Below are the 70 best iPhone games sorted by their overall rating. Click on the review link to read the review. Click on the download link to launch in iTunes (the game will not download until you select “buy” in iTunes). Ratings of games may change as the general quality of games in the App Store improves over time.
| Picture | Name | Rating | Price | Description | Download |
 |
Fieldrunners | 9.2 | $2.99 | Tower defense game with impressive graphics, addictive gameplay, and frustration-free controls. A game perfectly designed for the iPhone. Full Review. |  |
 |
ZenBound | 9.1 | $2.99 | Innovative game. Wrap string around objects, covering them with paint. Move on to the next object when you cover enough of the object. Full review. | |
 |
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | 9.0 | $9.99 | The modern classic ported to the iPhone. A huge game with an entire city to explore and many quests. Full review. | |
 |
Sims 3 | 9.0 | $6.99 | The classic life-simulator game perfectly ported to the iPhone. Gameplay is deep with many minigames included. Excellent graphics and responsive controls. Full Review. | |
 |
N.O.V.A. | 9.0 | $4.99 | A HALO-esque first-person shooter. The best FPS available on the iPhone. Full review. | |
 |
Canabalt | 9.0 | $2.99 | Intense and beautiful action game. Run across rooftops, jump over obstacles. Just don’t stumble. Full revew. | |
 |
Flight Control | 8.9 | $0.99 | A fun air traffic control game. Land planes by tracing their paths to the runway. Avoid running into other planes. When the sky gets busy, it takes a cool head to land the planes safely. Full Review. | |
 |
The Simpsons: Arcade | 8.9 | $4.99 | An iPhone rewrite of the classic arcade cabinet game. Fun (and funny). A genuine Simpsons experience with real voice acting and sound effects from the show. A solid fighting sidescroller as well. Full review. | |
 |
Peggle | 8.8 | $4.99 | Classic casual puzzle game. Clear the orange pegs by launching your pinball. A combination of luck and skill along with many gameplay twists keeps things interesting. Game gets better the more you play. Full review. | |
 |
Plants vs. Zombies | 8.7 | $2.99 | Whimsical tower defense game ported to the iPhone. Was previously a successful desktop computer game. Full review. | |
 |
Frenzic | 8.7 | $2.99 | A fast-paced, addictive puzzler. Fill the circles with pie-shaped pieces, get an extra life for matching the same color. The pace of the game slowly increases, requiring quick fingers and even quicker wits. Perfect for mobile play. Full Review. | |
 |
geoDefense Swarm | 8.6 | $0.99 | The most pure tower defense game on the iPhone. Neon color-popping graphics, challenging levels for the experience tower defense addict. Full Review. | |
 |
Sword & Poker | 8.5 | $3.99 | Casual strategy game that combines poker with an RPG. Layers of strategy and fun gameplay make it an excellent game. Full review. | |
 |
iDracula | 8.5 | $0.99 | Intensive survival game with hellishly beautiful graphics. Stay alive by slaughtering wave after wave of attacking monsters. Upgrade your weapons, refresh your health. Well-designed and never dull. Full Review. | |
 |
Space Invaders: Infinity Gene | 8.5 | $4.99 | The next-generation Space Invaders game designed specifically for the iPhone. Fast-paced with surprising game twists the farther into the game you go. Full Review. | |
 |
Rolando 2 | 8.4 | $4.99 | The sequel to the iPhone classic ups the ante. Roll yourself through this platform puzzler, think in ways you’ve never thougt before to finish the game. Full review | |
 |
Zenonia | 8.4 | $2.99 | Fantasy RPG with deep, epic gameplay more reminiscent of a console than a mobile phone. Don’t let the cartoony graphics or the awkward-at-first controls fool you, Zenonia is epic. Full Review. | |
 |
Castle of Magic | 8.2 | $1.99 | The Mario of the iPhone. Well-designed platformer with beautiful graphics. Full Review. | |
 |
Catan | 8.2 | $3.99 | The globally popular board game now on the iPhone. New to Catan? This is the perfect introduction. Full Review. | |
