GPS games use your phone's location as the controller. Wherever you walk, you play - catching, hunting, scoring points or capturing territory. Very different games hide behind that one label, though. Here is an overview of the best-known ones, including those Kokume competes with directly, so you can pick by what you actually enjoy.
The best-known GPS game. You catch Pokémon around you, fill your Pokédex, visit PokéStops and fight raids with other players. The best pick for collectors and for playing as a family. Free with purchases, Android and iOS.
The predecessor of Pokémon GO. Two factions fight over portals and link them into fields across the map. Very team-driven and tactical, but nothing gets built around the portals. Free, Android and iOS.
Monster hunting from the makers of Pokémon GO and Capcom. Monsters appear on the map, a fight lasts tens of seconds and you forge weapons and armour from the loot. For players who want action and gear. Free with purchases, Android and iOS.
More a calm walking companion than a game to win. Your steps grow Pikmin, you plant flowers along the way and collect postcards. No competition, made for relaxing. Free with purchases, Android and iOS.
An RPG on a map: a character, classes, gear and turn-based fights with enemies nearby. A lot of it can be played from one spot. For fans of classic RPGs. Free with purchases, Android and iOS.
A Swedish game about zones scattered across the map. You take over a zone by walking to it and score points both for the takeover and for the time you hold it. A pure walking race, no building. Free, Android and iOS.
Not a game in the strict sense, but the oldest outdoor pastime built on GPS. You search for containers hidden by other people, often in interesting places. Basic membership is free, Android and iOS.
A GPS strategy game from a small Czech team. You capture regions around you, build mining and production on them, haul resources by wagon and defend your land in tower defense battles against other players. Free, Android and web browser, currently Czechia and Slovakia.
Most GPS games are built on collecting or on competing for points. Kokume is a territorial strategy game and, as an independent early-access project, it keeps growing.
| What's compared | other GPS games | Kokume |
|---|---|---|
| What you do on the spot | Catch, collect or fight whatever appears | Capture a region and build on it |
| What you keep | A collection, gear or points on a leaderboard | Territory, buildings and an economy that keeps running |
| Where you can play | Mostly in cities with many points of interest | Everywhere - regions cover villages and open countryside too |
| Who you play against | Mostly the game's own content | Players from two other factions |
| Phone requirements | Often AR and heavier graphics | A pure map game without AR, Android 7.0 or newer |
| Where it works | Worldwide | Currently Czechia and Slovakia |
It depends on what you enjoy. For collecting, Pokémon GO is the best; for action, Monster Hunter Now; for relaxed walks, Pikmin Bloom; for an RPG, Orna; and for competing over territory, Ingress or Turf. If you want to build on the map and plan an economy, Kokume is made for you.
Almost all of them are free to download and play, though most earn money through in-game purchases. Kokume is free on Android and in the web browser, and we do not sell anything in it.
Mostly not. Getting a GPS fix does not need the internet, but the map, other players and battles all run through a server. Expect to use mobile data - Kokume included.
Yes, Kokume. It is developed by a small team in Czechia and its map currently covers Czechia and Slovakia. The big GPS games such as Pokémon GO or Monster Hunter Now come from elsewhere.
More than an ordinary game, because GPS, the screen and mobile data all run at once. Augmented reality through the camera is the biggest drain. Kokume does not use it, but a power bank is handy on a longer trip with any GPS game.
Kokume is free on Android and in the web browser. Open the map, see who controls the land around you and capture your first region.