Kairosoft has been developing games for mobile phones since way back in 1996, though you’re forgiven for not knowing that if you’re not Japanese. Kairosoft’s popularity in the West has skyrocketed over the last few years, as Kairosoft has started releasing a slew of games for smartphones that have been translated into English. In fact, Kairosoft has released so many games that they can all start to blur together, and it can be hard to find a starting point. This is where your friends at My Dpad come in with a list of the best Kairosoft games out there.
Beastie Bay
Beastie Bay is the game you should play if you want Kairosoft’s take on Pokemon. We’ve written about Beastie Bay before, but for those who are just tuning in it’s pretty much the basic Kairosoft town building model with some monster collecting and fighting thrown in. Just imagine Dragon Quest V if it also had a town building aspect. Beastie Bay is an excellent game, and since it’s free, it should be on everyone’s phone, especially Kairosoft fans.
Download Beastie Bay for iPhone or Android for free
Dungeon Village
Dungeon Village is the game you should play if you want Kairosoft’s take on a city builder/RPG, kind of like Clash of Clans or something but with much better gameplay and without the constant microtransactions. The eighth post on this very website was about Dungeon Village, and it was the first mobile game we wrote about, which should tell you something. Anyways, Dungeon Village is one of the most satisfying mobile games out there, and well worth its price tag. If you’re on Android, you can even try the lite version for free from the Google Play Store!
Download Dungeon Village for iPhone or Android for $5.49
Download Dungeon Village Lite for Android for free
Home Run High
Home Run High is the game you should play if you want Kairosoft’s take on Baseball Superstars (well, a management version of it, anyways). In Home Run High, instead of managing a village and adventurers, you’re managing a high school baseball team both on and off the field. If you ever wished Football Manager was more like the high school aspects of Persona, Home Run High is perfect for you.
Download Home Run High for iPhone or Android for free
Quest Town Saga
Quest Town Saga is the game you should play if you want Kairosoft’s take on a more traditional RPG. It’s kind of like an alternate version of Dungeon Village, but completely free and slightly more focused on the adventurer than the town. If you want a deep dive into more traditional RPG mechanics than you usually get from Kairosoft, including classes and combat pets, give Quest Town Saga a try without having to spend any money.
Download Quest Town Saga for iPhone or Android for free
Pocket Harvest
Finally, Pocket Harvest is the game you should play if you want Kairosoft’s take on Harvest Moon. Kairosoft’s classic mechanics are a perfect fit for laid-back farming games, meaning that Pocket Harvest is the best farming game you can have on your phone (well, tied with Stardew Valley). Like Dungeon Village, there’s also a lite version of Pocket Harvest you can try for free before having to buy the full game.
Download Pocket Harvest for iPhone or Android for $5.49
Download Pocket Harvest Lite for Android for free
Kairosoft has been making great mobile games for nearly 25 years, and their simple but charming graphics are still lovely to this day. They’ve made a lot of great games (literally dozens), but these five are some of the best. Pick one, then get ready to watch the hours fly by.
The ones that stand out for me are Cafe Nipponica as it was the first Kairosoft game I played and Dungeon Village. I didn’t gel with Hot Springs Story.
Yeah, that makes sense. Dungeon Village was the first I played and will still always be possibly my favorite!
(Sorry for the delayed response, your comment was initially flagged as spam).
No one asked me, but here are my faves! I especially like the restaurant and building ones because unlocking combinations and upgrading your ingredients / facilities really inspires further playthroughs. (They’re also a bit more complex than the Game Dev Story type games.) I personally don’t play anything with IAPs.
1. Cafeteria Nipponica
2. The Sushi Spinnery
3. Mega Mall Story
4. Pocket Harvest
5. Dungeon Village
6. Ninja Village
7. Hot Springs Story
8. Pocket Academy
9. Oh Edo Towns
Thanks for adding your own list! I’ve had my eye on Mega Mall Story so your recommendation might be enough to tip me on that one… I’ve never really been intrigued by the restaurant ones but when you describe them like that I’m definitely more interested. Also, if I were to have written this list today the top of my list would probably be Silver Screen Story, which is maybe just a bit too hectic at times but is overall great stuff.