Unearthing Gems: The Best Free iOS and Android Games of September 2020
In the vast and ever-growing landscape of mobile gaming, a seemingly endless stream of new titles floods app stores every single month. For dedicated players seeking fresh experiences, sifting through countless options to find truly exceptional games can be a daunting task. While many free-to-play mobile games offer fleeting entertainment or rely heavily on aggressive monetization, there are always hidden gems that stand out for their innovative gameplay, engaging narratives, or stunning visuals. This post delves deeper into some of the most noteworthy free iOS and Android games that captured attention in September 2020, offering enriching experiences without an upfront cost.
The video above highlights a curated list from Gameranx, showcasing the top picks that truly resonated during that month. We’re expanding on those recommendations, providing further insight into why these games earned their spots and what makes them compelling choices for mobile gamers looking for quality entertainment. From immersive Action RPGs to clever puzzle games and strategic battlers, the diversity in these selections truly demonstrates the potential of free mobile gaming when developers prioritize player experience. Let’s explore these standout titles, uncovering the mechanics and unique appeals that made them essential downloads.
Top Free-to-Play Mobile Adventures: A Deep Dive
Genshin Impact: An Open-World Phenomenon
At the forefront of September’s releases was Genshin Impact, an Action RPG that immediately drew comparisons to console-level experiences. This visually stunning title, rendered in a beautiful cell-shaded anime style, quickly impressed players with its vast open world and intricate elemental combat system. While comparisons to Breath of the Wild are often made regarding its aesthetic, Genshin Impact carves its own path with a deeper party system and more complex combat mechanics. The game successfully blends exploration with strategic battling, encouraging players to master elemental reactions for maximum impact against diverse foes.
Genshin Impact’s core relies on a gacha system, a common free-to-play mechanic where players spend in-game currency for a chance to acquire new characters and weapons. Despite this, the game’s engaging gameplay loop, intriguing world, and consistently updated content have established it as a benchmark for free-to-play Action RPGs. Its narrative, while not always “world on fire” explosive, offers enough mystery and character development to keep players invested in the sprawling world of Teyvat. This title set a new standard for what mobile gamers could expect from a free game, proving that depth and quality don’t always come with a price tag.
Swap Swap Panda: A Refreshing Puzzle Platformer
Moving from epic adventures to charming puzzles, Swap Swap Panda introduced a delightful twist on the platforming genre. This adorable game tasks players with controlling both a giant panda and a red panda carried on its back, swapping between the two to navigate obstacles and solve environmental puzzles. The mechanic is intuitive yet provides a surprising layer of strategic depth, making each level a satisfying challenge without becoming overly frustrating. Its calm pace and pleasing soundtrack create a relaxing atmosphere, perfect for unwinding after a long day.
Swap Swap Panda isn’t about breakneck speeds or intense action; instead, it focuses on the fundamental joys of puzzle-solving and precise platforming. It serves as an excellent “palate cleanser” game, allowing players to appreciate well-executed core mechanics. The game’s appeal lies in its simplicity and effectiveness, proving that innovation doesn’t always require grand scale. Sometimes, a cleverly designed core mechanic and an endearing aesthetic are all it takes to create a memorable gaming experience on mobile devices.
Murderous Pursuits: The Ultimate Cat-and-Mouse Stealth Game
For those who prefer a more competitive and cunning experience, Murderous Pursuits offered a unique take on multiplayer stealth. This game plunges players into an environment teeming with NPCs, where the objective is to blend in, imitate AI behavior, and discreetly hunt down other players. The core genius lies in the social deduction element combined with genuine stealth mechanics, demanding keen observation and masterful deception from its participants. It’s a game that rewards players who can truly “act” like an NPC, making every movement and decision critical.
Far from the social deduction craze of titles like Among Us, Murderous Pursuits stands out as a pure stealth game. Players must learn the intricate patterns of the AI characters to convincingly mimic them, while simultaneously tracking their human targets. The tension created by constantly wondering if the “NPC” next to you is actually another player adds an incredible layer of excitement and paranoia. This innovative approach to multiplayer PvP made it an instant classic for fans of unique competitive experiences, showcasing how mobile platforms can host truly novel gameplay ideas.
Icarus M: Riders of Icarus – Soaring into Mobile MMORPGs
MMORPG enthusiasts found a new world to explore with Icarus M: Riders of Icarus, a spiritual successor to the popular PC title. This mobile adaptation brought the high-fantasy world to smartphones with a distinct focus on aerial combat and monster taming. The addition of dragon elements transforms traditional ground-based skirmishes into dynamic airborne battles, providing a fresh aesthetic and strategic dimension to the genre. Players can tame a vast array of monsters, including formidable bosses, integrating them into both PvE and PvP encounters, which adds a unique layer of customization and power progression.
Visually impressive, Icarus M boasted gorgeous environments and detailed character models, making it a standout in the often crowded mobile MMORPG space. The game successfully leveraged familiar MMORPG systems, offering class-based characters and expansive zones to explore. Its emphasis on collecting and utilizing a diverse menagerie of mounts and companions differentiated it from many competitors. For players seeking a robust, visually rich, and feature-complete massively multiplayer online experience on their mobile devices, Icarus M presented a compelling new frontier.
