10 best games with loot boxes in 2026: Gacha, sports, shooters & more
Loot boxes in gaming are virtual containers that can be earned by completing in-game objectives or purchasing them with real money or game currencies. The contents of loot boxes range from title to title, offering cosmetics and items you can show off as you play.
Many games have loot boxes that come in numerous forms, typically coming in different rarities. Oftentimes, the contents of loot boxes in 2026 are cosmetic items to avoid any controversies that may arise from players accusing a game of being pay-to-win.
10 best games with loot boxes in 2026
If you’re looking for the best games with loot boxes to play in 2026, you’re in the right place. Our rankings consider how easy it is to get free loot boxes in games, along with how accessible they are, and the impact of the items that are available within a game’s loot box system.
10. EA FC 26 (2025)

EA FC loot boxes, also known as packs, are a staple in the long-running franchise. Before you purchase a pack from the in-game store, you can see the probability of getting a certain player from the pack, which you can then go on and add to your Ultimate Team. Weekly and Daily objectives have a chance to award free packs upon completion, as does participating in Squad Battles (the best game mode to earn packs). If you manage to complete EA FC Moments, you can spend the stars on seasonal packs, too. But the vast majority are purchased with coins through the in-game store. The Classic packs are among the cheapest, and there are two daily preview packs in this category. However, you have to be extremely lucky to get something worthwhile from Classic packs.
9. Hearthstone (2014)

For a true loot box gaming experience, opening card packs is the fastest way to grow your collection in Hearthstone. Standard card packs can be gained from your first Tavern Brawl win each week, Ranked rewards, Arena rewards, and heroic Duels rewards. Standard and Wild packs are only purchasable from the Hearthstone store. Each rarity has an average probability to be obtained, increasing every time you open a pack that does not contain a card of that rarity.
8. Call of Duty Mobile (2019)

The days of loot boxes are over in the mainline Call of Duty franchise, but they’re still present in Call of Duty Mobile as crates. They come in five rarities, ranging from common to legendary, and contain rewards such as weapon camos, blueprints, and avatar accessories. Free crates are tied to daily login challenges and completing seasonal and weekly challenges. Crates also reside in the in-game store and can be bought in exchange for credits, a paid currency, but can slowly be collected for free as you play. The chances of finding each item in a crate are visible by tapping the question mark icon next to the crate’s name in the store screen.
7. Genshin Impact (2020)

Genshin Impact loot boxes are known for having a Pity System, which refers to the number of rolls you need to carry out on a banner before you’re guaranteed to receive a 4-star or 5-star. If you are rolling the Weapon Banner category using Wishes, for example, you’d roll 10 times for a guaranteed 4-star and 80 times for a guaranteed 5-star. As long as you’re moving on the same banner, Pity carries over from banner to banner, with the idea of keeping your chances intact by carrying over rolls.
6. Honkai: Star Rail (2023)

Being from the same developers as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail also uses Pity for its loot box system. What gives Honkai: Star Rail the edge when it comes to anime loot boxes is the fact that there are more Banner types to roll in Honkai: Star Rail, those being Character Event Warp, Light Cone Event Warp, Regular Warp, and Starter Warp. Again, the Pity system means if you pull 9 times in a banner and don’t get a 4-star or 5-star, your 10th pull guarantees a 4-star or above.
5. Fortnite (2017)

Loot Boxes are exclusive to the Fortnite: Save the World mode. The containers depict the Loot Llama mascot and are made up of rewards such as heroes, schematics, and various resources to use in your playthrough. The best loot box in Fortnite is the X-ray Llama, because you can see its contents before you make a purchase using 50 V-Bucks. What’s more, the price doesn’t change when the llama upgrades, and since you can see the upgrade before you purchase, you can wait until your favorite item appears in this daily loot box Llama.
4. Clash Royale (2016)

When it comes to mobile games, Clash Royale has some of the best loot boxes in gaming since you earn them on the trophy road. The trophy road is the core 1v1 ladder progression system that sees you rank up and gain better loot boxes along the way. In total, there are ten different chests to earn for free while playing Clash Royale, leveling up in rarity as you reach higher-level arenas. The only drawback to the chests in Clash Royale is that they can’t be opened instantly unless you use the paid in-game currency of Gems. The lowest level chest, the Silver chest, takes three real-time hours to open, with that number increasing with the rarity of the chest.
3. Apex Legends (2019)

Apex Legends is among the best games with loot boxes because of the sheer number of opportunities to get your hands on them. Over 500 rare packs can be earned for free, simply by leveling up. During certain limited-time events, Apex Packs and Event Packs can be acquired by progressing through the requirements of the event. Of course, Apex Packs feature in the Apex Legends seasonal battle pass.
The in-game store offers higher-tier loot boxes in the form of rare packs that cost 100 Apex Coins each. Legendary and Thematic Packs may also join the store rotation, but are commonly bundled with other items. Collection Event Packs can be purchased for 700 Apex Coins during a Collection Event, or form part of a bundle.
2. League of Legends (2009)

Video game loot boxes in League of Legends are known as Hextech Chests, and they play a role in making the game feel rewarding. You can bank up to ten Hextech Chests and Keys per act, with eight of them being in the free pass and the other two through the game’s Honor system. The maximum number of chests that can be obtained per year is 60, meaning cosmetics and Champions are accessible at the same rate to new and long-time League of Legends players alike. Loot boxes are highly innovative in League of Legends because the items you get from loot boxes are used to craft cosmetics.
1. Overwatch 2 (2022)

Overwatch loot boxes were introduced in the first iteration of the game in 2016. In Overwatch 2, a Loot Box contains cosmetics and is mostly obtained via limited-time events, completing challenges, and progressing the weekly rewards counter. This awards a Loot Box for every nine matches played, and achieving a match victory gives double the progress. It’s possible to receive a maximum of three Loot Boxes every week due to the game’s progression, through the completion of a total of 27 matches. The Overwatch 2 battle pass also features legendary loot boxes in both its free and premium tiers of rewards.
What makes Overwatch 2 have the best loot boxes in gaming is that they can’t be purchased with real money. Moreover, duplicate items aren’t handed out unless all items of that rarity that feature in Loot Boxes are already in your collection. In this case, the player receives progress towards an additional, normal-grade Loot Box.
FAQs
What popular games have loot boxes?
A whole host of popular games have loot boxes, from shooters including Overwatch and Apex Legends, to Gacha games such as Genshin Impact, and mobile titles like Clash Royale.
Are loot boxes gambling?
Loot boxes that are acquired for free aren’t considered gambling because there’s no monetary exchange involved. As for paid loot boxes, they are considered gambling, and as a result, many countries have passed legislation in an attempt to either restrict or protect players from loot boxes.
What game made loot boxes?
Games that launched loot boxes into the mainstream include FIFA (2008), the first in the series to introduce packs, as well as the original Overwatch in 2016.
How many games use loot boxes?
A study into the prevalence of loot boxes published by PubMed in 2020 revealed 58% of the top games on the Google Play store contained loot boxes, 59% of the top iPhone games contained loot boxes, and 36% of the top games on the Steam store contained loot boxes.
Which countries have banned loot boxes in gaming?
Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, China, and Slovakia have all banned loot boxes in video games.