1. Order & Chaos Online ($6.99) is the most popular massively multiplayer RPG on the iOS platform, and it beautifully fills out all 4-inches of the iPhone 5 screen. Not only that, but the iPhone 5’s LTE means you can now play World of Warcraft, oops, I mean Order & Chaos, practically anywhere. Quest, trade, and collect equipment, join guilds—explore the huge world and grind your way to a powerful character.
2. Galaxy on Fire 2 HD ($4.99) is a space-adventure game that beautifully fills out the iPhone 5’s screen like few others. The game is equal parts fast-paced flight combat and slow-paced strategy and spaceship building and management. A truly massive world to explore with deep gameplay, iCloud support, and professional voice-acting.
3. Phoenix HD (free) is a spaceship-on-rails bullet dodger that delivers 60 frames per second of beautiful chaos. I admit, I don’t know what the hell is going on half the time in this game. The object is not so much to avoid all bullets but to fly where there aren’t so many. Being free is a nice touch, although there are some in-app purchases as well.
4. Pinball Crystal Caliburn II ($3.99) is a realistic pinball machine with three dimensional ramps. It’s pinball at its finest—learn the board, hit the sweet spots, make love to the multi-ball. Rack up a high score on this beautiful pinball simulator.
5. The Dark Knight Rises’ ($6.99) storyline is based on the 3rd and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s excellent trilogy, but its gameplay style borrows heavily from the popular Batman Arkham console game (I guess you could say its developer, Gameloft, is the Samsung of iOS gaming). Beat up thugs, discover a vast array of Batman tool ands weapons, and utilize the dark of the night to sneak up on your enemies. A beautiful game that stays true to the modern Batman aesthetic.
6. Wild Blood ($6.99) uses the Unreal Engine to create a stunning medieval RPG/hack-and-slash game. The story revolves around a battle between Sir Lancelot and a jealous King Arthur. It seems ol’ Lancelot has been pimpin on Queen Guinevere. You control Lancelot as he hacks his way to save her. Collect gold and upgrade your weapons. This one even features online multiplayer. Push your iPhone 5’s graphics to the limits and watch it explode!
7. The Amazing Spider-Man ($6.99) is a fighting adventure game that follows the storyline of the 2012 hit movie. A combination of free roaming, structured quests, and RPG elements keep the game compelling from beginning to end. And the end is where you’ll meet the Lizard. Can you save that blonde hottie Gwen Stacy? I know I can, if you know what I mean. Bow wow wow!
8. Asphalt 7 ($0.99) is a racing game with stunning sharp graphics. Race on 15 tracks based in real-world locations like Hawaii, Paris, London, Miami and Rio. Unlock and race 60 brand-name cars. Go online for multiplayer that supports up to 5 racers at a time. Here’s another game that pushes the iPhone 5’s graphics to its limits.
9. Temple Run (free) is an endless running game that is quite addictive. And quite popular too. How long can you leap, slide, and juke your way along the neverending stone path? This game, with its pursuing apes, makes no sense to me, but it’s fun. And it’s free.
10. God of Blades ($2.99) is a hack-and-slash game with stunning visuals and themes that harken back to the covers of fantasy novels from the 70’s. Sword slashing is the name of the game here. Upgrade your blades to take on more powerful villains. Drink in the gorgeous world and the beautiful soundtrack.
11. Sky Gamblers ($2.99) is a air combat game with a realistic look but an arcade dogfighting style. Play through the campaign or test your skills in Dogfight Missions, Survival mode, Free for All, etc. There’s even online multiplayer to establish whether your Maverick, the Ice Man, or Kelly McGillis.
12. Slingshot Racing ($0.99) is a unique racing game designed exclusively for the iPhone’s touchscreen. Use your car’s grappling hook to swing around corners and pick up speed. Play through career mode and 80 different races, or go online to test out your driving skills against random strangers.
13. Final Freeway 2R ($0.99) is a homage to the classic arcade racer Outrun. Race your red convertible through 13 different environments. Just don’t crash, else you’ll flip the car and spill the hot blonde riding shotgun. An inexpensive yet addictive game that fills out the iPhone 5’s screen with retro racing goodness.
