The 30 Best iPhone Games

Games can challenge us, sparking our problem-solving skills into action, and they can relax us. They make us laugh, and let us connect with friends. They let us burn off steam when we’re frustrated or angry, and sometimes we even learn something about ourselves through playing them. If you have an Apple iPhone you can use games for all these purposes, no matter where you are.

The 30 best games for the iPhone that made this list span a range of genres, and that’s intentional. Games can and should be something everyone can enjoy. If first-person shooters aren’t your thing, rest assured you’ll find plenty of games on this list that will still spark your interest. And if FPS is indeed the name of the game for you, well, we have a few of those to recommend as well.

Since we last updated this list, some of the best iPhone games of all time have been released. It’s a great time to be an iOS gamer, thanks to a wealth of great titles across multiple genres. The platform has matured to a point where the premium games, the games that respect your time and provide quality experiences without asking for cash every hour, have arrived, too. You just have to look for them, and be willing to spend a few dollars up front. There are plenty of great, non-exploitative, free-to-play games, too. Seeing the strong state of iOS gaming also gives us hope for the nascentApple Watch gaming scene.

If you’re a video game fan who has played all the games on this list, we highly recommend 22 Games for Smart People, a list compiled by some of the video game industry’s most influential figures, including id Software founder John Romero and Harvey Smith, who earned his chops designing Deus Ex.

Note that the games on this list are not ranked in order of excellence but instead appear in alphabetical order. Without further ado, here are the 30 best iPhone games. You can either navigate the story via the slideshow or in a multipage layout. We’ll be updating this list from time to time, so be sure to tell us about your favorite iPhone games in the comments section.

For iOS app coverage, check out the 100 Best iPhone Apps and the 50 Best Free iPhone Apps.

 

Candy Crush Saga       Free In the long line of color-match games, Candy Crush Saga is the last spinoff, and the one currently adored by iPhone-owning casual game players everywhere. If you haven’t played Bejeweled in a while (or somehow missed that craze), download Candy Crush Saga for free and whip it out the next time you have five minutes to kill.

 

Carcassonne

$9.99
At $10, Carcassonne is one of the more expensive iPhone game apps you can buy, but many players will be glad to spend the money on this digital version of a German-style board game. In this social game, you lay tiles and game pieces on a virtual board to build up a medieval landscape. The goal is to own completed developments, like cities, farms, and roads. But unlike that other property-ownership game, Monopoly, Carcassonne is actually fun, thought-provoking, and not too heavily reliant on luck.

 

Crossy Road   Free Crossy Road’s gameplay is nothing new. It’s just Frogger. Its central joke, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” is even older. But none of that stopped Crossy Road from being one of 2014’s breakout iOS hits. Helping a poor animal avoid busy traffic is a great premise for an endless action game. Elegant social features encourage friendly competitions for high scores without obnoxiously interrupting the single player experience. Plus, who can resist the charm of a world and characters made entirely of colorful cubes?

 

Cut the Rope   99 cents Family-friendly Cut the Rope is a casual game that has you solving an obstacle course in each level with simple physics. The name comes from the core game mechanic: A piece of candy swings from ropes that you cut by swiping your finger through them at the right moment. Slice the rope, and the candy drops. Timing is everything, as the goal is to get the candy to a monster that is waiting somewhere else on the level.

 

Desert Golfing

$1.99
Desert Golfing is the sports game for the fatalist in us all. In this endless expanse of brown, pixelated desert, there’s nothing but a ball and a hole. Dragging on the screen putts the ball toward the hole, and the controls provide a surprising amount of influence over the physics. But no matter how under par you get, there’s no celebration, only another hole. This continues until the game becomes literally impossible, like life.

 

Doodle Jump   99 cents Quirky and lovable, Doodle Jump is a fairly simple action game. A springy little creature called “Doodle the Doodler” bounces—all the time—and it’s your job to make sure he lands on a firm platform every time he jumps. As he bounces, you guide him up through each level of the game. Tilt your iPhone, and he’ll sway left or right with each successive bounce.

 

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Free
Blizzard may not make a ton of games, but the games they do make always have an impact. Starcraft turned real-time strategy into a televised sport. World of Warcraft created a massively multiplayer online world that’s arguably better than the real world. Now, the Warcraft spin-off Hearthstone is proving that a virtual trading-card game can be arguably better than real-world card games. Even if you’ve never built a deck or played a single session of WoW, Hearthstone will still draw you in with its complex but approachable card battling system and not-horrible free-to-play features.

 

Hitman Go

$4.99
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 much this slick series of strategy board games makes moving figures on a flat surface feel like sneakily murdering people.

