With Google's recent push for augmented reality content on Android through the use of ARCore, I thought it would be fun to collect all of the new AR games that released in the last couple of weeks into one of our gaming roundups. So without further ado, here are the most recent and notable AR games to hit the Play Store.

AR Smash Tanks!

Android Police coverage: AR Smash Tanks! is a fun way to spend an afternoon smashing tanks into one another

AR Smash Tanks! is all about smashing tanks into one another in this multiplayer-focused augmented reality game. You use a slingshot mechanic to launch your tanks into your enemies, and there are even a few power-ups that will drop from the sky that can be lobbed at your opponents in a Worms-like fashion. But what's really cool is that you can play this game with anyone you like thanks to its robust multiplayer options, which makes it an excellent time waster to play with your friends in a few impromptu sessions.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Battle friends & family in AR (Augmented Reality). Let’s SMASH TANKS. NO ADS. NO LOOT BOXES

  • Tank battles in AUGMENTED REALITY
  • 1 or 2 device MULTIPLAYER
  • Battle bots in SINGLE PLAYER
  • Fling TANKS and SMASH your opponents
  • Use EXPLOSIVE weapons
  • TOTAL DESTRUCTION for endless strategy

Slingshot Island ARCore

Slingshot Island is a puzzle game that's all about destruction. You get to arm yourself with a slingshot to then lob projectiles at a few different castles in order to destroy them and the hidden dragon eggs contained inside. The use of AR means you can walk around these castles to try and find the best angle for maximum destruction, which I have to admit is pretty freaking cool.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

The King needs you to battle a terrible dragon. Enter the Augmented Reality world of Poach. Armed with your slingshot, you must demolish castles to find and destroy the dragon’s eggs. Stop him before the Land of Poach is overrun by monsters.

Love Cubed – AR

Big Immersive has a few games listed in this AR roundup, and Love Cubed is the first. It's a simple arcade game with a simple goal, smash into every enemy you see. These foes are scattered all around you, so that means you will have to move your phone in such a way that your character moves in corresponding directions. This works best while sitting in a swivel chair, but if you like to be more active, you can play while you are standing.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Once upon a time in a virtual galaxy far far away, there was a damsel in distress. And where there is a damsel, there must be a hero. Like all love stories, things were going good. Then the problems started coming in, and they kept getting bigger. The question remains… Can you save your loved one?

A&E® Crime Scene: AR

A&E Crime Scene: AR is a tie-in release for the majority of A&E's crime and investigation content on TV. Thanks to its use of AR you get to investigate crimes in the comfort of your own home, or anywhere you like. By collecting and analyzing evidence, you should be able to find a prime suspect. But don't lax on the job, because the more evidence you collect, the better your chances are for nailing the conviction.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Inspired by A&E Crime/Investigation shows (First 48, Crime 360 and Live PD), experience what it’s like to work crime scenes from the comfort of your own home. Using an AR-supported device with AR Core, the latest cutting-edge augmented reality tech from Google, you can select cases, scan rooms and find clues.

A&E® Crime Scene: AR Developer: A + E Networks
Price: Free
3.6
Download

Beer Pong AR

If you have ever played beer pong in real life, then you should have a good idea how Beer Pong AR works. Your goal is to get the ping pong ball into the cups. In real life when the ball lands in a cup, your competition has to drink the beer inside of it. But since there is no beer involved in this game, you will have to settle for scoring the most points for the win.

Monetization: $0.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Beer Pong AR is epic fun for you and your friends. The magic of ARCore means you can play Beer Pong anytime, anywhere. Scan your play area, place the beers anywhere you like, grab your friends and let the fun begin. It’s just like the real thing, but without all the mess. Playing is easy, move around to get the best angle and swipe up to launch the ball.