14. The Bard’s Tale ($4.99) is the classic humorous RPG game ported onto the iPhone platform. This game is huge, it weighs in at 1.3 GB in size! Bard’s Tale features a funny storyline that keeps things interesting throughout the entire game. It even features voice-acting from the actor who played Westley in Princess Bride (Cary Elwes).
15. Blast Away ($4.99) is a physics 3D puzzler. Guide your robots to the exits using various bombs as your tools. A clever and unique game.
16. Paper Monsters ($2.99) is one of the best platformers for the iPhone/iPad, unabashedly borrowing a lot from the world of Super Mario. And it’s a gorgeous game to boot.
17. Beast Boxing 3D ($0.99) is a boxing game with controls friendly to the iPhone platform. You play a human who sneaks into a beasts-only boxing league. Fight your way through 8 opponents, each with their own unique style (think classic Mike Tyson/Nintendo boxing style). This game’s got some really good graphics and animations as well.
18. Doodle Jump ($0.99) is the iPhone classic stretched to filled out the iPhone 5’s screen. Jump ever upward and use the various boosts to quicken your journey. How high can you go?
19. Vs. Racing 2 ($0.99) is a top-down racing game with a straightforward arcade racing style. Progress through 36 tracks and 3 different cars, each with unique handling, upgrades and pimping.
20. Squids Wild West ($1.99) is a unique game where you sling around squids and other various underwater creatures by their tentacles, taking out bad guys in a wild-west setting under the sea. Cute, relaxing, yet challenging. And it fills up the iPhone 5’s screen, and that’s the whole damn point of this list.
Backstab ($6.99) is an adventure game that plays much like Assassin’s Creed except set in the Pirates of the Caribbean. You control Henry Blake, a British military officer who gets caught on the wrong side of a frame up. His life ruined, Henry sets out for some bloody justice. Along the way you’ll run your sword through quiet a few chests and leap across many rooftops. The game also throws quiet a few bizarre twists at you, including fights with zombies, performing tasks for the favors of large-breasted women, and curing diseases. It’s an epic game with professional voice acting and 3D world environments.
Final Fantasy III ($15.99) is the updated 2006 Nintendo DS version of the RPG classic ported beautifully to the iPhone. Control a 4-member party as they, what else, attempt to save the world from a great evil. FFIII’s gameplay is unique in that you can switch the class of any character during the game (once the switch feature is unlocked). There are over 20 classes to choose from, starting at the typical warrior and mage and including more rare D&D classes like bards and sages. This is an RPG by the masters of RPG game design. Be warned though, Final Fantasy III is an immensely challenging game.
Icebreaker Hockey ($0.99) is a game dedicated to the breakaway in hockey, meaning you control a player on perpetual offense trying to put the puck in goal and achieve style points by scoring from within certain zones. You can even score points for the occasional showboating. How are your air guitar skills? The game is fast-paced sports fun and filled with achievements that add replay value. If you liked Homerun Battle 3D, you’ll like this one as well. The simplistic control scheme is perfect for casual gameplay.
First Touch Soccer ($1.99) is not only the best-looking soccer game on the iPhone, it’s also the best realism-based soccer iPhone game period. The game allows you to select from over 250 club teams and play in 30 competitions and 7 different game modes. A Dream Team mode allows you to earn cash from victories and assemble a dream team of players from the present and the past. The game’s excellent AI keeps thing challenging over time. The replay system lets you rewatch your best moves and even upload them to YouTube.
Zombie Gunship ($0.99) puts you in the gunner’s chair of an AC-130 military plane as it attempts to prevent waves of zombies from reaching a bunker. If one zombie makes it, the bunker door automatically closes, and it’s game over. You view the scenery below via night vision goggles that supply the black-and-white visuals and which add an element of challenge. You can upgrade your weapons over time to improve your zombie blasting abilities, just don’t take out too many civilians as well, or you’ll be forced to abort your mission.
Legendary Wars ($0.99) sets two castles against each other. The object is to build and send forth troops from your castle in an attempt to destroy the other castle while also protecting yours. Castle defense is a popular genre in the App Store, and Legendary Wars distinguishes itself with a three-lane battlefield system that requires a level of micromanagement that keeps things challenging. Things get even more complex when the variety of troops available increases. The game’s sense of humor never lets things get too serious though.
