# Gacha game

> A game whose progression and monetization are built around gacha draws, typically free-to-play with banner-scheduled character releases. The genre spans from Puzzle & Dragons in 2012 to Genshin Impact and its successors.

- Canonical URL: https://gachawiki.com/wiki/gacha-game
- Type: term
- Verification status: verified (facts checked 2026-07-09)
- Last updated: 2026-07-09
- License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Attribution: "Gacha game", GachaWiki, https://gachawiki.com/wiki/gacha-game

A gacha game is a video game, almost always [free-to-play](/wiki/free-to-play), in which acquiring characters or equipment happens mainly through randomized [gacha](/wiki/gacha) draws, and in which the release calendar is structured around limited-time [banners](/wiki/banner). The gacha is not a side feature: the roster is the content, and the draw is the business model.

The template solidified in Japan between 2010 and 2012 on feature-phone social platforms, then went worldwide through smartphone hits. Puzzle & Dragons (GungHo, 2012) was reported as the first mobile game to reach US$1 billion in revenue, demonstrating the model's scale. [[1]](#ref-1) Fate/Grand Order (2015) proved character IP could carry it globally, and [Genshin Impact](/wiki/genshin-impact) (2020) moved it onto consoles and PC with an estimated US$2 billion in first-year mobile spending alone. [[2]](#ref-2)

Common structural features: a pull currency with dual sourcing (earned and bought), rarity tiers with published rates in most markets, safety mechanisms ([pity](/wiki/pity-system), [spark](/wiki/spark)), duplicate-based upgrades ([dupe systems](/wiki/dupe-system)), a permanent standard pool plus rotating limited pools, and scheduled [reruns](/wiki/rerun).

The label is descriptive, not pejorative, and covers games across genres: turn-based RPGs, action RPGs, tower defense, shooters, and sports simulators all operate gacha economies. See [history of gacha games](/wiki/history-of-gacha-games) for the genre's development.

## References

1. Puzzle & Dragons is the first mobile game to $1 billion in revenue (PocketGamer.biz): https://www.pocketgamer.biz/its-official-puzzle-and-dragons-is-the-first-mobile-game-to-1-billion-in-revenue/ (accessed 2026-07-09)
2. Genshin Impact generates $2 billion on mobile in first year (Sensor Tower): https://sensortower.com/blog/genshin-impact-mobile-two-billion-revenue (accessed 2026-07-09)