The Best iOS Games You Can Play Offline on Your iPhone or iPad

Best iOS games in 2021

The best iOS games showcase the Benefits of Apple controlling both hardware and software on smartphones. Complex PC strategic games like Sid Meier Civilization VI now sit comfortably alongside familiar mobile ware like Candy Crush Saga and Angry Birds. Some of our best games play better with touch inputs, some play with a gamepad but most will force you to grab your phone instead of a Nintendo Switch whenever you need something a bit. We skipped the Apple Arcade streaming video app but we were looking for apps that anyone could take in and enjoy with an iPhone or even an iPad.

The best iPhone games 2021

The iPhone launched the mobile gaming revolution, becoming an amazing multimedia device with exciting multitouch functionality that enabled the porting of known arcade games. Here is a list of the best iPhone games at the AppStore right now. It is divided in categories so you can jump straight into top racing games, puzzle games, adventures platformer and more. We will also highlight one new game a month so remember to see the game often to see what new ones take place and consume your waking hour. Check back frequently for the best Apple games to play for your iPhone.

The best iPhone games for 2021

Apple’s App Store contains many gamer’s items but it’s hard to dodge them. We highlighted fun titles that deserve places in your iPhone. If you prefer to play iOS devices with more maneuverability, go into one of the best iPad Games. And please come back here for some of your game suggestions on my blog! You can watch the latest Apple Arcade games for $1,000. The best is now available for iOS 10 players. If you’re not a iPhone fan check out these awesome Android apps for $100.

When you’re bored while waiting for an appointment or while riding public transit where the signal might be spotty, but you don’t want to use up your data, why not enjoy a game you can play without an internet connection?

There are plenty of options available on iOS in nearly any genre you prefer. This list is a rundown of the best offline iOS games, with both paid and free options to enjoy on your iPhone or iPad — anytime, anywhere.

Into the Dead 2

If The Walking Dead and Army of the Deadhaven’t given you your zombie fix, check out Into the Dead 2. Save your family from a zombie apocalypse in this action-packed shooter and nab yourself a friendly canine companion to keep you company as you blast your way through seven chapters and 60 challenge-packed stages. The graphics are gorgeous and the environments immersive — but be warned, these zombies aren’t all your average Dawn of the Dead shamblers; There are loads of different types of zombies after you, including runners and armored zombies that require some impressive firepower to take down. Speaking of firepower, the arsenal of powerful weapons at your disposal won’t disappoint, from melee weapons and explosives to machine guns and shotguns. You might even find yourself lopping off undead heads with a chainsaw. Into the Dead 2 can be played offline and is free to play, but there are in-app purchases for some game items.

Reigns ($3)

Do you lie awake at night dreaming of reigning over your own kingdom as a benevolent (or evil) monarch? Umm … just us, then? If you’ve ever felt the urge to rule a medieval kingdom, Reigns is the perfect iOS game for you. The game is played with cards that present various scenarios — such as “We can never be too prepared. You need to recruit more soldiers.” You choose what to do by swiping left or right — and that’s about it. The goal is equally simple: Reign over your kingdom and keep the four pillars of society — people, church, army, and treasury — balanced, for a harmonious kingdom. It’s easier said than done though, as every choice you make impacts one of the four pillars. To some extent, planning carefully and making sensible decisions will get you far — but there are always unexpected events or moments of bad luck that could turn it all around. Reigns is a great game for those long car journeys or tedious commutes where the internet signal is unreliable — and the quirky humor and difficult choices will easily keep you entertained for hours.

Subway Surfers

Subway Surfers is free to play — although there are in-app purchases — and it’s a solid little endless runner that’s surprisingly addictive. The aim? Run as fast as you can to escape from the inspector and his dog, all the while dodging oncoming trains and other obstacles. Ride the hoverboard or try out the paint-powered jetpack for size — you can even compete with your friends. The fast-paced swiping, colorful HD graphics, and smooth controls means this game is never dull.

Flow Free

It may look simple, but Flow Free is far from it. This addictive little puzzle game challenges you to connect matching colors using pipe — once all colors are paired, the puzzle is solved. Take care though — if pipes overlap or cross, they’ll break. There are over 2,500 levels available for free, and to unlock more and remove the ads you can pay $5. If you get bored — and you won’t — Time Trial mode lets you race against the clock for an additional challenge. The various levels range from chilled and zen to fast and frenetic, so whatever your mood, there’s a level to suit it.

Badland ($1)

If you haven’t yet played either of the Badland games, we’d recommend starting with this one — though Badland 2 is also available for $1 in the Apple store. This side-scrolling adventure game takes place in a beautiful forest filled with mysterious inhabitants and colorful flora and fauna. But something’s wrong. You control one of the forest dwellers as you investigate what’s happening and explore this amazing world, avoiding a number of obstacles and traps along the way. The physics-based gameplay takes a while to master, but once you do you’ll be fully immersed in the game. There are over 100 levels in the single-player campaign and a rather cool Versus mode that lets up to four players game on the same device, with over 30 levels to challenge you and your friends. There’s even a cool level editor that lets you create and share your own levels.