NBA Jam ($0.99) is the classic arcade sports title that works surprisingly well on the iPhone. Its over-the-top actions don’t require the precise control of a physical joystick, and its less-than-serious tone fits perfect with the iPhone’s casual-gaming strengths. Each team features several NBA players, so you can substitute Joakim Noah for Carlos Boozer to start alongside Derrick Rose, if you so choose. A campaign mode allows you to unlock players from the past and introduce new style uniforms and basketballs to the game.
Death Rally ($0.99) is a top-down racer with heavy elements of combat. As you race, you shoot at fellow racers with a machine gun and a second weapon of your choice. Prize money is earned for each race depending on how high in the rankings you finish and by how many cars you destroy and other factors. The cash can be used to upgrade the various attributes of your car. Along the way, you’ll also unlock new cars and weapons. The game features sharp graphics that take advantage of the Retina Display. The developer promises to add online multiplayer soon.
Tiny Tower (free) lets you build a skyscraper floor by floor and direct the lives of the people who live in it. The charm of the game comes with the tenants who occupy the various floors. Each has a distinct personality that you must try to match with a dream job at a business in the building. There are dozens of businesses you can create for your tenants, including laundromats, soda fountains, arcades, sushi restaurants, etc. It’s a freemium title, so the developers try to encourage you to spend real money to speed up otherwise slow tasks like building new floors, but you don’t have to spend money to have fun. Like other popular freemium titles, this is a game to be enjoyed over time as you watch the fruits of your labor grow.
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer ($4.99, universal) is a fantasy-based card game that, in turn, is based on a real-life card game of the same name. The basics work like this: players start with the same 10 cards, and as the game progresses, resources are strategically spent on new cards. Cards are used to battle against creatures, and with victory comes victory points. Whoever has the most victory points at the end of the game wins. Because the game has existed as a real card game for a while, there is a lot of help available online on how to play.
9mm ($6.99) is a violent third-person shooter game. It has a rare age-restriction of 17+ in the App Store for sexual content, violence, and drugs and alcohol—all the good things in life! You play Jon Kannon, a detective gone bad who is battling local gangs. It’s not a complete open-world game like Grand Theft Auto, rather you are guided through the game via missions. 9mm features several hours of gameplay in all, including several difficulty levels, which add replay value. With nice cut scenes, plenty of guns, and even an online multiplayer mode (take on up to 12 strangers in an all-out gang ware), 9mm is an excellent adults-only crime game.
Angry Birds Rio ($0.99) is a sequel to what has become not just a game but a cultural phenomenon. Rio contains 135 levels split into 4 episodes. The classic gameplay is preserved here— you’re still launching birds to knockdown structures, except this time you’re trying to break fellow birds out of cages instead of destroying evil pigs within the structures. There is a tie-in with the movie Rio where once you defeat the initial set of stages, you unlock two macaws who were characters in the movie. As you progress to new episodes, the games throws new twists at you like interfering monkeys and even boss battles. There is also a ton of hidden content to find and/or unlock, which gives the game replay value. With Rio, the Angry Birds franchise continues its roll.
Reckless Getaway ($2.99, universal) is a fun, fast-paced driving game with loose physics. The object of the game is to evade police pursuit all the way through 16 levels. There is no brake or gas pedal, so your only task is to steer the car through the various obstacles. Besides dodging and outrunning the police cars, your other goal is to earn points by collecting coins, performing jumps scattered about the courses, and completing other various tasks. As you gain points, you fill up 4 stars that measure your performance for each level. While surviving the police pursuit is the somewhat easy part of the game, it’s the earning of the 4 stars that gives the game a lot of replay value.
World of Goo ($4.99) is a quirky physics puzzler that has been a hit across many different platforms. The object is to stretch pieces of goo and build elastic structures so that the goo can travel along it and into a pipe. Other obstacles like balloons and windmills need to be factored in order to solve each level. Experimenting with the gooey physics and seeing what the limitations of the pieces are is part of the fun and vital to the problem solving. The game achieves that perfect balance of not-too-hard, not-to-easy puzzle difficulty that makes it assessable to everyone.
The King of Fighters-i 002 ($4.99) is a popular arcade fighting game in the same vein as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Choose from 14 playable characters (6 more will be available in an update coming in October) to fight with. The game features 4 single-player modes of play, including a traditional arcade mode with 3 vs 3 team battles (this is the most popular mode), a regular 1 vs 1 fighting mode, endless mode, and a training mode. Special attack moves are simplified for the touchscreen, making the game a frustration-free experience. Currently, King of Fighters really is the king of iOS fighting games.