Beer Pong AR Developer: Ezone.com
Price: Free
1.7
Download

Nightenfell AR

At its most basic Nightenfell is a shooting game. There is a storm of incoming comets, and it is your job to destroy them with your magic. You can also get a group of friends to join in on the fun so everyone can combine their powers for ultimate destruction. The gameplay is simple, but there is something to be said for the manic fun that can be had when a group of people are shooting imaginary comets in the sky.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Get together with friends and defend the world of Nightenfell from an incoming storm of comets. In this groundbreaking Augmented Reality game from the AR experts at HookBang, you and up to three friends can magically play together in the first-ever shared, mixed-reality world.

PuzzlAR: World Tour

Bica Studios' PuzzlAR: World Tour takes everything you love about classic jigsaw puzzles and adds in a 3D aspect that requires you to move around the puzzle so that you can easily see where each piece should go. The selection of puzzles consists of famous landmarks that range from easy to difficult.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

PuzzlAR: World Tour is a new twist to the classic jigsaw puzzles. Forget the flat pieces and be amazed to the tridimensional ones that will float right in front of you, over the real world. Through Augmented Reality you can grab, move and fit pieces to construct your very own Forbidden City, Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal and Saint Basil Cathedral.

WobblyStack for ARCore

Further down this list, there is a licensed Jenga AR game, though it contains non-removable advertisements. So if you are looking for a Jenga-like AR game that doesn't have any ads, WobblyStack is the better choice. The gameplay offers precisely what you would expect. Just remove a block from the center of the stack to then place it on the top. The first player that mistakenly causes the tower to fall over loses.

Monetization: $1.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Use your phone to twist, pull and push the Blocks to see how high you can build your Stack. Wobbly Stack is a fun and unique AR experience that can be played alone, with friends, as a party game, or just to kill time.

ARise

ARise is an augmented reality puzzle-platformer with simple controls. As you move your tablet or phone in the air, you can change your perspective in the game, which is how you solve its many puzzles. If you enjoy platformers that rely heavily on unique and entertaining puzzle solving, ARise offers up an experience through its use of AR that is difficult to match.

Monetization: $2.99/ no ads / no IAPs

Lead your pint-sized adventurer up the stony flanks of a cast golem, using perspective and visual cues to cross chasms and scale sheer cliff faces. Aim to align magical connections and create paths. ARise features:

  • Fully 3D, rich game world to explore from every angle
  • Solve puzzles using visual cues whilst moving around the world
  • No touch or swipe is needed to complete the puzzles

AMON

AMON is another 3D puzzle game that is simple to understand yet challenging to complete. The puzzles consist of 3D scanned sculptures, and it is your job to piece them together by examining each piece from multiple directions until you find a few that align.

Monetization: $2.99/ no ads / no IAPs

Follow Amon, the God of Air, on his quest to connect a world of puzzling optical illusions using Augmented Reality. Look around, move around and play around with ancient 3D scanned sculptures from museums around the world.

Truck Stars AR

Truck Stars is a slick looking vehicular arena combat game. Up to 4 players can compete for the crown by smashing into one another until there is only one man left standing. There are 3 separate stages to play in, and a bunch of different trucks to select from and customize.

Monetization: $4.99/ no ads / no IAPs

Launch Celebration Sale.! Grab Truck Stars for only $1.99 for a limited time and play Solo, Online and Local Multiplayer all in AR. Compete in adrenaline pumping matches as trucks race to grab the crown and become King. Nab power-ups like Turbo, Super-Size and Bomb-A-Lot and use them to smash opponents.

The Machines

The Machines is one of the more polished titles in today's list, so if you are only going to try out a few of these, make sure to install this one. It's a robot battle game that uses AR as a central mechanic. By using perspective-based tactics, you can manage to get a better angle on the action and use the environment to your advantage so that you can ultimately destroy your enemies and win the match.

Monetization: $4.99/ no ads / no IAPs

In The Machines, battle your friends in a breathtaking augmented reality world. Experience 3D sound, graphics, and gameplay like never before. Use powerful abilities and perspective-based tactics to destroy your enemy's base and climb the global leaderboard.