Dead Cells ($9)

Dead Cells is one of the most popular indie titles to come out in recent years. Following the popular rogue-like formula, players assume the role of a failed alchemical experiment as it explores and fights its way through a constantly changing castle. The game is a metroidvania with rogue-like elements. Every time a player dies, they can level up and get new skills. The game is fast-paced and frantic, and it is perfect to play on iOS now that it supports controllers.

Journey ($5)

Journey was one of the best games to be released on the PlayStation 3, and it’s considered to be one of the best games ever made. Now, Journey is available on iOS. If you didn’t get a chance to play it on the PS3, now is the perfect chance to do it. You can play the game online if you want, but it is just as enjoyable by yourself in single-player mode. The minimal art style looks great on iOS, and now that the game supports MFi controllers, you can enjoy the game as it was originally designed.

Valleys Between ($3)

Valleys Between is another one of the many beautiful games designed specifically for iOS. In Valleys Between, players must manage a civilization of animals while making the environment sustainable. The environment is played on hexagonal tiles, similar to Civilization. It’s a lovely and accessible title that has a decent difficulty curve that makes it ideal for casual and experienced gamers alike.

Oxenfree

Rewind back to the ’80s with this spooky, supernatural tale. Oxenfree tells the story of a group of friends who accidentally open a ghostly rift and attempt to deal with what results. But the core of the game isn’t found in what happens to you — it’s what you choose to do. How you deal with the ghostly events and your friends is entirely up to you, and there are many different mysteries to unravel. With the story changing with every decision you make, there’s a lot here to explore and uncover, making Oxenfree the perfect game to eat up your time. It’s free to play the first part of the game, but the rest of the game will cost $5. Still, if you’re hooked, it’s absolutely worth the money.

Stickman Hook

It’s a simple idea, but Stickman Hook‘s swinging gameplay is fun and engaging, and it draws you right in from the very first moment. The core of the game owes a lot to a certain sticky-fingered superhero, but don’t let that put you off. The goal of each level is to use your swinging abilities to reach the checkered finish line, using gravity, momentum, and some bouncy pads to propel yourself without falling out of the stage. It’s completely free to play, with optional extras unlocked with money. It’s great for filling the time when you’ve got a few spare moments, and it doesn’t need any data to work.

The Room ($1)

Fireproof Games’ The Room has been a mobile staple since the original title launched in 2012. The Room: Old Sins, the fourth game in the series, launched in 2018. Chances are you’ve come across these games on the App Store, whether from recommendations or on the top charts where they frequently stay. Each game in the series features a series of escape room-style puzzles. Every level has a single room, and multiple 3D box puzzles that must be opened by shifting mechanisms, finding keys, and using clues learned through play. Remarkably, each entry in the series is as great as the last. Expertly conceived and exceedingly well-designed, The Room series is a can’t miss puzzle franchise. You don’t have to play them in order, but we recommend starting with the first, which is available for just $1.

Monument Valley 2 ($5)

The sequel to the 2014 smash hit from Ustwo Games, Monument Valley 2 expanded on what made the first so great. The shifting puzzle maps and many of the mechanics returned, but this time you played as Ro, a mother who must guide her young child through each area. With the story more clear this time, the atmosphere of the isometric experience was used more effectively. Tinkering with mechanisms and finding hidden pathways to reach the exit in each level is a constant delight. From presentation to sound to story to gameplay, Monument Valley 2 is a complete experience with no weak links.

Alto’s Odyssey ($5)

Alto’s Odyssey replaces the snowy mountains of Alto’s Adventure with a variety of desert-themed landscapes. Snowboarding through the three large zones, each filled with randomly generated areas, has the same crisp and exhilarating feel of the original. Alto’s Odyssey‘s minimalistic and oddly cathartic gameplay shines across the beautiful, varied regions. This is one of the best automatic runners around and a wonderful experience overall.

To the Moon ($5)

One of the most heartfelt and endearing games ever made, To the Moon follows a dying man named Johnny Wyles who desperately wants to go to the moon. He reaches out to two doctors who use advanced technology to recreate the memories of his life. What follows is a moving and somber love story, gorgeously rendered with 16-bit visuals. Grab a box of tissues before playing.

Florence ($3)

An interactive story about the rise and fall of a young woman’s relationship, Florence artfully captures the feeling of falling in love for the first time. The gameplay is minimal, as it mostly involves completing rudimentary puzzles. But everything you touch and interact with meaningfully connects to the story being told. Best of all, it does all of this without words. Sublime art, a subtle wordless narrative, and a great soundtrack make Florence a must-play game.

Donut County ($5)

Like Katamari Damacyin reverse, you control a hole across a variety of levels in Donut County. As objects fall into the hole, it grows larger, allowing bigger objects such as trees and eventually cars and buildings to fall in as well. Eventually, the hole is fitted with a catapult to assist in collecting more and more stuff. The gameplay is as relaxing and pure as Katamari Damacy, and the story, surrounding the humans and anthropomorphic animals of Donut County, is also quite entertaining.