Cut the Rope: Experiments ($0.99) is a sequel to the now-classic iPhone puzzle game. If you’re unfamiliar with one of the best iPhone games ever, the basic premise is to manipulate a piece of candy across the screen so that it falls (or flies) into the adorable Om Nom’s mouth. You accomplish this by, yes, cutting ropes (as the title suggests) but also by utilizing other methods like whoopee cushions and suction cups. Experiments features 75 new levels to play through. While the basics remain the same, there are a few new gadgets and game twists to entertain even veteran players.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP ($4.99) is a game like none other you’ve played before. The game’s storyline is that you are a warrior seeking to find the Megatome in order to destroy an evil force called the Gogolithic. The controls are essentially of the point-and-click adventure variety, but from that framework, the game frequently departs from the familiar with never-seen-before gaming twists, a few that border on the ridiculous. It’s amazing how the developers were able to wring such beautiful graphics out of what is essentially a clichéd use of 8-bit blocky pixels. And the haunting soundtrack by Jim Guthrie lifts the game to a new level. Overall, it’s a unique gaming experience.
Dead Space ($6.99) is a horror-tinged first person shooter filled with lots of sci-fi action and a complete story arc that will leave you satisfied once you’ve made the journey. The setting is a space station invaded by ugly aliens called Necromorphs. Besides the usual big-frigging-gun appeal, the game features unique fighting skills like a cool kinesis talent and zero-gravity combat. Professional voice talent and an excellent soundtrack are the icing on the cake. Combined with the game’s Retina Display graphics, this is one of the best produced games in the App Store.
Order & Chaos Online ($6.99) is MMORPG in the same vein as World of Warcraft. Or, to put it less nicely, it is essentially a ripoff of WoW, which is a good thing. A very good thing. The control scheme is specifically designed for the iPhone and iPad. Order & Chaos gets all the things that WoW gets right, albeit on a smaller scale. The addictive combination of quests, leveling, and chatting up strangers will soon have you wasting away your free time. I was completely surprised how relatively “bug free” the game was seeing as how many players are running around in this virtual world. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a good online RPG for iOS.
Anomaly: Warzone Earth HD ($3.99) puts you in control of a fleet of vehicles as they travel through a war-torn landscape protected by alien war technology. Warzone Earth is a reverse tower defense game where instead of strategically building towers to destroy waves of creeps, you direct the creeps to destroy the towers. Take out towers by flanking them and taking advantage of limited aiming radius or utilize special power-ups to heal your troops. Warzone is one of those rare games that gets every element right, from the controls to graphics to game strategy.
Tapper World Tour ($0.99) is a blueprint on how bring classic arcade games up-to-date for iOS. Not only have the graphics been beautifully redrawn by a team assembled by legendary cartoonist Don Bluth (Dragon’s Lair) to appear incredibly detailed on the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, Tapper’s gameplay too has been updated to be more challenging in later rounds and less repititous thanks to new powerups and a story mode that takes you on a tour of bars around the world. If you were a fan of the classic Tapper and are looking for a brain-hurting challenge, Tapper World Tour is an excellent modern revision, as well as my current addiction.
Gameplay
For its core gameplay, Tapper World Tour closely follows in the path of the original: you play a bartender who must keep customers happy by sliding drinks to them down a bar as they walk in. You must serve them before they reach the end of the bar. Fail to do so and you lose a “life,” of which you have three before it’s game over. You also can lose a life by sliding too many drinks down the bar, causing a glass to break against the wall, or by allowing an empty glass from a customer to fall off the end of the bar after it’s been slid back toward you. Continue reading…
With close to 40,000 games available in the App Store, it can be difficult to find not just the good games, but the best of the best. We’ve compiled a list of the 150 best-reviewed iPhone games of all-time.
1-25:
Screenshot
Description, Avg Review, Price
1. Cut the Rope (5 stars, $0.99) is a casual puzzle physics game where the object is to cut ropes so that a piece of candy falls into the On Nom’s mouth. Your task is complicated by candy-eating spiders, floating bubbles, and other challenging obstacles. Beautiful graphics, and clever, not-too-easy, not-too-hard puzzle designs make this one of the best casual iPhone games ever.