Battle Planet AR

Threaks' latest release Battle Planet AR is a twin-stick shooter that uses AR to display the spherical planets you battle on in your immediate surroundings. It also has roguelike underpinnings, so be prepared to die often. But once you get the hang of the challenging gameplay, you should be able to last longer and longer, which is your primary goal.

Monetization: $5.99 / no ads / no IAPs

The very fabric of our universe has been compromised, Earth is now threatened by the deadly and unstoppable TERMINOIDS. Only the bravest souls stand a chance against their relentless onslaught. A new enemy, a new kind of war. Battle Planet AR brings the fight to you.

Battle Planet AR Developer: Threaks
Price: 4.99
Download

ARrrrrgh

If you enjoy playing hide and seek but would like to throw a pirate skin over the concept, ARrrrrgh is a perfect choice. The game transforms your surroundings into a modern-day treasure hunt. It is your job to hunt down that treasure and dig it up, and you even get a parrot as a companion that will assist you with this task.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

ARrrrrgh is a classic hide and seek game that transforms players into modern day pirates. Paired with a parrot that assists players along their journey and a treasure map that leads them to glory. Players can break open their living room floor and hide treasure, then watch their pirate companions adventure through the house seeking the gold that awaits.

ARrrrrgh Developer: Warpin Media AB
Price: Free
3.2
Download

Agelore's Fantasy FPS - AR

Agelore's Fantasy is another title from Big Immersive, and this time around you are tasked with protecting a fantasy realm by shooting as many enemies as possible. It works like a first-person shooter, but with an AR twist that superimposes your combat grounds on top of your current surroundings.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Optimized for Augmented Reality, this game allows you to enter the Fantasy land of Agnathore as the “Ageless Lore,” commonly known as Agelore, the all-powerful protector of the realm. Your trusty all-knowing staff is going to help you defeat the greedy, evil Pixens, who want to take over the peaceful empire down, for their Lord Pixenhyme.

dARk: Subject One

dARk: Subject One is an interesting adventure game with a dark theme. You must take on a dangerous mission to recover a colleague, and you will be doing this by walking around the real world. Clues and hints will be scattered around you as you view them through your phone's screen. It's a fascinating way to use AR, and it makes for an enjoyable game.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Tear open the rift, and step inside and into a dark, parallel universe. You are Subject #03; a test subject embarking on a dangerous mission to recover a lost colleague. We want you to explore the unknown world behind the portal entrance, discover clues, and uncover the dark story behind your colleague's disappearance.

dARk: Subject One Developer: Combo Games
Price: Free
3.8
Download

Capsule Commander AR

Capsule Commander is a fun little drone landing game. When you boot it up, it will place the drone on the ground, and then you get to choose a space to put the landing pad. Once the pad is placed, you have to control the thrust of the drone so that you can fly it over to the pad and land it. This will be as tricky as you make it thanks to the devs leaving the choice of the pad placement up to the player.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Capsule Commander is now available in Augmented Reality, you can now build your own levels and make them as challenging as you wish. Simply place your lander and landing pad, choose obstacles to navigate and whether you wish to drop off some valuable cargo and it's time to take off.

Knightfall™ AR

Knightfall AR is another release listed in this roundup that was published by A&E. The theme has to do with the Knights Templar, and it's going to be your job to defend your city and a religious artifact from invading troops. The gameplay resembles the majority of tower defense games on the Play Store, but the twist is that it uses AR for deeper immersion.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Knightfall AR is an augmented reality experience designed by Milkroom Entertainment and co-developed by Milkroom Entertainment & Spectral Games that places you in the world of The Knights Templar, as they seek to defend the city of Acre from an invading army and protect Christianity’s most prized relic, the Holy Grail.