Stardew Valley ($5)

The mega-hit that originally launched on PC before moving to consoles is now available on iOS. Stardew Valley is a delightful small town farming sim in the vein of Harvest Moon. Along with tending to your crops and fishing, you build relationships with your neighbors in Pelican Town. You can make friends and even get married. Stardew Valley is the perfect game to pick up and visit for 15 minutes each day on your morning commute. A warning, though: It’s easy to spend hundreds of hours in Pelican Town.

Threes! ($6)

Threes! has been copied a bunch of times — 2048 being the most notable example — but the original 4×4 grid puzzler is the king of its sub-genre. The concept is simple. Combine ones and twos to make three, then combine matching numbers for the rest of the round. Threes become sixes, sixes become twelves, etc. A new tile enters the board with every move. The goal is to build as big of a number as possible before running out of moves. Threes is a smart puzzler and an excellent way to spend a few minutes while in waiting rooms, grocery store lines, or airport terminals.

Downwell ($3)

With a name like Welltaro, of course, he likes exploring wells. Downwell is an intense roguelike rendered almost entirely in black and white. As you fall down the well, you have to avoid many obstacles and foes. Welltaro’s boots are fitted with guns, but they only reload when touching down on a surface. It moves at a maniacal pace, but you can play it entirely one-handed, as it’s specifically designed for portrait mode. Each death teaches you something new about the game, but each round has randomized wells to keep the experience fresh throughout.

Inside

The follow-up to Playdead’s chilling atmospheric platformer Limbo, Inside is aesthetically very similar. It also follows a young boy in a mysterious land and the monochromatic color scheme really sets the tone. Throughout the adventure, you guide the boy through a forest and a strange factory filled with all sorts of oddities. Each area has clever physics puzzles to solve before you can advance. The gameplay is sound, but the wordless, ominous narrative is what makes Inside so captivating. It’s free to start, with later episodes costing money to unlock.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ($7)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, one of the best PS2 games, runs and plays surprisingly well on iOS devices. Carl Johnson is one of the most interesting characters in series history and his return home from Liberty City to the San Andreas region packs dozens of hours of great open-world action. Plenty of console games have been ported to mobile devices, but very few have translated as well as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Old Man’s Journey ($5)

An Old Man goes on a quest to reckon with the life he has lived. This is his journey, but you can help him out by clearing the path that he walks across. You move platforms, change the contour of hills, and prompt him to speak with folks along the way. In terms of gameplay, it’s extremely minimalistic. But the point here is the story, elevated by beautiful hand-drawn art. This one can be completed on a short flight, but you’ll be happy to have enjoyed the Old Man’s Journey as you embark on a journey of your own.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions ($14)

Ported from the PSP, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is one of the best turn-based strategy games ever made. It features a huge cast of interesting characters, a massive number of missions, and a deep and rewarding battle system that gradually reveals its complexities and nuances over time. While it’s the most expensive game on this list, it boasts over 100 hours of excellent gameplay.

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The Witness ($10)

At its core, The Witness is a collection of line puzzles. That doesn’t sound super interesting, but somehow it’s downright magical. Set on a completely open island, each area’s puzzles have different rulesets. Some of them even require environmental cues, both sights and sounds, to uncover the correct solutions. The result is 523 masterfully designed puzzles. The island itself is filled with cryptic statues and objects, which all lead up to a pretty bizarre ending. The Witness is without a doubt one of the best puzzle games ever.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ($10)

This iOS RPG is based on the 2003 Xbox classic and is considered by many to be the best Star Wars games ever released. Taking place 4,000 years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, the iOS remaster delivers stunning roleplaying features combined with an epic storyline.

KOTOR is likely as good as it will get for the game’s many fans, as BioWare has no plans to create a third game for the series. Fortunately, you can still go back and have a great time with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. If you want a deep RPG to play on the go, look no further.

What are the best iOS games? Whether you’re an Apple diehard or you’ve just bought your first iPhone or iPad, chances are you’ll ask yourself that question at some point. Well, you’ve come to the right place, as we’ve compiled what we consider to be the best gaming experiences you can have on your iOS device in a single space.

To help you find something that specifically appeals to you, we’ve broken it down into different genres, or you can use the links below to quickly scroll down to the game that intrigues you most. No matter your tastes, we’ve got you covered here though.

We’ve aimed for a balance between premium releases and free-to-play games, so there’s a game on this list to suit any budget. That does mean you may have to prepare your wallet for a bit of spending, but there are plenty free-to-play classics for those would rather just find something new to play. We’ve also got links to a bunch of guides for the best iOS games, and for our other list guides in case you’d like to go further down the rabbit hole.

Now, without any further delay, let’s get into our list of the best iOS games.

the best iOS games

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Genshin Impact

A newcomer on the mobile scene, Genshin Impact proved naysayers wrong that a true, console-quality title is totally possible on mobile. It’s absolutely stunning, with a bunch of characters to collect, a wide world to explore, and plenty of fun to be had.