2.Bastion (5 stars, $4.99) may be 2012’s Game of the Year for iOS. It is a stunningly beautiful action RPG that has received critical acclaim on other gaming platforms as well as iOS. The game’s controls have been adjusted perfectly for the iPhone—there are no compromises or clunky control schemes. This is a game that gets every element of game design right: fun combat, a good story, and great voice acting, and it maintains challenging and surprising gameplay through the end.
3. Plants vs. Zombies (5 stars, $2.99) is a tower-defense/strategy game where you use plants to protect your home from invading zombies. Use the various plant types and their unique powers to kill zombies and gather energy to build even more plants for protection. Features 50 levels in Adventure mode.
4.The Room (5 stars, free, $0.99 IAP to unlock full game) may be the best puzzle game ever for the iPhone. The premise starts out simple enough: a box in a dark room with a few items. But the smallest details become the biggest clues that let you open the box, layer after layer. Beautiful graphics, stunning surprises….this game has it all. Who knew a game about a box can be so thrilling?
5.Where’s My Water? (5 stars, $0.99) is a whimsical puzzle game from Disney. The object is to direct water down to Swampy the Alligator so he can take a shower. Too bad the other alligators have sabotaged Swampy’s plumbing. You must build paths with your finger, remove obstacles, and use various objects to direct the flow of water so there’s enough water for a nice clean shower. With over 200 puzzles to solve, lots of humor, and tons of collectibles, Where’s My Water is one of those casual gaming bargains that makes the iPhone a great casual gaming device.
6. Fieldrunners 2 (5 stars, $2.99) is a sequel to the best-selling tower defense iPhone game. Few thought the developers could improve on the game, but they have, with beautiful graphics and sharpened gameplay. Place weapons strategically on a map so that they efficiently destroy waves of enemies that march on screen. Call in airstrikes, set traps, and conquer the new maps. Likely 2012’s game of the year, just about every professional iPhone game critic gave it a perfect score.
7. Infinity Blade (5 stars, $0.99) features some of the most stunning graphics and sound effects of any game on the iPhone and iPad. Infinity Blade is a fighting game where you take on warriors one-on-one, using swipes and taps to attack and dodge. Collect treasures to update your equipment. Brilliant all-around game design makes this one of the best iPhone games ever.
8.Rayman Jungle Run (5 stars, $2.99) is a 2012 Game of the Year and a beautiful game where you run, jump, and helicopter through dozens of perfectly designed levels. There is plenty of replay value for each level as well. The game also comes with iCloud support, so pick up where you left off on the iPhone and iPad. A quirky mood keeps the game light, but it also can be challenging at times. Another personal favorite, and a game that only gets better the deeper into the game you get. Highly recommended for those who don’t want to get too serious with a game.
9. Bejeweled (5 stars, $0.99) is the classic match 3 game, and there’s a reason it has long remained one of the most popular iPhone games and survived the ages. This is polished match 3 play. Match 3 or more jewels of the same color to remove them from the board. It’s easy, sure, but there are also subtle strategies that reveal themselves over time. Bejeweled is a casual game that can be played anywhere for any length of time. Features 5 game modes to keep things interesting.
10. Walking Dead Assault (5 stars, $1.99) is a squad-based tactical game based on the now famous comic book (and now TV show). Control Rick, Shane, Carl, Lori, and the others, each with their own abilities and strengths (ranged, melee, etc) as they fight their way through 11 levels of zombies. Walking Dead Assault utilizes an iPhone-friendly control system—no direction pads here. The developers have promised more episodes in the future.
11. Tiny Wings (5 stars, $0.99) is a fun casual game where you fly a little bird as far as you can before the sun goes down. Ride down slopes of hills and launch yourself into the air. Develop perfect timing to keep yourself aloft as long as possible. Beautiful graphics and a play-anywhere casual style make this one a winner.
12. Plague Inc. (5 stars, $0.99) is a strategy game where your goal is to destroy the world by developing and spreading a plague. Evil, huh? Fun and challenging, too! Choose a country of origin, then begin to strategically develop the plague’s characteristics. Do you want your victims to spread the disease by sneezing and coughing, or simply by touching each other? Earn “DNA points” that allow you to upgrade and mutate your disease. Just make sure you dance around the annoying good-hearted doctors trying to find a cure.
