Interactive monster collecting app Pokemon Go is a global phenomenon This has raised awareness of the potential of augmented reality gaming, inspiring millions of people around the world to grab their mobile devices and get outdoors.
Since then, the AR game genre has evolved to include many fresh ideas. AR games work by using the device’s camera to overlay 3D graphical elements onto the real world, as seen on the display. The idea is to incorporate the user’s physical surroundings into the game, creating a hyperreal mixed reality experience.
AR games require mapping the user’s surroundings so that 3D virtual objects can be superimposed on top of it. In the case of Pokemon Go, that means users can go out and explore their town or city in search of collectible Pokemon creatures.
A key advantage of AR games is that they can be played on even the cheapest phones, so there’s no need to invest in expensive and bulky VR headsets. Just grab your phone, open the game and explore your surroundings to try to complete the objectives.
The potential of AR games has yet to be fully realized, but developers have created many highly original applications to enhance our experience in the physical world. Here are some of the hottest new AR games you can try today!
Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs
It’s almost like you’d imagine an augmented reality version of the popular Angry Birds game. Launch the game, and it builds a structure on a nearby table, which can be viewed through the phone’s camera. Then, you slingshot those colorful and cute Angry Birds at the building in an attempt to destroy it and kill those pesky green pigs hiding inside. The game has 70 different levels featuring many original characters from the hit series. The game is a few years old, but works well and offers a very different and fun experience from the classic Angry Birds experience.
Entrance Prime
Developed by Niantic, the creators of the original AR hit Pokemon Go, Ingress Prime is widely considered one of the best AR games of all time. In the game, a team of scientists at CERN discovers an unknown interdimensional force known as “strange matter”, leading to the creation of two factions: the Enlightened and the Resistance. The Enlightenment seeks to harness and embrace the power of XM to transcend humanity to higher dimensions. Meanwhile, the Resistance sees XM as the greatest threat to humanity and vows to defend humanity by resisting the efforts of the Enlightened.
Ingress Prime uses your device’s GPS to locate and interact with real-world “portals” located at points of interest that express human creativity, such as statues, monuments, unique buildings, and historic buildings. Players choose a faction, then use the map to find nearby portals, and are tasked with “hacking” them and building them so other teams can’t get them. The game uses portals as elements of a sci-fi backstory and provides a continuous open narrative through various forms of media.
peers
launched this summer, peers is the creator of a unique social network overlaying the real world, where users can explore physical locations and find information and digital objects in their surroundings.
It’s an extremely ambitious project that aims to bring AR to the masses by overlaying 3D graphics over the entire world. In some ways, it can be seen as an enhanced version of Google Maps, enabling users to search for nearby restaurants, for example. When they arrive at the restaurant of their choice for a bite to eat, they may be able to pick up a coupon that the restaurateur puts up outside entitles them to a free coffee. Peer can also be used by creators such as NFT artists, requiring people to visit different locations to mint digital collectibles.
Or, a dinosaur museum could create giant 3D dinosaurs that roam the physical world outside the museum, drawing people to their exhibits.
jurassic world alive
Staying true to the theme of dinosaurs, Jurassic World Alive allows players to step out of the real world and find the various dinosaurs they need to collect. In some ways, it’s similar to Pokemon Go in that users have to search different locations to find the hardest-to-find dinosaurs. Once they’ve collected a dino, they can train it and breed it to create hybrid dinos, which they then use to fight other players nearby.
While the game initially had some bugs, the developers seem to have ironed out most of them and built a loyal player base. Players can even subscribe to the game to earn rewards without spending money on in-app purchases.
Zombies, run!
Extremely original zombies, run! It’s not so much a game as it is a gamified fitness app that uses AR to simulate zombies and scare people away from them. To play the game, you’ll need some earbuds or headphones to listen to the audio, as it tells stories and asks you to complete various tasks while you’re out for a jog. As the story progresses, occasionally flesh-eating zombies spring out of the shadows and chase you, forcing you to start sprinting to outrun them. This game works just as well on the treadmill.
Zombies, run! Cleverly combining AR elements with engaging audio stories to motivate people to keep going has proven to be very effective and popular. The first four missions are free to play, and new missions can be unlocked by paying or by completing various weekly challenges.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not provide or be intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial or other advice.