 

Infinity Blade II

$6.99
Fighting games don’t always work well on a mobile device, but Infinity Blade does, and sequel Infinity Blade II is even better. The gist of this swords-heavy combat game is you battle enemies and pick up gold that you find. Infinity Blade II also comes with a decent story line, so you learn about your hardened character and why he is a swordsman as you play. With great artwork, scenery, and levels, this game is one that all video game-loving iPhone owners should download. After the disappointing Infinity Blade III, this second installment remains the peak of the series.

 

Leo’s Fortune

$4.99
The perilous platforming challenges of Leo’s Fortune are so great they rival console classics like Rayman and Donkey Kong. Instead of running and jumping, players take on the role of a sentient pile of fuzz named Leo with the power to inflate and deflate himself on command. Looping levels force Leo to carefully control his momentum and size to solve puzzles and escape danger. If that’s not enough, Leo’s constant grandfatherly narration and the game’s overall old-world atmosphere never cease to delight.—Next: Games Minecraft-Sword & Sworcery

 

Minecraft – Pocket Edition

$6.99
Fans of the hit game Minecraft—which is also available on Android, Windows, and Xbox 360—will have no problem shelling out seven bucks for this iPhone app. Gameplay blends creativity with strategy. It’s a 3D sandbox-building game in which you place blocks made of different kinds of materials to build anything you want. And the object is to survive when monsters land on the scene. The game has three modes: survival, hardcore, and creative. The survival and hardcore modes are more game-like than creative mode, which is all about giving the player complete freedom of invention. Because it is a creative game, its limitations can lead to amazing creative breakthroughs, and the updates keep the game fresh.

 

Monument Valley       $0.99 Monument Valley is a lot more than just that weird mobile game you saw on season three of “House of Cards.” It’s also a puzzle game that’s as beautiful as it is brain teasing. Players guide the tiny princess Ida as she attempts to ascend various abstract structures. The constant focus on optical illusions and M.C. Escher-inspired architecture means you’ll be staring at these puzzles for a while before cracking them. But the dreamy landscapes are so pleasing you’ll want to keep staring at them.

 

N.O.V.A. 3 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance

$6.99
N.O.V.A. 3 isthe sci-fi FPS mobile game. In this space shooter with a deep and complicated storyline, you save humankind by returning to Earth after a long exile to fight enemies who have taken over. With multiplayer modes and more action than a Michael Bay film, N.O.V.A. 3 is one intense game.

 

Plants vs. Zombies

$2.99
After Angry Birds, a strong contender for the most beloved iPhone game is Plants vs. Zombies. Part action game and part tower defense game, Plants vs. Zombies gets players strategizing about how they’ll ward off zombies using different kinds of greenery, with different properties and undead-repelling powers. For a zombie title, the game is actually quite lighthearted—I might even call it cute. Thetime travelling sequel nearly ruined the franchise with its obnoxious use of microtransactions. So the original is the only PvZ you need.

 

Real Racing 3

Free
Simulation racing games like Gran Turismo and Forza are beloved on their respective consoles. The Real Racing series has been fulfilling that same need for speed on iOS for years. Real Racing 3, the most recent entry, caused a bit of a controversy with its shift from a paid model to a potentially exploitative free-to-play model full of in-app purchases. But the results were far from disastrous, and the racing has never been realer.

 

Ridiculous Fishing       $2.99 What’s a ridiculous way to fish? How about hooking dozens of sea creatures, launching them into the sky, and blasting them all with a shotgun? It’s a pretty fun way to fish, too, if this iOS game is any proof. Like non-ridiculous fishing, there’s a lot here to master. Weaving your hook through fish takes skill, as does annihilating them in the most efficient way possible. Various upgrades add even more depth. So grab your iPhone/fishing rod and take to the stylish, ridiculous, high seas.

 

Space Invaders Infinity Gene   $4.99 In many ways, the Wild West App Store gaming scene resembles the classic arcade era that gave birth to video games. So it feels appropriate that the nearly 40-year-old Space Invaders franchise feels so vibrant and virile in this iOS update. Trippy visuals, evolving weapons, and levels crafted from your own music library show that this gaming veteran still has some fight in it.

 

Spaceteam       $6.99 Too often, using a smartphone is an isolated experience. What makes Spaceteam so wonderful is how it turns your phone in a gateway for incredible, in-person socializing. You and your friends connect over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to become crew members on a spaceship. As the voyage continues ship parts start to break down and only certain people can fix them. So to keep the space team together, everyone must shout wacky instructions to each other while listening for their own commands. Any game that gets grown folks to scream “Set Stunhoist to three!” is a game worth checking out.

 

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor

$2.99
Part of what makes the game Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor interesting is that it looks like your average casual game, but it’s actually quite hard to master. You play as a spider that has to weave webs to catch insects to feed. There’s a larger story arc behind the game—you discover an abandoned mansion and try to learn why it’s empty—but the gameplay mechanics require a good amount of focus and concentration. It’s a real delight for more serious game players who might otherwise skip this seemingly casual title.

