Location-based games 2026: the best games on the real map
A location-based game turns your street into the board. Which one is right depends on what you want outside: to collect, to fight, to stroll or to own land. Here are the games that matter in 2026, honestly sorted, and how to tell which one suits you.
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One real world map, three ways to play
MapRaiders is a location-based game, an open-world action RPG and a trading card game (TCG) on one real world map: a Pokémon GO alternative you can also play from home. Walk, run or cycle outside with GPS, and your loops become territory on the real map. From home, your own 3D character plays the same map, the same streets and the same territory, live with the same players, with quests, raids at spawn points and vehicles. In that world you also collect trading cards for a card game of their own, with commander decks and live duels for land. All of it is one story, The Collision. Each season is a chapter, and what a season brings never returns but stays valid.
The location-based games that matter in 2026
The order is not a ranking. Each game stands for its own way of playing outside, and some are only available in Japan.
- Dragon Quest WalkSquare Enix · since 2019 · role-playing. One of the most popular location-based games in Japan: you meet monsters along the way and fight turn by turn, as in the main series.
- Pokémon GOScopely · since 2016 · collecting and battles. The game that made location-based play famous worldwide: catch Pokémon, fill the Pokédex, gyms and raids. It has belonged to Scopely since 2025.
- Monster Hunter NowCapcom brand, Scopely · since 2023 · hunting action. Monsters appear around you and you hunt them with taps and swipes. Short hunts for on the go.
- Pikmin BloomNintendo brand, Scopely · since 2021 · walking. Flowers bloom along your path and Pikmin keep you company. For anyone who would rather record their walks than win them.
- Nobunaga's Ambition: ShutsujinKoei Tecmo · since 2023 · Sengoku role-playing, Japan only. You conquer district after district. Your ordinary territory is yours alone; player against player happens mainly in events such as castle sieges.
- Ingress PrimeNiantic Spatial · since 2013 · teams and territory. Two factions fight over portals at real places and stretch fields across the city. Strong in teams, with a loyal community.
- Ekimemo (Station Memories)Japan only · since 2014 · station collecting. You check in at more than 9,000 stations and collect characters. Ideal for anyone who rides the train a lot.
- TekuTeku LifeJapan only · map painting. You paint city blocks by walking through them and fill in your town. A diary of your walks, without fights over land.
- MapRaidersIndependent · live in the browser · territory and card game. Your walked loop becomes your territory, real players contest it, and a card duel decides.
Which game suits you?
First ask yourself what you want to get out of being outside. Then the choice is usually quick:
- CollectingPokémon GO or Pikmin Bloom.
- Adventure and battlesDragon Quest Walk or Monster Hunter Now.
- Owning landMapRaiders if you want to contest real land with other people. Conquering on your own: Nobunaga's Ambition. In a big team: Ingress Prime.
- Getting aroundBy train in Japan: Ekimemo. Painting your own town: TekuTeku Life.
2026: what is changing in location-based games
The biggest change came in 2025: Niantic sold its games business with Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now to Scopely. Ingress stayed with the technology company Niantic Spatial. The big titles carry on, but under a new owner.
At the same time the genre is getting broader. Beyond collecting and monster hunting there are role-playing games, station and castle collectors, and games about land. Publishers announce new titles themselves; this page only lists what you can play today.
Territory: the gap in the list
Almost every game on the list revolves around places: points you visit, monsters that appear there. MapRaiders revolves around areas. You walk a loop, come back to where you started, and the area inside your line becomes your territory, from 150 square metres upwards, with no upper limit.
The territory stays yours until another player takes it with a loop of their own or in a card duel. The territory game page explains how that works in detail.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a location-based game?
- A game that knows where you are through your phone's GPS and turns real places into the board. Walking, running and travelling become part of the game itself.
- Are these games free?
- You can start every game on the list for free, and most sell items in the game. In MapRaiders there is nothing to buy: you play with coins you earn in the game.
- Are there location-based games I can play without going out?
- Most assume you are out and about. In MapRaiders your RPG character moves through real streets from a spawn point, so you can secure land from home as well.
- Which location-based game lets you conquer territory?
- You can contest real land with other players in MapRaiders and Ingress Prime. Conquering territory mostly on your own is what Nobunaga's Ambition: Shutsujin offers.
- Do I need an app for every game?
- Almost all of them need an app from a store. MapRaiders runs in the browser, so you can try it without installing anything.
All games named here are trademarks of their respective owners. MapRaiders has no connection to their developers or operators.
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Read on
More about games on the real map
Territory games in detail and comparisons with well-known games.