Open-world games on your phone: the best free ones

Ten years ago a real open world on a phone was a novelty. Now some of the biggest open worlds in gaming launch on phones at the same time as on PC and console, and many are free to start. The catch is usually storage, battery and in-app spending, so for each of our picks below we say what to expect.

Everything here is free to download or play. “Free” in mobile games usually means free with optional purchases; we say where a game is built around a gacha (paying or grinding for random characters or items). None of this list needs you to spend money to enjoy it, but some make it very tempting.

1. Genshin Impact

HoYoverse’s fantasy adventure is the game that proved a console-scale open world could live on a phone. You explore Teyvat, a world of seven nations, climbing, gliding and fighting with a team of characters. It is on Android, iOS, PC and PlayStation, and up to four players can explore together in co-op once you have played a while.

Know before you go: it is a gacha game, and it takes a lot of storage. A recent phone will thank you.

2. Wuthering Waves

Kuro Games’ 2024 open-world action RPG is free on Android, iOS and PC. Combat is fast and flashy, the world is big, and up to three players can team up in co-op.

Know before you go: like Genshin, it is a gacha game with a hefty download.

3. Infinity Nikki

Something different: an open-world dress-up adventure from Infold Games, free on Android, iOS, PC and PlayStation 5 since December 2024, with progress shared across devices through one account. You explore a bright fantasy world, solve puzzles and collect outfits, some of which come with special abilities.

Know before you go: optional purchases are mostly outfits. If you like calm exploration more than combat, this is the one.

4. Sky: Children of the Light

From thatgamecompany, the studio behind Journey. Sky is a gentle, social world of floating kingdoms you fly through with other players, racing, playing instruments together and helping each other. It is free on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC, with cross-platform play.

Know before you go: it is more of a shared journey than a sandbox; purchases are cosmetics and gifts.

5. Once Human

NetEase’s supernatural survival world launched free on PC in July 2024 and on iOS and Android in April 2025, with cross-play and shared progress between PC and phone. You gather, build and fight strange creatures in a ruined world, alone or with other players.

Know before you go: it is a big, demanding game; reviews at launch mentioned bugs and performance problems.

6. Gangstar Vegas

If you want a crime sandbox, Gameloft’s Las Vegas open world has been on Android and iOS since 2013 and is now free with in-app purchases. Car chases, gang wars, races and a long story campaign. More in open-world crime games for your phone.

7. AJ Cities, in the browser

Our own game, so take this as a description rather than a ranking. AJ Cities is a free, 18+ open-world game set on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos, built for phones first. It is not in an app store: open ajcities.com in your phone’s browser and play, with nothing to install and nothing filling your storage.

It is much smaller than the giants above: one walled estate, June 12 Street, a club called Prizm and the bush with its street football pitch. In AJ’s story you play a man deported from London, broke and trying to get past the gate police. Or sign in and meet other players live at the estate. The sky follows the real Lagos sun.

On a phone, your left thumb moves you, dragging on the right looks around, pinch zooms, and an Action button talks, opens and uses. Everything is on the controls page.

At a glance

Picking one for your phone

• Short of storage? A browser game such as AJ Cities takes up nothing.
• Older phone? The big gacha worlds will run hot and drain the battery. Lower the graphics, or pick something lighter.
• Want to play with friends? Genshin, Wuthering Waves, Sky, Once Human and AJ Cities all let you play together.
• Worried about spending? Set a spending limit in your phone’s app store settings before you start any gacha game.

Data, heat and battery

Big open worlds on a phone are hungry. The app-store giants download several gigabytes up front and more with every update, so do the first download on Wi-Fi. If your phone gets hot, drop the frame rate and graphics in the game’s settings: it saves battery as well as your hands. And if you play on mobile data, check how much each session uses in your phone’s data settings after the first evening, so the end of the month is not a surprise.

For more, see browser games for your phone and free open-world multiplayer games.

What is the best free open-world game on mobile?

It depends on taste. Genshin Impact is the best known big fantasy world; Infinity Nikki suits calm exploration; Sky is the most social; AJ Cities runs in the browser with nothing to install. These are our picks, not a ranking.

Are there open-world phone games with no download?

Yes. AJ Cities runs in your phone’s browser. Open ajcities.com and play; nothing is installed.

Which open-world phone games can I play with friends?

Genshin Impact (co-op up to four), Wuthering Waves (up to three), Sky: Children of the Light, Once Human and AJ Cities’ live estate all let you play together.

Are these games really free?

They are free to download or play. Most sell optional items; Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves are gacha games, where you can pay for random characters.