13. Peggle (5 stars, $2.99) is the classic, time-tested casual game that is well-suited for the iPhone. Launch pinballs and try to clear all the orange pegs from the screen. Part strategy, part luck, the game features 55 levels of play. Colorful graphics and fun music make the game a pleasurable experience.
14. Ski Safari (4.5 stars, $0.99) is a lighthearted gamed that puts you in control of a skier who has just been pushed out of his bed by an avalanche and sent careening down a mountain. Your goal is to keep up enough speed to outrun the avalanche. What’s so special about this game is the beautiful and detailed design that has gone into not only the artwork but also gameplay and animations. Especially fun are the animals and items you come across during your unexpected journey, like Abominable Snowmen, penguins, eagles, and snowmobiles. Sure, Ski Safari borrows (steals) its basic gameplay style from the popular Tiny Wings, but Ski Safari takes things up a notch to not only be better, but one of the best iPhone games ever.
15. Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery (4.5 stars, $4.99) is one of the most unique games on the iOS platform. The developer describes it as “an exploratory action adventure with an emphasis on audiovisual style.” It really is a beautiful game visually, and it comes with a soundtrack of completely original music. Some say you either love this game or you hate it, but professional app reviews show that most love it. A truly revolutionary game.
16.Angry Birds (4.5 stars, $0.99) is a challenging physics puzzler with deep gameplay. Launch birds and knock down the pigs’ protective barriers. Utilize various powers (split birds into three, accelerate their speed mid-air) to reach and destroy the pigs. A fun combination of logic, skill, and trial and error. Features over 195 levels—dozens of hours of casual gameplay for $0.99. And it has a rare 5-star average review rating in the App Store.
17. Fruit Ninja (4.5 stars, $0.99) is a unique, fast-paced swipe game where your finger becomes a ninja sword, slicing up fruit and avoiding other obstacles like bombs. Chop all the fruit and please your sensei.
18.Angry Birds Star Wars (4.5 stars, $0.99) takes the casual puzzle game and adds a Star Wars theme to it. Over a 100 levels to solve with more being added periodically. Use the force, wield a lightsaber, and fight against Darth Vader (who’s now a pig, of course).
19. Space Miner (4.5 stars, $1.99) takes the basic elements of the classic arcade Asteroids and adds in a money system, upgradeable ships, and a funny storyline. Blast away at asteroids and enemies in 48 unique sectors of space while taking on monsters and special side missions to earn extra cash.
20.Trainyard (5 stars, $0.99) is a puzzle game that make look somewhat plain graphics wise, but is still one of the most clever casual games I’ve played on the iPhone. The goal is to get trains to the end station by creating tracks with your finger. Red trains go to red stations, blue to blue, etc. The game starts off easy enough, but soon you are splitting trains, combing colors to create a third, and other wicked gameplay twists. A perfect casual game for the iPhone
21. Monster Dash (4.5 stars, $0.99) is a survival platformer where the object is to jump over gaps, navigate obstacles, and blow away enemies as you constantly run left to right on the screen. Features a fun cartoon monster theme, large collection of weapons, and lots of humor. From the creators of Fruit Ninja.
22. Solipskier (4.5 stars, $2.99) is a unique skiing game where you draw a path for your skier to navigate a course. Create jumps and slopes for your skier using your finger all the while guiding him through gates and tunnels. The longer you survive, the faster your skier moves.
23. Sally’s Spa (4.5 stars, $1.99) is a time management game that puts you in charge of a running a beauty spa. Manage customers as they arrive, and move them along through the various stations while making sure they never wait too long. Buy new equipment to assist you in the task and use strategy to make sure the impatient customers get moved along the quickest. Fun and quirky.
24. Crosswords (4.5 stars, $9.99) gathers daily crossword puzzles from the top newspapers, including the Washington Post, New York Times classics, Wall Street Journal, and many others. Nearly unlimited crossword puzzles to solive, and constantly updated. Perfect app for crossword addicts.
25. Mushroom Age (4.5 stars, $2.99) is a hidden-object game that pulls you along with a great mystery and sci-fi story. Travel through time as you try to find hidden objects and solve puzzles. A nice healthy dose of humor as well.