 |
Chop Sushi | 8.1 | $2.99 | Quirky match 3 game. Defeat your opponent by matching sushi. Learn new recipes and gain new powers—be careful though, opponents can sometimes use them against you. Funny and strategic. Full Review. | |
 |
Bubble Bash | 8.1 | $0.99 | Bubble-popping classic. Casual gameplay is perfect for mobile play. A visual and audio treat. Full Review. | |
 |
Need for Speed Undercover | 8.0 | $4.99 | Intense driving game with high production values. Cut scenes you actually want to watch. Full Review. | |
 |
Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D | 8.0 | $0.99 | Stack’em game. Build buildings a piece at a time by dropping them from a swinging crane. The more accurate, the higher you can go. Whimsical gameplay, beautiful graphics and music. Full Review. | |
 |
Let’s Golf | 8.0 | $1.99 | Cartoonish golf game with spot-on controls perfect for the iPhone. Fun yet challenging, the uptempo play makes it perfect for mobile play. Full Review. | |
 |
Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor | 8.0 | $2.99 | Unique gameplay makes this well-designed puzzle an instant classic. Control a spider with a flick of your finger. Build webs, catch insects, and discover the secret of Bryce Manor. Full Review. | |
 |
WordFu Plus+ | 8.0 | Free | Word game with an uptempo kung-fu style. Create words from letters rolled on dice, use various powers to extend the game. Full Review. | |
 |
I Dig It | 8.0 | $0.99 | Addictive Dig Dug-like game. Drill deep into the earth, recover lost treasures and upgrade your machine to go even deeper. Just don’t go too deep or you’ll never make it back to the surface. Full Review. | |
 |
Rolando | 8.0 | $2.99 | Unique platformer that takes advantage of the iPhone’s multitouch and accelerometers. Roll the characters to the end of each level by solving obstacles and puzzles. Full Review. | |
 |
MotionX Poker Quest | 8.0 | $2.99 | Poker dice game with tons of unlockable dice and treasures. Perfect for casual gamers, it turns poker into an uptempo game. Full Review. | |
 |
Sally’s Spa | 7.9 | $1.99 | Run your own spa! A fun time-management game loved by Megan Fox. Upgrade your spa, hire help, and open stores around the world. Full Review. | |
 |
Assassin’s Creed 2 Discovery | 7.9 | $6.99 | Solid sidescroller that rewards silent cunning more than brutality. Excellent graphics that challenge the iPhone hardware. Full Review. | |
 |
Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition | 7.9 | $7.99 | The classic point-and-lick adventure ported to the iPhone. All the laughs but below average controls. Full Review. | |
 |
Wurdle | 7.9 | $1.99 | Boggle-like word game. Make words from scrambled letters by tracing your finger over them. Well-designed with many options including many different tile sets to choose from. Full Review. | |
 |
Sway | 7.8 | $4.99 | Colorful physics-based puzzle game with innovative controls where each half of the screen corresponds to the main character’s hands. Fun and challenging. Full review. | |
 |
Space Miner | 7.8 | $4.99 | Mine asteroids, upgrade your ship. Well-designed and funny. Full review. | |
 |
Eliss | 7.8 | $2.99 | Unique puzzle game. Grow or shrink planets so that can be swallowed by black holes. Full review | |
 |
FIFA 10 | 7.8 | $6.99 | Immense soccer game with 12,620 real players from 30 leagues and 570 teams. Impressive graphics and fully licensed. Full Review. | |
 |
iFighter | 7.8 | $0.99 | WWII airplane fighting game on rails. Slick graphics and challenging gameplay. Full Review. | |
 |
Glyder | 7.8 | $1.99 | Beautiful 3D flying game with an immense game world. Collect gems by maneuvering around tricky obstacles. No time limits or character deaths make for a tranquil yet challenging gaming experience. Full Review. | |
 |
Asphalt 5 | 7.7 | $6.99 | Racing game with impressive graphics. Win money, upgrade your car, unlock new cars and even girls. Fast, crazy, and fun. Full Review. | |
 |
