Review of Best GPS Location-Based Games: List of 5 All-Time Favorites

Penny Warren Published on August 07, 2024GPS Location3-min reading

Are you tired of the same old video games that keep you glued to a screen? Hence, do you want to ditch the couch and shake things up? Well, there is a world of gaming out there that gets you moving! Yes, these particular location-based games use your device’s GPS, which helps you find great places on maps and make the real world your game board. These games allow you to explore your neighborhood to catch virtual villains or team up with friends on a treasure hunt! In addition, these games can be even more fantastic with Augmented Reality, which adds fantastical stuff like aliens or cartoon characters to your screen. So, if you are looking for a fun way to exercise while turning your town into a giant game, here are the best location-based games worth checking out!

Part 1. What Is a Location-Based Game?

Before we meet the list of the games, let’s first dig into the precise definition and usability of the said kind of game.

Definition

The location-based games, also known as geogames or location-enabled games, are like apps that turn your phone into a cool treasure hunt. As mentioned above, these games use your phone’s GPS to figure out where you are in the real world. Then, the game will take that info and make it part of it. This means that the more you move around outside, the more you can play and advance in the game. Imagine virtually exploring a giant map where streets, parks, and landmarks become part of the game world.

How Does it Work?

Here's the trick to get more ideas about this kind of game and how it works. The game uses your device’s GPS and other location stuff, like Bluetooth or QR codes, to figure out exactly where you are. It can send you on a quest to find hidden virtual monsters at the park or maybe cool power-ups stashed by a landmark since it uses your phone's GPS like a built-in treasure map detector. When you get close to the right spot with your phone, the game knows you are on the hunt and gives you rewards! Furthermore, some location-based games take it a step further with augmented reality, which uses your phone's camera to show you the real world, but with cool virtual monsters or things added on your screen, right where you're standing.

Part 2. 5 Best Location-Based Games You Must Download Today

1. Pokemon Go

Pokémon Go is like the king of location-based games. That is why it comes to the top of our lists and those of others. You can grab this game for free from your app store. To introduce it further, Pokemon Go is a hunting adventure outside the real world. As you walk around your town or city, your chosen character on the phone screen moves, too, exploring a digital map. And by doing this exploration, you will find wild Pokemon wandering around, just waiting to be caught by you! Here’s the thing: You need to toss your Poke Balls to catch them. That’s the ultimate goal: catch all the Pokemon you can find!

2. Zombies, Run!

One of the best location-based games you must consider is the Zombie Run! This super cool running game turns your jogging or bike riding into a thrilling zombie adventure! As expected, this game uses your phone's GPS to track where you are running in the real world. As you move, the story unfolds through your headphones, complete with creepy moans and groans of zombies chasing you. Want to know your mission? That is to outrun the virtual zombies and collect supplies to help your fellow survivors back at the base along the way! Like the first game, you can download Zombies, Run! for free from their website or the app store you use.

3. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Want to step into a world of wizards? Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is a game for your phone that lets you do that. This game uses cool technology to blend the game world with the real world, letting you explore the streets of your neighborhood. This magically transforms the places into Hogwarts and other famous Harry Potter locations. In addition, you will learn spells that the Ministry of Magic sends you, and you can even hunt down ingredients in real-life places to brew potions. The best part is you can also team up with other players to battle bad guys, solve tricky challenges, and become a true wizarding master.

4. Ingress

The next on your best GPS location-based games list is Ingriss Prime. It is like the original game that excites everyone about playing adventures outside their phone. It is from the same maker of Pokemon GO and Niantic. In this game, you become a secret agent, wherein you can choose a side, The Enlightened or The Resistance. Of course, this game uses your phone's GPS to show you cool places around town, and that's where the action happens.

5. Knightfall AR

Here is the Knightfall AR, a hidden gem on the Google Play Store, to complete our lis.! This augmented reality game uses fancy tech to make the game world appear on your phone screen, like in your room. However, your phone needs to be super cool and have something called ARCore to make it work best. Anyways, with this game, you take on the role of a brave Knight Templar, defending the city of Acre from a huge army that wants to steal a super holy cup called the Holy Grail.

Part 3. How to Fake Location for Playing Game for iOS Only

While engaging so much in these augmented games, there will come a time when you will think of faking your location for curiosity. Then, why don’t we already meet a great tool called imyPass iLocaGo that will help you fake your location? This amazing app lets you pretend to be somewhere else on your phone. It is a great game tool since you can pick any spot on the globe as your fake location. Moreover, it even has a built-in map, just like the one on your phone already has. Moving your actual location in a blue dot works to pick your new fake spot. In actuality, there are different ways to change your location with this app, such as the Modify Location, which lets you pick a specific place; the One-stop Mode, which lets you pick a place and stay there; Multi-stop Mode, which lets you pretend to move around between places, and the Joystick Mode that lets you control a fake walking path on the map. This means it is a perfect assistant for faking your location. See the quick guide below.

Conclusion

This article has presented you with the five best GPS location-based games. If you are into augmented games, feel free to try the games yourself. One more thing: If you need to change your location to maximize your gaming experience, use the imyPass iLocaGo!