Check out our Genshin Impact tier list, Genshin Impact guide, Genshin Impact codes list, and Genshin Impact ingredients list to help you get started.

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Raid: Shadow Legends

If you like mobile games, you’ve probably heard of, if not played, Raid: Shadow Legends. It’s an absolute behemoth – and for good reason. It’s stunning, features a wealth of content to battle through and heroes to unlock, and you can do it all with friends in multiplayer.

Go grab Raid on mobile right now.

Final Fantasy VIII

One of the greatest Final Fantasy games is also on mobile. Become a mercenary and take part in some intense turn-based combat, lose yourself in the epic romance, or just fly around the vast world aboard the Ragnarok.

The mobile version allows you to play at three times speed, turn enemy encounters off, and max out your stats with the click of a button.

AFK Arena

King among gachas, is AFK Arena, which is a true achievement when you consider that it doesn’t borrow off a successful IP like many of its genre siblings. That’s down to developer Lilith’s very fair free-to-play mechanics. It’s also just a bunch of fun, which helps.

Get yourself some free in-game goodies with our AFK Arena codes list, and find your favourite party with the help of our AFK Arena tier list.

Among Us

Thanks to a lockdown near you, Among Us exploded into life this year. It’s a near-perfect multiplayer experience that you can play across a variety of different platforms. What’s not to like?

Get started with the help of our Among Us guide.

Candy Crush Soda Saga

If you’re of a certain age, it’s highly likely that your first encounter with mobile gaming was Candy Crush. There was a time when everyone was absolutely hooked on it, and it’s easy to see why. Crushing them candies is so satisfying, and makes you feel like a genius. Anyway, Candy Crush Soda Saga is one of the more recent entries, and well worth a look.

Asphalt 9: Legends

One of the finest racers to grace mobile ever, and one that borrows liberally from Burnout to boot, is Asphalt 9: Legends. It’s visually stunning, and even has a Switch port.

Call of Duty: Mobile

Call of Duty: Mobile does exactly what it says on the tin, providing a miniature version of the smash hit shooter series that you can play wherever you are. With your favourite characters, weapons, maps, and modes from the Black Ops and Modern Warfare series, this is a must-play for old-school COD fans. If you need guidance, we’ve put together a Call of Duty: Mobile tips guide and a Call of Duty: Mobile update feature for your perusal.

Clash Royale

Clash Royale is basically a card game like Hearthstone but presented in a visual format. You still create a deck and play cards on a battlefield, but the cards come to life and actually fight each other just like in a traditional RTS. It’s fiendishly addictive stuff that poses a solid challenge.

Do you love the smell of cardboard in the morning? Deck builders are the games for you then. We’ve put together a separate list of the best mobile card games too, if you fancy more recommendations.

Coin Master

Those looking for a laid back idle game that doesn’t ask for much of your time but still gives you a sense of achievement should look no further than Coin Master. You simply have to log in every few hours, spin for coins and other rewards, then upgrade your town. Occasionally, if the spin gods show mercy, you may get an opportunity to assault or raid an opponent’s village, earning more coins.

If you’d like to make the most of Coin Master, check out our Coin Master free spins guide, which includes daily updated links for free in-game goodies.

Company of Heroes

One of the finest strategy games of all time, Company of Heroes, arrived on iPad last year, courtesy of Feral Interactive. It takes place during World War Two, and challenges you to fight back against the Axis in a lengthy single-player campaign.

We’ve put together a complete list of the best mobile strategy games if you fancy finding more like this.

Florence

Florence is a whimsical adventure that’s part coming of age tale, and part romantic tragedy. Really, you should experience it yourself rather than read spoilers. It’s beautiful in many more ways than its unrivalled, painterly visuals.

Garena Free Fire

You’ve almost certainly heard of Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, or Call of Duty Mobile, but Garena Free Fire is one of the biggest mobile battle royales going, and well worth checking out.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a Garena Free Fire characters list, Garena Free Fire diamonds guide, and a Garena Free Fire new update tracker.

Kingdom Two Crowns

You can enjoy the entirety of Kingdom Two Crowns with a friend on mobile, and it’s absolutely worth it. This challenging survival strategy game sees you play as two monarchs, who have to try and escape an island that’s repeatedly under assault from the Greed. You hire local peasants, build up defences, and earn enough gold to build a ship that allows you to escape.

If you’d like to learn more about it, you can check out our full Kingdom Two Crowns review. We’ve also put together a list of the best mobile two player games if you fancy more like this.

Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart Tour is Nintendo’s finest mobile game yet, providing a solid touchscreen version of the classic battle racer. Using a single thumb or finger, you’ll drift around a variety of recognisable courses, using items to get the upper hand over your enemies.

If you need help beating the current tour, check out our Mario Kart Tour challenges list.

Minecraft

Who hasn’t heard of Minecraft? It’s one of the biggest games ever, and you can play it in its entirety on mobile. Try and survive a dangerous world or create your own rollercoaster. Minecraft lets you do it all.

We’ve got guides on Minecraft houses, Minecraft diamonds, Minecraft enchantments, and a Minecraft update tracker.