Flick Fishing | 7.7 | $0.99 | Fun casual fishing game. Flick the iPhone forward to cast your line, trace your finger clockwise to reel in the fish. Don’t reel in too fast, else the big one will get away. Full Review. | |
 |
Dungeon Hunter | 7.7 | $6.99 | Hack-n-slash RPG with wicked, eye-popping graphics. A variety of spells and skills keep the game interesting along with humorous dialogue. Full Review. | |
 |
Hell’s Kitchen | 7.7 | $2.99 | Attempt to please celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in this kitchen time management game. Juggle keeping impatient customers happy with combining ingredients and cooking multiple food dishes at the same time. Keep the food from sitting too long, else Ramsay will call you a donkey. Full Review. | |
 |
Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes | 7.7 | $4.99 | WWII fighting game with realistic missions. Take out snipers, toss grenades into tanks, and drive jeeps. Tons of missions in a variety of enivornments. Well-rounded and fun. Full Review. | |
 |
Scrabble | 7.7 | $4.99 | The classic board game perfectly ported to the iPhone. Full Review. | |
 |
LightBikes | 7.6 | $0.99 | Reminiscent of TRON. Make split-second decisions, try to get the other lightbikes to crash into your trailing wall. Game keeps you on the edge of your seat. Full Review. | |
 |
Lux Touch | 7.6 | Free | A well-designed Risk board-game clone. Build up armies, attack and defend territories in an attempt to take over the world. Full Review. | |
 |
Hook Champ | 7.6 | $2.99 | A swinging Indiana Jones-like platformer. Use your hook to outdistance your enemies. Collect powerups and treasure. A retro masterpiece. Full Review. | |
 |
Galcon Lite | 7.6 | Free | A Risk-like game set in space. Attempt tp conquer the galaxy by launching swarms of ships and capturing plants.Full Review. | |
 |
Ivory Tiles | 7.5 | $0.99 | A unique 3D puzzle game. Slide tiles around a board using the iPhone’s accelerometers. All tiles must land in designated spots. Plenty of game twists to keep things interesting. Full Review. | |
 |
Blades of Fury | 7.5 | $4.99 | Beautiful fighting game reminiscent of Soul Calibur. Full Review. | |
 |
Rock Band | 7.5 | $6.99 | Rock out to your favorite songs in this musical game. The modern console classic available in this iPhone port. Full Review. | |
 |
Playman Track & Field | 7.4 | $0.99 | Compete in 5 track & field events in this well-designed and good-looking sports title. A fun little casual gem. Full Review. | |
 |
Touchgrind | 7.4 | $4.99 | A challenging skateboarding simulator. Train your fingers to perform skateboarding tricks and combinations. Spend points on new boards. Full Review. | |
 |
Tiger Woods PGA Tour | 7.4 | $4.99 | EA’s excellent golfing simulator. Full Review. | |
 |
Shooter | 7.3 | $0.99 | A solid sniper shooter based on the movie of the same name. Surprisingly long and deep game. Full Review. | |
 |
Battle Bears | 7.3 | $0.99 | Humorous first-person shooter/survival game. Fend off waves of teddy bears trying to hug you. Great animations and whimsical gameplay. Full Review. | |
 |
Connect 4 | 7.3 | $2.99 | The classic board in a well-designed port to the iPhone. Full Review. | |
 |
Chicktionary | 7.2 | $1.99 | A Boggle-like word game with a chicken theme. Make words from scrambled letters. Cute graphics. Full Review. | |
 |
Heavy Mach | 7.2 | $0.99 | Futuristic tank platformer with beautifully dark sci-fi graphics. Full Review. | |
 |
3D Brick Breaker Revolution | 7.1 | $2.99 | A 3D twist on the classic brick-breaking formula. Use paddle and ball to clear bricks, travel up and down levels by removing doors. Collect powerups. Full Review. | |
 |
Snail Mail | 7.1 | $1.99 | Unique racer. Keep your snail on the path while dodging bullets, jumping ramps, and navigating obstacles. Fast-paced fun that uses the iPhone’s accelerometers. Full Review. | |
 |
Cartoon Wars | 7.1 | $0.99 | Fun survival game. Use various weapons to survive wave after wave of attackers. Full Review. | |
 |
