Category: Reviews

Survival Heroes

Survival Heroes is a free-to-play mobile title that blends classic MOBA combat with the last-player-standing tension of a battle royale. You drop into a large island map, loot for weapons and gear, then fight through a match filled with up to 99 other real players while the safe zone tightens. Instead of locking into a single hero kit, your abilities come from the weapons you find, which encourages experimenting with different playstyles from match to match.

Publisher: Snail Games
Playerbase: Medium
Type: Mobile MOBA Battle Royale
Release Date: November 1, 2018 (Global)
Pros: +A distinctive MOBA and battle royale hybrid. +Large selection of weapons with standout skills. +PvP encounters feel punchy and rewarding. +Strong visuals for a mobile game.
Cons: -Rune progression can feel grind-heavy.

Survived By

Survived By is a free-to-play online roguelite MMO that blends twin-stick, bullet-hell action with a permadeath loop. You sprint through a colorful pixel world, weave between projectile patterns, and take on swarms of enemies, knowing that every run eventually ends, but your account-wide progression keeps moving forward through its Legacy system.

Publisher: Digital Extremes
Type: 2D MMORPG
Release Date: Dec 5, 2018
Shut Down Date: April 19, 2019
Pros: +Clever permadeath-based progression. +Snappy bullet-hell combat. +Memorable retro pixel presentation. +Premium currency is obtainable through play.
Cons: -Menus and crafting can feel unintuitive.

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Magic: The Gathering Arena is a free-to-play, 2D digital collectible card game that brings the long-running tabletop hit, Magic: The Gathering, into an online environment designed for fast matchmaking and simpler deck organization. Players earn cards, fine-tune strategies that match their style, and face off in turn-based duels that unfold live against other opponents.

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Playerbase: High
Type: 2D F2P CCG
Release Date: September 27, 2018
Pros: +Faithful, proven gameplay rules. +Strong visual presentation and card art. +Huge pool of cards and archetypes to pursue. +Targeting specific cards feels straightforward. +Rotating Draft-style events keep things fresh.
Cons: -A dense ruleset that takes time to learn. -Some games can run long.

Iron Throne

Iron Throne is a free-to-play mobile strategy MMO on iOS and Android that puts you in charge of a growing kingdom, from upgrading your castle to commanding heroes and troops in large-scale conflicts. It mixes familiar base-building and alliance warfare with several distinct battle modes, all wrapped in sharp 3D presentation that aims for a more “console-like” look than many games in the genre.

Publisher: Netmarble
Playerbase: Medium
Type: Mobile Strategy MMO
Release Date: May 16, 2018
Pros: +Impressive 3D visuals for a mobile MMO. +Multiple modes that break up the usual routine. +Tactical hero skills add depth to fights.
Cons: -Noticeable pay-to-win pressure. -Progress feels gated without VIP perks. -Harder to keep up when playing mostly solo.

Dragalia Lost

Dragalia Lost was a free-to-play mobile action RPG for iOS and Android, mixing fast, instance-based battles with team building, character collection, and a signature dragon transformation mechanic. Set in a bright fantasy world where humans and dragons coexist, it leaned heavily on co-op play and high-end presentation, making it one of Nintendo’s most ambitious mobile projects before service ended.

Publisher: Nintendo
Type: Mobile MMORPG
Release Date: September 27, 2018
Shut Down: November 29, 2022
Pros: +Surprisingly deep action combat and team building. +Strong co-op focus. +Polished visuals, voice work, and music. +Often generous with premium currency through play.
Cons: -Navigation and menu flow can feel awkward. -Story beats can come across as familiar. -Hard to stand out in a crowded gacha-heavy mobile scene.

Dragalia Lost Shut Down on November 29, 2022

Grand Chase Mobile

Grand Chase: Dimensional Chasers, often shortened to Grand Chase, is a free-to-play mobile action strategy gacha RPG that continues the legacy of the original PC title. You assemble a four-hero squad, develop each unit over time, and tackle stages built around positioning, skill timing, and managing enemy waves rather than pure turn-based menus.