Mobile Legends

This MOBA was made for iOS, and it really shows. Thanks to a wide variety of streamlined touches here and there, like excellent touch controls, plenty of automation, and friendliness to low-end devices, there’s no reason not to get stuck into Mobile Legends.

You can learn more about the hit MOBA with our Mobile Legends new hero, Mobile Legends tier list, and Mobile Legends free heroes list guides. We’ve also put together the best mobile MOBAs in a single article.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley might well be the finest mobile game of all time. It’s a fiendishly clever puzzler that takes place in environments that draw inspiration from Escher. You spin towers and other objects to create pathways that you have to traverse to reach the end of each level.

If you’re looking for more games like Monument Valley, check out our list of the best mobile puzzle games.

Oddmar

Oddmar is an indie platformer by the makers of Leo’s Fortune that looks like it was made in Ubisoft’s UbiArt Framework. You play as a Viking that goes on an adventure to win his place in Valhalla.

Old School RuneScape

One of the oldest MMORPGs around remains the finest on mobile, Old School RuneScape is a direct port of the PC original that shares the same servers. You can participate in PvP at the comfort of your desk before kicking back and doing some mining on your phone on the sofa, all on the same account without losing any progress.

You won’t find a better MMORPG on mobile, but you can try by checking out our list of the best mobile MMORPGs.

Plague Inc.

The most relevant strategy game of our times has found a great home on mobile. It’s a permanent fixture at the top of the paid games charts, for those that care about numbers, and it’s easy to see why. Killing off the world’s population with a variety of different plagues is just so much more addictive than you’d care to admit.

Want more? Check out our list of the best digital board games on mobile.

Pokémon Go

Was it ever in any doubt? Pokémon Go might not be the first location-based game on iOS, but it’s certainly the biggest. It allows you to catch your favourite Pokémon while living your ordinary life. You might be on the way to grab a latte from Starbucks when Charmander leaps out of a bush near you. That’s just a little of the fun that Pokémon Go offers.

We’ve got plenty of content to help you get started too, including Pokémon Go news, Pokémon Go event, Pokémon Go update, and Pokémon Go raids guides. You can also find similar games in our best location-based games on mobile list.

PUBG Mobile

If you’re looking for a mobile game to play with friends, look no further than PUBG Mobile. This multiplayer shooter lets you play with single or multiple friends across a wide variety of game modes, and provides a pretty feature-complete version of the hit battle royale shooter, with streamlining for the small screen.

Find out more about the hit mobile shooter in our PUBG Mobile emulator, PUBG Mobile redeem codes, and PUBG Mobile update guides. You can also find more games to play with friends in our best mobile multiplayer games list.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Taking the mechanics of Tinder and planting them into a game might sound a bit mad, but Reigns: Game of Thrones has proven that it works. Think you can be a better leader than Cersei? This lets you put it to the test.

Roblox

Prefer creating your own games to playing them? Roblox would like a word. This game creator/community space lets you create your own customisable avatar and go absolutely wild, joining your friends in games and making your own.

We’ve got a ton of Roblox content to dig through, including Roblox hacks, Roblox avatar, Roblox promo codes, Roblox Piggy, Roblox noob, Roblox toys, Roblox games, Roblox login, Roblox memes, and Roblox logo, Roblox song IDs, Roblox shirt template, Roblox free Robux, and Roblox player guides. We did say a ton.

Slay the Spire

It took an absolute age to make it to mobile, but it’s better late than never. Slay the Spire is the definitive card-battling roguelike, which challenges you to attempt to take one of the various characters to the top of the eponymous spire.

For alternative options, check out our list of the best games like Slay the Spire or our best mobile roguelikes list.

Stardew Valley

Ever wish Harvest Moon was available on mobile? Well, wish no longer as that’s effectively what Stardew Valley offers. Build up your own farm, explore and battle through dungeons, and get romantic with the locals.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is BioWare at its absolute prime, and is easily one of the finest western RPGs ever to grace the number of different platforms it launched on. You play as a Jedi recruit who has to either put a stop to the Empire’s plans, or help make sure they happen.

Want more like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic? Well, there’s plenty more where that came from in our best mobile RPGs list.

Subway Surfers

One of the biggest mobile games of all time has absolutely dominated the endless runner space on mobile, even spawning its own animated series. We are, of course, referring to Subway Surfers, the long-running and ridiculously colourful endless runner that takes you across the globe.

You can find everything you need to know about the runner in our Subway Surfers guide.

The Room: Old Sins

One of the best puzzlers on mobile, The Room: Old Sins challenges you to complete a variety of brain-tangling challenges in gorgeous environments. It’s a little bit spooky for good measure, too.

Whether you’re a PC gamer, someone who prefers a console, or an iPhone user who loves a cheap distraction, there’s a tie that binds us: We’ve all downloaded a game or two from the App Store.

Mobile gaming is all about convenience and quick dopamine hits, after all. Would you rather stand in line at the supermarket staring at the tabloids or fire up Crossy Road? It’s a simple decision. Deciding the games to download isn’t quite as simple, however.