Knightfall™ AR Developer: A + E Networks
Price: Free
3.2
Download

Jenga AR

Jenga AR is precisely what the name implies, a game of Jenga you can play in augmented reality. Just like in the real world, you want to remove a block from the center of the stack to then place it on top. If the tower falls you lose, so you have to make sure the integrity of the tower remains intact, at least for your turns.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

PLAY JENGA, NOW IN AUGMENTED REALITY. Create a Jenga Tower in the room with the magic of Augmented Reality. Choose between small blocks on your table, or big blocks on the floor. Grab blocks with your phone or tablet and carefully pull or push them free.

Burger Maker - AR

Burger Maker is labeled as an educational game for some reason, though I'd say it is more like an arcade game. Once you scan in an acceptable area for the AR implementation, you will have a whole host of burger ingredients laid out in front of you so that you can build the ultimate burger.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Check out this game that will let you make the perfect burger, the way you want to. AR Burger Maker will let you make the perfect meal using various toppings and fun activities that are unmatched to most cooking games. You can set up the game and play it anywhere you feel like. A realistic cooking stand will let you choose between Fish, Chicken and Beef patties and other ingredients of your finished meal.

Switch the Lanes - AR

Switch the Lanes plays like any arcade lane switching game on Android, but with the bonus of displaying the track wherever you like thanks to its AR implementation. As you can guess, you are tasked with circling a track while avoiding all of the cop cars in your way. You do this by switching lanes, which is going to get progressively more difficult the faster you go.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

In the world of augmented reality, anything is possible. In our latest AR game, your character has just stolen a celebrity's sports car, and the police are on your tail. How long can you survive against them? Crime may not have any rules but this game does. Do NOT Crash. In the latest craze for a good augmented reality game.

Stadion - AR

Stadion is a track racing game that displays a track through AR onto your local environment. Once you pick an animal racer, you just have to tap on the screen to run. What is nice is that you can zoom in and out of the track for a better view, though if you are tapping with two fingers for movement, the zoom feature can be troublesome. Your best bet is to use one finger to tap.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

Breathing heavy, sweat dripping, knees ready, palms heavy and the crowd going wild, it's time to show your power in the stadium, racing for the finish line. The very first AR running game made with AR core called ‘Stadion’. A running game with a whole new live experience of being there.

Cat Care - AR

Unit M Games Cat Care is a cutesy game all about taking care of a cat. You will have to brush and feed the cat to make sure it stays happy, and the AR implementation means you can view it as if it were actually in your home, which is pretty cool. If you enjoy Tamagotchi-like gameplay, Cat Care should be a perfect choice.

Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs

With the power of AR, you can now play with an augmented reality kitty and you can care for your cat as if it was right in front of you. You need to help clean up kitty, give her a good brushing and then feed the precious cat who has had a long day of playing.

Army of Robots

Army of Robots is a first-person shooter that plays out with giant mech fights displayed in your immediate surroundings. There are 12 stages to work your way through, and they are filled with tons of giant robots to destroy. And when those mechs are firing at you, just jump to the side, and you can actually dodge the incoming attack. This makes for a very interactive experience that is a joy to play.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $0.99 a piece

Get ready to destroy Robots in REAL WORLD. The enemy will invade your streets and try to dominate your home. IT'S SHOW TIME, SOLDIER. Sharpen your aim and put your skills to test in the REAL WORLD, but don't forget to save yourself some space because you might need it in order to dodge the enemy projectiles. Soldier, you're the last hope standing.

Army of Robots Developer: Sinergia Studios
Price: Free
3.4
Download

Crayola Color Blaster

HitPoint's Crayola Color Blaster is a shooting game aimed squarely at children thanks to its family-friendly paintball theme. As you walk around you must blast all of the odd creatures in the game with the paint you can find scattered around your environment. You can run from the creatures as they chase you, or you can hold your own if you happen to have enough ammo.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $1.99

Get ready to blast cute-not-scary 3D characters as they invade your actual world. This fun walk-around augmented reality (AR) game for kids combines tag and paintball with dragons, zombies, gnomes, and more for a truly unique experience. Find the paint buckets in your room, then blast the fantastic creatures before they steal your color.