Jelly Car | 7.1 | $0.99 | Unique puzzler with whimsical physics. Guide your floppy, jelly-like car through the various levels, overcoming obstacles. Full Review. | |
 |
Bejeweled 2 | 7.0 | $2.99 | King of the match 3 games. A casual-gaming classic perfect for the iPhone’s interface. Full Review. | |
 |
Skee-Ball | 7.0 | $0.99 | The carnival game works surprisingly well as an iPhone game. Win tickets, spend them on prizes. A fun casual game. Full Review. | |
 |
Star Wars Trench Run | 7.0 | $4.99 | Take the seat if Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing as he navigates the trenches of the Death Star. Features John William’s legendary score. Full Review. | |
 |
Word Jolt | 7.0 | $0.99 | Combines word forming from random letters with a Tetris-like race to remove letters from the board. A twist on a classic word game formula. Full Review. | |
 |
Lexel | 7.0 | $0.99 | Trace words from letters in this space-themed Boggle clone. Full Review. | |
 |
Eliminate Pro | 7.0 | Free | Multiplayer first-person shooter set in space. Upgrade your weapons and armor and get a leg up on your online enemies. Full Review. | |
Other Best iPhone Games lists:
Gizmodo “The 53 Best iPhone Games”
AppEra “Top 50 iPhone Games 2009″
PCWorld “10 iPhone Games You Gotta Have”
PCMag “11 Must-Have iPhone Games”
PocketGamer “Top 10 Best iPhone Games”
Wired.com “10 iPhone Games You Must Own”
TechRadar “10 Best iPhone Games for Hardcore Gamers”
Kotaku “Best iPhone Games of 2009″
Gamasutra “Best of 2009: Top 5 iPhone Games”
Telegraph “The 10 Best iPhone Games”
#1 by Saffa on December 3rd, 2009
Quote
It’s a real pitty that almost none [of the good] games are available on the South African App store. I’ve tried more than a couple on this list and they are not there. Seems Apple [and the game makers/distributors] only value european and US customers.
It’s a shame really, because the rest of the world never hesitates to take things from africa if they can gain from it [think resources].
#2 by David Whatley on January 3rd, 2010
Quote
The problem is that South African has laws that prevent games from being sold without passing some approval mechanism by the government.
So Apple’s solution is to just not have the games category in the SA App store. The reason some do show up is because they list themselves in Entertainment. But Apple prevents you from being in both Games and Entertainment for some odd reason (perhaps related).
It’s not the dev’s fault!
– David
(author of geoDefense Swarm on this list)
#3 by Saffa on January 3rd, 2010
Quote
Sorry mate, but you are wrong. You are implying censorship and I can assure you that South Africa is a free country.
I would rather suggest that it’s something a lot more sinister, as I said in my first post. Though apart from ignorance maybe it’s not the dev’s fault directly, maybe as you say it lies more with apple.
Case in point, we can’t buy from the iTunes store either, but there are other online music stores available though and every once in a while there is a newspaper article about the big guys complaining that we can buy the music cheaper on those sites than we can buy them locally and that hurts their local business. Here’s a thought, maybe align the prices a little better?
Being a programmer myself, apart from free time and maybe a fresh idea or two, nothing stops me from coding a game and releasing it to the public in South Africa! I’ve NEVER heard of any programmer that was prevented from releasing something just because he didn’t get it approved! I wouldn’t even know how to get it approved!
I recon someone at Apple fed you a bunch of bullocks. Those are probably the very same people who believe that we roam the streets with lions and zebras and that we hunt with spears on a daily basis.
#4 by richie on January 5th, 2010
Quote
i think ure south africa case juz like me in indonesia..
law….. privacy… etc.
#5 by Saffa on January 10th, 2010
Quote
Well, if that were so, why can we buy other applications from the App Store, but we can’t buy games?