The Apple App Store is loaded with games, but avoiding the dregs can be difficult. Don’t fret, we’re here to help. We’ve highlighted the fun, well-made titles that deserve a home in your iPhone, so download these recommended games without worry. And hit the comment section to shout out your favorite games!

If you prefer to play on a device with more room to maneuver, we suggest heading over to the best iPad games. If you want to play a growing library of premium iOS games for one monthly price, check out the best Apple Arcade games. If you’re not an iPhoner, check out the best Android games.

Alto’s Odyssey is the follow-up to 2015’s Alto’s Adventure. The new game continues the series’ ability to combine skiing’s breathtaking visuals with an endless runner’s smooth mechanics. Travel down the mountain while completing goals, collecting coins, and earning upgrades.

Among Us launched in 2018, but it inexplicably became super-popular in 2020. In this cooperative, multiplayer game, you work together to suss out the liar in the group, as you survive in space. We’re stuck at home right now, so this is the perfect game for keeping your social skills sharp (and your paranoia high).

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This real-time strategy game puts you in control of a tribe as you expand its territory, fight enemies, and ultimately build an empire. The Battle of Polytopia lets you play solo, against a friend, or with strangers via online multiplayer.

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Beyond a Steel Sky (only on Apple Arcade) is the long-awaited follow-up to Revolution Software’s 1994 adventure game Beneath a Steel Sky. This cyberpunk title honors the source material, but still recognizes the ways in which the point-and-click genre has evolved over the past quarter century.

Praised for its simple gameplay and minimalist art design, Blek is a puzzle game that tasks you with creating patterns using touch-screen gestures to complete each level. Released in 2013, the game proved to be a simple, popular addition to the iPhone’s game library.

If you like Super Smash Bros, but don’t have a Nintendo system, Brawlhalla is the next best thing. This free-to-play fighter puts tiny colorful characters, armed with wacky weapons, in grand brawls to knock each other off the stage.

The Call of Duty franchise’s AAA polish holds up nicely in this mobile conversion. Now you can enjoy Activision’s famous first-person shooter for free on the go. Even the battle royale mode made the cut.

Clash Royale combines collectible cards, tower defense, and online multiplayer to create a truly unique gaming experience. Since its worldwide release in 2016, Clash Royale has been nominated for many different awards and is now a popular international eSport.

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Crashlands debuted in 2016 as an adventure-crafting RPG adventure with a wild plot. Stranded on an uncivilized planet, you must fight monsters, mine resources, and fulfill quests while trying to stay alive. The game has cross-platform support, so you have no reason stop playing.

Like a chicken forever crossing the road, we will never stop recommending Crossy Road. Its addictive, arcade gameplay and adorable voxel art style make it an indispensable mobile game.

This roguelike, dungeon-crawling game adds an element of beat-matching to create a fun, yet brutal, playing experience. You can only move or attack by matching the soundtrack’s rhythm, gaining multipliers for successful matches. The goal is to not only beat each level, but also gain better items and become more effective in each new level.

This brutal, roguelike game makes its way to iOS after a successful launch on home consoles and PC. It puts you in control of a small creature that can take control of dead bodies. Your goal is to escape from prison by gaining power ups and fighting enemies through randomized levels. When you die, you die for good, but you can use that experience to better prepare for the next run.

Death Road to Canada is a randomly generated RPG that tasks you with surviving a zombie apocalypse. Explore cities, recruit characters, make decisions, and try to stay alive on your pixelated adventure.

If you like the idea of golfing in a desert, you’ll love the 2014 arthouse game Desert Golfing. Courses are randomized, and the ball’s movement is unreliable because everything takes place on sand. The game has been praised for its simplicity, great visuals, and difficult levels.

A primarily text-based adventure game, Device 6 takes players through interactive puzzles and story elements in order to help the main character escape an island. The game has been praised for its unique style of storytelling, strong prose, and sound effects.

Device 6 (for iPhone) Review

For a game that truly takes advantage of your phone’s vertical screen, try Downwell. As you endlessly plummet down randomized, monochrome dungeons, plummet in style by hopping on enemies and blasting them with your gun boots as long as you can.

In The Escapists, you must find a way to bust out of prison. You can roam through the prison, collect or craft items, take assignments from fellow inmates, and level up your character. When you escape, it’s on to the next prison. Don’t get caught, otherwise all the work you have done will be wiped out.

Enter the Gungeon tasked with you traveling as far as possible into the titular lair of firearms. Exit the Gungeon challenges you to escape. No matter the direction you go, you’ll blast your way through tons of projectile peons. Touch controls actually reduce the difficulty compared to using a controller.

Fallout Shelter puts you in charge of running a vault—a colony of survivors buried beneath the Earth, safe from radiation. In practice, it’s pretty similar to the countless other mobile resource-management games. However, clever and non-exploitative uses of in-app purchases, combined with the unmistakable feel of the Fallout franchise, help Fallout Shelter appeal to casual and hardcore players alike.