Publisher: KOG Games
Playerbase: Medium
Type: Mobile Action Strategy RPG
Release Date (Global): November 27, 2018
Pros: +Strong visuals and flashy presentation. +Real-time, position-focused combat. +No stamina gate for basic play. +F2P players can earn a steady supply of premium currency.
Cons: -Power gaps and tuning problems, with SR ranks feeling far ahead.

Diablo: Immortal

Diablo: Immortal brings Blizzard’s signature hack-and-slash formula to phones and PC in a shared online world, mixing classic dungeon crawling with MMO-style hubs, group play, and a live-service progression loop. Developed by NetEase and published by Activision Blizzard, it is built to be played in short sessions or longer grinds, with a free-to-play model that heavily influences how fast different players can progress.

Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Playerbase: High
Type: Action MMORPG
Release Date: June 02, 2022
Pros: +A free-to-play entry in the Diablo series. +Multiple distinct classes with different playstyles. +Playable on PC as well as mobile. +Mobile-first design with an Eastern MMO feel.
Cons: -Very heavy pay-to-win pressure at endgame. -Made with a partner studio rather than fully in-house. -Non-paying players face strong time gates and slower progression.

Ring of Elysium

Ring of Elysium is a free-to-play 3D battle royale shooter that drops you onto a frozen mountain resort and asks you to loot fast, rotate smart, and survive a rapidly closing blizzard. Instead of fighting for a single winner, the endgame revolves around earning one of four extractions on a rescue aircraft, which creates tense, last-minute clashes as the storm forces everyone into the same shrinking space.

Publisher: Tencent Games
Playerbase: Medium
Type: 3D F2P Battle Royale
Release Date: September 19, 2018
Pros: +Impressive visual presentation for a F2P shooter. +Strong character customization options. +You begin with a pistol, reducing early RNG frustration. +No parachuting, you pick your initial spawn area. +Equipment kits and skills add variety to matches.
Cons: -Demanding performance requirements. -Stuttering, lag, and frame drops can occur. -Hair customization feels more limited than the rest of the creator.

Dead Frontier 2

Dead Frontier 2 is a 3D survival horror MMORPG that drops you into a ruined world where the infected have overrun almost everything. To stay alive you will be looting abandoned streets and buildings for food, water, ammunition, weapons, and protective gear, then bringing what you can carry back to safety while taking on jobs from survivors in the remaining outposts.

Publisher: Creaky Corpse
Playerbase: Medium
Type: 3D Survival Horror
Release Date: September 5, 2018
Pros: +Tense survival horror atmosphere reminiscent of classic RE-style pacing. +Always-on PvP presence. +Solid co-op for looting and missions. +Trading economy shaped by players.
Cons: -Many locations and enemy models blur together visually. -Core loop can start to feel samey over time. -Lacks a proper onboarding tutorial.

Talion

Talion is a 3D fantasy mobile MMORPG built around PvP, with large-scale faction conflict sitting at the center of its progression loop. You play as a chosen hero fighting back demonic forces in Nar, running quests and dungeons for gear while regularly being pushed into open world skirmishes, alliance battles, and realm-scale modes. Combat leans into flashy, combo-driven skills, and like many mobile MMOs it supports automated play for grinding and routine content.

Publisher: Gamevil Inc.
Playerbase: High
Type: Mobile F2P 3D MMORPG
Release Date: September 15, 2018
Pros: +Robust character creation with plenty of sliders. +Showy, combo-oriented combat. +Auto-combat and auto-questing for hands-off grinding. +Strong emphasis on PvP and faction conflict.
Cons: -Few classes and gender locks limit variety. -Automation can make progression feel passive. -Familiar, grind-heavy structure. –Server latency can be noticeable (servers located in Asia).