places two factions in the same MMO world: The Enlightened and the Resistance. Both sides battle to claim the dark energy. Players choose a side to locate and secure the energy source within portals throughout a designated city to win the war for their faction. The open, ever-changing narrative offers plenty of strategic options, clues, hidden codes, weapons, and tools. This AR game is embedded in a highly socialized environment where players interact, form teams, and communicate through the Intelligence Map.
2. Pokémon GO
Pokémon Go’s enhanced augmented reality setting, known as AR+ mode, makes it appear that Pokémon is a physical part of the surroundings. Therefore, players feel as though they are capturing images of a Pokémon in the real world. The new addition requires more skill, agility, and awareness of the surroundings. Players appreciate the improved graphics. Pokémon GO is now available for both iPhone and Android.
3. Cmoar Roller Coaster VR
What distinguishes Cmoar’s Roller Coaster VR from the myriad of other AR coaster apps is the ride duration: nearly four minutes per ride. That is twice as long as the popular Rollercoaster app. Cmoar currently has plans to develop a Gear VR version for RCVR in addition to Android and iPhone. In the meantime, the greatest thrill of this AR experience is sitting back and enjoying the ride. There are several rides to choose from in a vast array of settings.
4. Knightfall
Knightfall is a textbook battle strategy game that has set the template for the future of AR gaming. The plot is simple; the Knights Templar defend the castle from enemy Mamluk Warriors. A spotlight feature of Knightfall is the player’s ability to place the battlefield down on any flat surface, giving them a unique vantage point from which to fire arrows and catapults at the enemy. Players earn gold that they can use to collect weaponry, build defenses, and strengthen an army.
5. Crime Scene by A&E
Inspired by A&E Crime/Investigation shows (First 48, Crime 360 and Live PD), Crime Scene gives players an inside look into crime investigation. Using Google’s advanced AR Core, players can experience a real-world platform to find clues, select crime cases, and scan areas. Users can also leverage tools to collect and analyze evidence that leads them closer to the primary suspect.
6. Clandestine: Anomaly
For AR enthusiasts wanting to bring sci-fi battle experiences to their backyards, Clandestine: Anomaly delivers an action-packed narrative with plenty of features and options. Players defend Earth from an alien invasion against the backdrop of a real environment. When ZenFri released the AR game back in 2015, it received poor reviews. Improvements in the platform, the graphics, and the controls, however, garnered more favorable reviews from critics and users alike. Clandestine: Anomaly is now one of the best humans vs. aliens battle-zone games for both iPhone and Android.
7. Jurassic World: Alive
Pokémon GO purists have dismissed Jurassic World: Alive as yet another platform clone. Well, this is for a good reason: JW: A looks and feels like PG. However, that doesn’t mean the AR game is without merit. Players have two jobs: hunt and fight dinosaurs via a GPS-driven map of the immediate surroundings. Players use a drone to shoot darts at the dinosaurs and gather their DNA. Once enough DNA has been collected, players can breed new Dinosaurs in a lab. A battle mode allows players to compete against each other to earn trophies. Jurassic World: Alive does utilize the Google Maps API, a platform that enables developers to build location-based games using Google Maps locations data.
8. CSR Racing 2
One of the things that stands out on CSR Racing 2 is that the cars are ripped with full details. This type of attention to detail is due to Natural Motion’s developers making the best use of the AR mode. CSR 2 offers life-like drag racing where players can compete with one another in customized sports cars. Friends can also team up to form a racing team. The graphics are impressive enough to make CSR Racing 2 the best racing AR app on the market.
9. Ghost Snap AR Horror Survival
With Ghost Snap AR Horror Survival, players can transform their surroundings into a horror-filled environment. The AR platform makes any home, empty building, or office appear like a terror-ridden place to hunt for ghosts. Players use the camera to walk around and look for clues, as well as take pictures of ghosts. The longer the play, the more horror they experience.
10. AR Sports Basketball
Basketball fans will discover how addictive AR Sports Basketball is. The setup is simple, and the graphics make players feel like they’re in a real game. Players can choose from different modes in any setting. They position the basketball goal stand back and shoot the virtual ball from any position or distance. Players can compete in real games or even play classics such as H.O.R.S.E.
As developers continue to make advancements in gaming software and hardware, users can expect to see improved graphics, more elaborate game platforms, and a wider variety of gaming options. Both Android and iPhone platforms offer games in several categories including action, adventure, puzzles, and problem-solving. No matter what types of games gamers are into, they can now find them in mobile AR game environments.