Fallout Shelter (for iPad) Review

In Florence, players follow the story of Florence Yeoh through 20 chapters of interactive stories filled with minigames. The 2018 game takes only about 30 minutes to get through, but has been highly praised for its storytelling, character building, and art direction.

After its release in 2017, Fortnite has taken the gaming community by storm with its accessible gameplay, free online connectivity, and quick setup. The game has since expanded to mobile, allowing players to enjoy the same gameplay they would have if they were on a home console.

Fortnite (for PC) Review

This narrative-based puzzle game tasks you with rearranging the panels of a noir-style comic book in order to ensure the player-characters escape their would-be captors. Released in 2014, Framed earned high praise for its strong visuals, subtle storytelling elements, and great music.

This is one of the weirdest games you’ll play on your iPhone. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy puts you in control of a character who has his legs stuck in a cauldron and uses a hammer as his only means of movement. You must use the hammer to scale a mountain, but there are no save points, so you can fall backward at any time, undoing all the progress made up to that point. The game also contains voiceover commentary from designer Bennett Foddy, who discusses philosophical topics, often based on the player’s in-game actions.

Gorogoa was in development for six years, but the final product, hand-drawn by developer Jason Roberts, is a visual masterpiece. There is no text in the game, leaving players to complete puzzles and explore themes of spirituality and religion on their own.

Grindstone stood out as a shining jewel during Apple Arcade’s launch because it put a novel spin on a standard puzzle game trope. Instead of just matching jewels to clear them, you match enemies for your beefy barbarian to smash into paste.

In 2014, the World of Warcraft franchise got a little bigger when it expanded into the realm of mobile gaming with Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Hearthstone is a free-to-play, turn-based, collectible card game that borrows from the existing World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. Its popularity has led to the release of numerous expansion packs and even an esports tournament.

This 2015 release is billed as an interactive movie in which you’re given pieces of a police interview and are asked to piece together the truth. Her Story uses live-action performances on a simulated desktop, and earned praise for the narrative, character performance, and gameplay.

Her Story (for iPad) Review

Taking a page from the popular Where’s Waldo book series, Hidden Folks gives you interactive, animated scenes, in which you must find hidden elements. Tapping the hand-drawn art lets you interact with it as you search for characters, objects, and animals.

Translating existing game franchises to iOS has always been tricky. Not all games can make the leap from a console with controllers and buttons to nothing but a single touch screen. However, Hitman Go skillfully captures the essence of everyone’s favorite bald assassin, Agent 47, in a more mobile-friendly form. You’ll be shocked how satisfying this slick series of strategy board games feels as figures move across flat surfaces to take out their targets.

Playdead’s Inside is a puzzle-platformer set in a dark dystopic world of government experimentation and zombie-like creatures. Noted for its monochromatic, 2.5D graphics, Inside is a spiritual successor to Playdead’s Limbo.

If you like the Lara Croft franchise, you’ll love what they did with this mobile game. Taking cues from Hitman Go, Lara Croft Go went a step further and added elevations to the game board. It feels just like a true Lara Croft game, with her having to climb up mountain cliffs and maneuver around chasms.

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Lara Croft GO (for iPad) Review

Back in 2010, Playdead released the black-and-white puzzle platformer Limbo, which saw you take control of a boy searching for his sister in a dark and dystopic world. The game stood out from the pack due to its challenging puzzles and gruesome depiction of the player-character’s demise, helping to elevate the conversation of video games as art.

The action puzzler Linn: Path of Orchards requires you to navigate through rotating platforms using the character’s flying and jumping abilities. The game’s appealing color schemes make it a pleasant gaming experience.

What awaits you in Lumino City may be the most innovative gameplay to reach the iPhone to date. It’s a point-and-click adventure, which serves as a sequel to the game Lume, but the art is what sets it apart from other iOS titles. Its visuals were built by hand, and they place you inside an intricate world of stop-motion animation previously unseen in the video game world.

Explore the world around you and try to break a curse—in 60 seconds. Minit is a black-and-white adventure game that requires you to play in intervals while you collect items and work to save the day.

Miracle Merchant is a truly unique solitaire-style card game that sees you act as a master alchemist’s apprentice. Your job is to use decks of cards to create potions for customers, and it’s all bundled together with a bright and charming art style.

In this take on the classic platformer genre, you control a Viking along his quest to secure his place in Valhalla among the greatest warriors in the world. Will your Viking have to do as he’s told and burn down the forest or can he prove himself another way?

Out There is something of a choose-your-own-adventure resource management game. Stranded in the middle of an unknown part of space, you must manage your spaceship and gather resources in order to survive. Only by interacting with alien species can you set your character on a specific path that ultimately determines the game’s ending.

This supernatural horror-adventure centers around a group of kids who must uncover the truth about a mysterious island. Oxenfree is presented as a 2.5D graphic adventure without cutscenes, where dialogue takes place during gameplay. The game is unique in that there is no way to obtain a game over. Instead, the outcome of the game is based on the decisions the player makes, meaning there are multiple endings to be found.

