Latest entries - March 16th, 2025:

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Introduction

(scroll down for the actual list)

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!

I won’t try them all as I did with my premium games list [will update with link as soon as I post it], because this time 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.‼️

 

Entry Criteria

  • FREE
  • NO ADS
  • STRICTLY NO IAPs (except donation buttons, but I’ll have to check before adding the game to the list, so no guarantees it’ll be added quickly)
  • it has to be a legit game, of course. Full, not demo.
  • it has to be available on the Play Store and compatible with the latest, official Android version at the time of entry
  • possibly include a link to the game on the Play Store

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.

 

THE LIST

 

Legend

☕️ - includes a fair donation button, with or without minimal cosmetics only

[Game title] - removed from Play Store

 

Shooters

 

Stealth

 

Platform

 

Rhythm

 

Arcade

 

RPG

 

Roguelike dungeon crawlers

 

Deck builders

 

Adventure

 

Puzzle

 

Strategy

 

Racing

 

Management

 

Simulation

 

Casual

 

Sport/Competition

 

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.

  • char_stats@lemm.eeOPEnglish
    5·
    11 hours ago

    First of all, thanks for your observations and suggestions. I love to be precise with my posts and learning more about markdown formatting.

    Headers require a space after the number signs

    A question about this: does it change the way it actually looks? I’ll fix it, but I’d love to know if there’s a practical difference in using space vs no space?

    I think “Introduction” and “Entry Criteria” should both be headers as well

    You’re probably right, as general rules go, but the reason why headers in my list are formatted this way is because I wanted to draw attention to the actual list and genres, rather than to the introduction/criteria. As I’m expecting most users to browse this list when they wanna checkout some games.

    Each of your genre headers should get three number signs, since those are all headers that fall within the “THE LIST” section

    I’ve actually tried that recently, but didn’t like the way it looked. I think something was off with the spacing between genre headers and first line when using three hashtags. Might give it another try soon.

    • SatyrSack@feddit.orgEnglish
      3·
      11 hours ago

      A question about this: does it change the way it actually looks? I’ll fix it, but I’d love to know if there’s a practical difference in using space vs no space?

      Without the space, they don’t render as a header at all.

      No space:

      ##THE LIST

      With space:

      THE LIST

      • char_stats@lemm.eeOPEnglish
        3·
        11 hours ago

        They both always looked the same for me, but once I tried on Obsidian I could see the difference! I think it depends on what app the formatting is displayed on. Thanks, I’m gonna fix all headers

        • SatyrSack@feddit.orgEnglish
          4·
          11 hours ago

          I think it depends on what app the formatting is displayed on.

          That is probably where the confusion lies here. Because in the default Lemmy web UI, omitting the space literally displays the number signs as-is without making the line a larger font at all.