 

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

$4.99
From indie developers Capybara Games (who also made Might & Magic), Sword & Sworcery is an exploratory action-adventure game, made more interesting due to an original audiovisual style. It’s downright dreamy. With your sword in hand, you battle enemies and call upon your sworcery skills to solve mysteries. But the real appeal is how well the three different aesthetics—music, visuals, and game design—blend. —Next: Games: Temple Run 2-Year Walk

 

Temple Run 2       Free In this sequel to the original platformer Temple Run, you play as an Indiana Jones-esque character who dashes through a jungle. The game mechanics are surprisingly simple. All you, the player, do is make your running character turn corners, jump, and swing when the time is right to avoid obstacles while he’s running. Temple Run was a smashing success when it first debuted in 2011, and the sequel has seen just as much adoration for being an entertaining and thrilling game designed for mobile play.

 

Threes!   $1.99 Cloning popular games is a huge problem on the App Store. If you need a tragic example, just look at Threes! This adorable, endlessly addictive puzzle game, where players swipe multiples of threes together to earn higher scores, is arguably the greatest iPhone game to date. And yet more people continue choosing to play its inferior, free knockoff 2048 instead. This is your chance to atone. Recognize true greatness. Play Threes!

 

Tiny Wings

99 cents
Captivating in its beauty, simple in its graphics, and charming in its premise, Tiny Wings is an undeniably appealing game to casual mobile fanatics. This side-scrolling game centers on a bird whose tiny wings prevent it from flying—but if the bird builds momentum by sliding down hills, it can soar, if momentarily. You control the bird and keep it moving forward with bursts of short-lived flight, while also catching stars for power points and trying to reach the end of each level before nightfall. Take wing with this adorable and inexpensive game. You won’t be disappointed.

 

TouchTone   $2.99 TouchTone is a game about a government agent hacking innocent phones to spy on suspicious people. Given our current security climate, it’s less of a game and more like an interactive documentary. TouchTone’s devious data puzzles eventually become so difficult you’ll feel like an actual black hat after solving them. The thick conspiracy atmosphere and intriguing emergent narrative add to the game’s contemporary relevance.

 

Vainglory

Free
MOBAs, or “Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas,” are some of the biggest, most profitable games around. Just look up how much money a professional Dota 2 or League of Legends player can earn. But even if you aren’t a hardcore competitor, the genre still has plenty of strategic fun to offer. Vainglory features familiar MOBA tropes, like colorful characters to master and intricate maps to learn, with a touch-friendly control scheme perfect for newcomers. Plus, it’s one of the most beautiful iOS games thanks to its use of the Metal API.

 

Words With Friends   $2.99 Scrabble players know Words with Friends as the digital knock-off of that trademarked game that everyone plays because everyone else is already playing it, too, despite Scrabble now having its own mobile game app. Words with Friends attracted its user base first, through a Facebook app in addition to its mobile apps, making it the more popular option. However you view it, it’s a fantastic game for wordsmiths, even if the app itself can be sluggish at times. You can play asynchronously or in real time with an opponent of your choosing or a random player. Because the game also integrates with Facebook, you can challenge friends to a game even if they don’t have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

 

World of Goo

$2.99
World of Goo is one of the most stylized (think Tim Burton, Danny Elfman) and cerebral games I’ve ever played. The gameplay involves building web-like structures out of little, living gobs of goo that are prone to instability. Playing it on the Nintendo Wii is addictive yet maddening because it requires very steady hand control. On the iPhone, the game is even more enjoyable because you can use your fingers right on the screen to pull the goo gobs into shape. For $2 more, you can get World of Goo HD ($4.99), which makes the game accessible on the iPad and has richer graphics.

 

Writer Rumble   Free We’ve already seen what happens when superheroes fight each other, but what about classic authors? Writer Rumbles pits literary giants like Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft against each other in a battle of words and wills. Writer Rumble’s spelling gameplay is basically just Scrabble, but putting that formula in a pseudo-fighting game context makes it both funnier and almost new again. The pen is mightier than the sword.

 

XCOM: Enemy Within

$9.99
XCOM: Enemy Unknownrebooted the classic strategy game franchise and wound up being one of the finest games of 2013. Since methodically paced tactical games are a great fit on iOS, the iPhone version of Enemy Unknown was fantastic as well. XCOM: Enemy Within takes all that was great in Enemy Unknown and enriches it with new features like extra side missions and enemy types. It’s the best version of an already-phenomenal game and definitely worth picking up if you’re a hardcore iPhone gamer.

 

Year Walk

$3.99
In this iOS-only game, you take the role of a young Swedish man who wants to see the future. To do so, you must walk from your home at the stroke of midnight to the local church, encountering strange creatures and visions along the way. The game is ostensibly a point-and-tap adventure puzzler, but the emphasis is on mood and atmosphere, making it feel like more of a journey than a game. We highly recommend this one.