Taking its name from the Pac-Man Level 256 glitch, Pac-Man 256 puts a new spin on an old classic. Pac-Man consumes pellets and power-ups while also avoiding ghosts, just like the original game. However, this time the level is endless and the bottom of the screen contains a glitch that will consume the player. The game also adds new power-ups to spice things up.

Pac-Man 256 (for iPad) Review

Papers, Please is a truly unique as something of a paperwork simulator. You control an immigration officer in a dystopian country, where you process papers to determine which people you allow to cross the border, and who you turn away. The player is given an ever-increasing list of rules and requirements to check documentation against, and is also forced to make moral decisions that could go against the approved criteria. The game comes with a wide selection of alternate endings based directly on your decisions.

In this game, the player creates and evolves a pathogen in order to spread a plague throughout the world and eliminate the population. Plague Inc is a strategy-simulation game that incorporates realistic variables in order to give the player a challenge in developing the ultimate viral weapon. You clear objectives as you evolve and adapt the plague to consume the world.

Nintendo took the next step with its Pokemon franchise in 2016 when Pokemon Go was launched worldwide. The mobile app combined location-based and augmented reality technology to turn the act of catching Pokemon into a social and physically active event. The game continues to receive updates, adding new Pokemon, items, Raid Battles, and other features. Check out our list of tips and tricks to help you become a Pokemon Master.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has been a big hit on the home console and PC gaming market, so it makes sense that mobile would be the next place to expand. Players can now come together in a giant battle royale mode right from their mobile device. PUBG has never been so easy to play.

In Reigns, you are a medieval king who must make decisions on how best to rule your land. The game is presented as a card game, and you swipe left or right to accept or reject the advice of your advisors. Your decisions have consequences that impact your standing with the church, military, economy, and people. If these four pillars of society are not kept in balance, your reign ends.

Reigns (for iPhone) Review

Rymdkapsel uses a minimalist art style to turn this real-time strategy game into a unique iPhone gaming experience. Players build a space station, manage resources, and defend against attacks while trying to conduct important research. There are special rooms on your base for specific functions, and the game ends if all workers meet their doom.

Sayonara Wild Hearts (only on Apple Arcade) is kind of a game, but it’s really an interactive pop music album. We don’t care what you call it, as you as long get your hands, and ears, on this trippy, transcendent, technicolor journey through a legitimately fantastic collection of songs.

Shadowmatic is a simple but popular game in which the player rotates abstract objects in a spotlight until the shadow becomes a recognizable shape. The game has been praised for its detailed and realistic renderings and impressive game mechanics.

Slay the Spire’s addictive take on collectible card game combat makes for a roguelite you’ll want to replay. Even after dozens of runs you’ll find new ways to combine spell cards and make the monsters suffer. Note that this game is published by Humble Bundle, owned by PCMag’s parent company Ziff Davis.

As a cooperative, multiplayer video game, Spaceteam represents something truly unique for the iPhone. Players connect via Wi-Fi in order to work together and prevent a spaceship from crashing. Because of the frantic style of gameplay, players often find themselves shouting instructions to each other, which in turn increases the stress levels.

Spaceteam (for iPhone) Review

Terraria is like a 2D Minecraft. It’s a sandbox adventure game that allows you to explore, craft, build, and fight inside a procedurally generated world. You can travel between different biomes and find various characters to interact with.

Remember 2048? The original version of that game still deserves your attention. Before it was cloned many times over, Threes! proved to be a popular iPhone game in 2014. Players slide numbered tiles and combine them according to multiples of threes. The game keeps going until there are no more moves, and a final score is counted. That frustrating need to achieve a specific numbered tile was only introduced by the copycats.

In this simple, yet memorable game, you control a beetle who travels at intense speeds along a track. Thumper demands that you maintain rhythm with the background music while also avoiding obstacles, fighting enemies, and bracing against turns. The haunting music, mesmerizing visuals, and brutal reaction times create a truly tense gaming experience.

Transistor was one of the finest console games of 2014, and while the game doesn’t control quite as well on an iOS touch screen, it’s still a gorgeous, intelligent, and mechanically sophisticated sci-fi action-RPG.

Transistor (for iPad) Review

Ultimate Rivals (only on Apple Arcade) ups the silliness of arcade sports games by letting you mix and match athletes from across different leagues. If you want to see LeBron James play hockey or Megan Rapinoe toss an American football, this is the game for you.

This title lets you take control of an army and use turn-based strategy to defeat the opposition. Influenced by the classic Advance Wars tactics games, each unit in Warbits has its own strength and weaknesses, as well as unique power ups. The game includes a campaign, challenge mode, and online play, all wrapped within cute graphics and quirky dialogue.

The Witness follows Myst’s footsteps by placing you in a mysterious location and expecting you to figure out how to escape. You’ll be looking for clues and completing puzzles, but make sure you take in the scenery when you can.

This iPhone game delivers a truly unsettling gaming experience. The plot is based on the Swedish Year Walk folktale, where participants compete a series of divinations along a journey in order to receive a glimpse of the future. There are secret messages and multiple endings to find.