YuME: Alice's Dream

NetEase Games' latest title YuME: Alice's Dream uses an art style that is noticeably gorgeous, and that is thanks to the devs design choice to use traditional Chinese landscape paintings as its inspiration. The gameplay is chiefly centered around solving puzzles, but honestly, this is a game you play to enjoy its design more so that something you play through because of its gameplay mechanics. Sure the puzzles can be enjoyable, but it's the art style that takes center stage with this release.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $1.99 a piece

In the old oriental country, one butterfly flew into Ling's dream, bringing a new journey like never before. Annual Collection is now available, including the 9 new levels in the China Chapter expansion and 2 extra levels telling more stories. Based on AR technology, presents painting style sceneries, puzzles combined with oriental culture and classical melodies, with a fantasy oriental journey in the real world.

Meow! - AR Cat&Your Mini Pet

Meow! is another Tamagotchi-like pet simulation game with a cute cat theme. Like most games of this kind, it's your responsibility to take care of the animal by feeding, brushing, and playing games with it. The more attention you pay to the simulated feline, the happier it will be, which is your ultimate goal, to keep the cat content.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $4.99 a piece

PLAY WITH YOUR OWN CAT

  • Choose different hair coat, wearing all kinds of clothes
  • Use different toys to attract its attention
  • Feed it with all kinds of cat food
  • Share its snapshots and videos with your family and friends
  • Stroke cat, it will feel comfortable
  • Long press cat and carry it to the position you want

Guns Royale - Multiplayer Blocky Battle Royale

Guns Royale is a slightly older release from November of last year, but its implementation of AR is worth mentioning. It's an open-arena shooter that can be played entirely in AR. Much like the burgeoning battle royale genre, your goal is to collect enough equipment before your enemies have the chance to stock up and kill you.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.99 - $54.99

BATTLE in online multiplayer games when you play the new open arena game Guns Royale. Survive the battlegrounds, improve your shooting skills, play in AR, and develop new PVP tactics for FREE. The race is on to collect new guns and level-up before your competition. Dominate the battlefield by taking on each opponent and strive to be the #1 blocky shooter.

Zombie Gunship Revenant AR

Limbic's Zombie Gunship Revenant AR takes all of the best gameplay elements found in their traditional Zombie Gunship games and adds on top an AR mechanic that resembles what it would be like if you were actually sitting inside of a helicopter shooting zombies. There are a ton of different weapons to collect, and each one can be upgraded to enhance your arsenal further.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

ZOMBIE GUNSHIP REVENANT is the ultimate augmented reality zombie shooter where you take control of a heavily-armed helicopter gunship and obliterate zombies from the sky. Requires a device running ARCore. Fly a Gunship Helicopter controlled by your movements and defend against a zombie apocalypse.

Zombie Gunship Revenant AR Developer: Limbic
Price: Free
4
Download

Guns of Boom - Online Shooter

Guns of Boom may not necessarily be a new game, but its developers did just add in an AR feature for their new Spectator Mode. This allows viewers to experience the action of the game from every angle, all without even having to play. Ideally, the outside perspective should help clans develop new strategies as well as recount their failures so that they don't happen again.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $99.99

This ain’t no regular army, though. No one will tell you what to do or where to shoot. You have to make your own decisions and choose your own battles. Team up with other soldiers, get good at killing opponents and dominate the battlefield. Make a blitz attack, spraying lead in all directions, or try and shoot your opponent from a safe distance, taking your time to aim directly for the head.

And that is the end of the list. I hope you were able to find a few new AR games to play through. And if you enjoyed this roundup, let me know if you would like to see more AR game collections in the future. While I doubt we will see this many titles released at once as we did in the last few weeks, more are surely coming in the future thanks to Google's efforts with ARCore.