Grand Alliance: Anime Action RPG Meets Beat ’em Up
Crunchyroll Games brought forth Grand Alliance, an action RPG with strong anime sensibilities and a surprising mix of genres. This title successfully merged traditional RPG progression with beat ’em up combat mechanics, creating a fast-paced and engaging battle system. While some players might find the anime-style graphics a little reminiscent of flash games in their movement, the compelling gameplay loop quickly overshadows any minor aesthetic critiques. The fusion of character development, strategic team building, and real-time combat offered a fresh experience for fans of both genres.
Grand Alliance’s level design was particularly notable, managing to feel focused and contained without inducing claustrophobia, a delicate balance for mobile titles. The game’s ability to “suck players in” for extended sessions speaks to its well-crafted mechanics and engaging progression. It delivered a refreshing take on the mobile RPG formula, demonstrating that combining seemingly disparate genres can lead to innovative and highly enjoyable results. This title proved that licensed properties, when handled with care, can yield deeply satisfying gameplay experiences.
Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells – A Magical Match 3
Fans of the Wizarding World had a new way to interact with their favorite franchise in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells. This game, at its core, is a Match 3 puzzle game, but it’s one that ingeniously incorporates elements from the beloved Harry Potter universe. Players encountered various magical creatures and iconic objects on the boards, each interacting with the puzzles in unique ways. The inclusion of spells, which could be collected and deployed strategically, added a layer of depth and impact rarely seen in the genre, transforming simple matching into a more tactical experience.
Unlike many standard Match 3 games that offer little innovation, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells introduced significant variations in board design and game mechanics, keeping the experience fresh and challenging. The brand integration felt authentic and meaningful, enhancing gameplay rather than merely serving as a skin. Even players who might typically shy away from licensed titles or Match 3 games found themselves pleasantly surprised by the quality and thoughtful design. It showcased how a classic puzzle format can be revitalized with creative thematic elements and genuine gameplay enhancements.
Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower – A Strategic Mobile Masterpiece
For strategy enthusiasts, Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower emerged as a surprisingly intense and detailed turn-based strategy game for mobile. This title refused to simplify the genre for the mobile platform, instead leaning into the rich roots of the Warhammer universe and its complex tactical gameplay. Players navigated treacherous dungeons, commanding a roster of heroes with unique abilities in challenging turn-based combat scenarios. The game successfully captured the strategic depth expected from a full-fledged strategy title, a rarity in the often streamlined mobile market.
While incorporating mobile-specific elements like a currency system, Silver Tower maintained a high level of strategic integrity, offering intricate combat and compelling hero progression. Its commitment to the Warhammer lore and its detailed tactical encounters made it a standout. The promise of ongoing updates further ensured its longevity, providing players with continued challenges and content. It’s a testament to how mobile games can deliver profound, nuanced strategic experiences, proving that the platform is capable of supporting more than just casual gaming.
Atari Combat: Tank Fury – The Unconventional Match 3 RPG
Atari Combat: Tank Fury offered one of the most unexpected genre combinations, merging Match 3 puzzles with tank combat and base building elements. This unconventional blend might sound jarring at first, but its weirdness proved to be its greatest strength, creating an oddly compelling gameplay loop. Players engaged in Match 3 puzzles to fuel their tank battles, simultaneously managing base development and resource allocation. The game’s unique approach to combat and progression provided a fresh perspective on both the Match 3 and strategy genres.
Despite its initial oddity, players who invested time in Atari Combat discovered a surprisingly deep and enjoyable experience. The graphics were well-executed, and the base-building mechanics added a significant layer of strategic depth beyond simple puzzle-solving. Getting accustomed to its unique rhythm was key, but once understood, the game revealed itself as a pretty good Match 3-oriented RPG. It showcased how developers could experiment with disparate mechanics to forge genuinely innovative and amusing mobile gaming experiences.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Madness – A Fresh Gacha RPG
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Madness provided another example of a successful gacha game, demonstrating how popular intellectual properties can thrive within the genre. This title seamlessly integrated the iconic Ninja Turtles universe into a gacha RPG framework, allowing players to collect and upgrade their favorite characters. Beyond the character collection, the game also featured base building elements, enabling players to customize the famous Turtle Lair. It stood out for feeling current within the genre, rather than lagging behind, which is often the case with licensed mobile games.
The game excelled by offering a fresh take on established gacha RPG mechanics, presenting them with a polished and engaging interface. Its ability to leverage the beloved TMNT brand effectively, without compromising gameplay quality, made it a superior example in its category. The combination of character collecting, team building, and strategic base management provided a comprehensive and satisfying experience for fans of both the franchise and the gacha genre. Mutant Madness solidified its place as a top-tier free mobile game, appealing to a broad audience of gamers.
Raziel: Dungeon Arena – Hack and Slash Excellence
Crowning the list was Raziel: Dungeon Arena, an Action RPG that focused heavily on classic hack and slash dungeon crawling with an emphasis on loot. Boasting over 60 dungeons, the game promised extensive content for players eager to delve into its dark fantasy world. Its most unique feature was the innovative tag-team battling system, allowing players to switch between multiple heroes on the fly during combat. This mechanic added a strategic dimension, requiring players to build diverse teams and utilize different power sets to overcome varied enemy encounters.
Raziel also offered robust co-op gameplay, enabling friends to tackle challenging dungeons together, further enhancing its appeal. While the game included in-app purchases, its design prioritized the player experience, feeling like a game genuinely striving for excellence rather than solely focusing on monetization. The fluid combat, deep loot system, and satisfying progression made it a standout Action RPG. Raziel: Dungeon Arena truly earned its recommendation for anyone seeking a high-quality, free-to-play hack and slash experience on their iOS and Android devices.