One of the great things about the iPhone is the sheer number of excellent free games available. Why pay for a game, ever?! Check out the following list of our handpicked top 25 free iPhone games. We keep it updated, but many are true classics that have been on the list for a while. Also check out the video below for a brief glimpse at all games in the list.
Screenshot
Description
1. Mega Run is like Super Mario Bros except built perfectly for the iPhone’s touch screen. Run and jump your way through 64 stages scattered throughout 4 worlds. There is a ton of replay value for each stage as well, with hidden gems and gold coins to uncover. As you progress, you unlock new characters to play and add new power-ups to game. There is an in-app purchase element where you can purchase coins to speed things up, but it’s not required. Mega Run is one the best, most well-designed free games for the iPhone. I can’t believe it’s free! Download.
2. Dead Trigger is a zombie arcade shooter that is both difficult and scary—no babies allowed, take off your diapers and put on your big boy pants, there’s zombies to slaughter. Dead Trigger features beautiful Retina graphics built using the Unity Engine. It is a freemium game, but you don’t have to spend a dime to get tons of fun. And supposedly every weapon in the game can be purchased for $5 of in-app purchases, in case you want to take things that far. Dead Trigger is a thrilling game that makes me say, woah, this is free? Download.
3. CSR Racing is an intense street racing game where you buy, build, and tweak cars and race them against competitors. The game features real cars like Ford Mustangs, Audis, BMWS, etc. Beautiful Retina graphics and next-gen lighting effects make the game quite a looker. Time your gear shifts and boosts to shave off every millisecond you can. It’s a freemium game with in-app purchases, but they’re not required to play the game. I was personally addicted to this one for months. Download.
4. iFighter 2: The Pacific 1942 is a World War II themed survival shooter that puts you in the pilot’s seat of a fighter plane dodging bullets left and right. A sequel to the popular original iFighter, Pacific 1942 is set in the Pacific theater of war, which means lots of ships and fighter planes and a few other surprises. When things start to get hairy, you’ll need to upgrade your plane by collecting weapon power-ups, health potions, and wingmen. You can purchase better planes and wingmen by collecting stars and gold coins. Pacific 1942 is an awesome classic bullet dodger for free. Download.
5. Brutal Street is a fighting game that pits your own personal gang members against waves of street thugs. Each member of your gang has their strengths and weaknesses. The boxer can take a lot of punishment, the marksman deals damage from a distance, and the sexy vixen is deadly with a blade. Earn cash and upgrade the powers of your characters. Add new mega powers to change the direction of a fight in an instant. This is the game I’m playing at the moment. Very addictive with nice graphics. Download.
6. Heroes of Order & Chaos is an online battle arena that is basically Gameloft’s version of League of Legends, a free and popular online game. Control heroes on either side of a raging battle where armies try to destroy protective towers in an effort to reach the other side’s castle. This is an intense game, and currently my favorite iPad game to play (it’s great on the iPhone too). A freemium game, but you don’t have to spend a cent to get everything out of it (I haven’t spent any money). Download.
7. Bombshells: Hell’s Belles is a sweet airplane dogfighting game with some nice Retina-friendly graphics. Fly missions, take out enemy aircraft, and earn cash to upgrade your planes. Take on random players in online multiplayer. Bombshells is a freemium game, but no in-app purchases are required until very high levels in the game (to get the really elite weapons, you have to spend a little dough). Download.
8. Indestructible is a fast-paced driving/fighting where you control a vehicle battling against other vehicles in an arena. This is mainly an online multiplayer game, but there is a practice area for some light offline play. As you destroy and win battles, you earn cash to buy new vehicles, upgrade your weapons and armor. You can also collect power-ups and repairs inside the arena to stay alive longer. The challenge of this game is learning to do two things at once: driving and aiming your guns at the same time. This one is a blast to play, and good looking, too, with 4 different arenas to play in. Indestrucible is a freemium game with some in-app purchase elements. Download.
9. Sudoku by Finger Arts is simply the best free Sudoku game you can get on the iPhone. Whether you’re a beginner or veteran, the game offers limitless puzzles to always keep you challenged. Beautiful high-def graphics look great on the latest high-rest iPhone screens. It’s the perfect casual game that your can play anywhere and exercise your brain. Over 100,000+ App Store reviewers agree with me, Sudoku is one of the best free games for the iPhone. Download.
10. Gun Bros is an intense survival game with an arcade feel to it. You control a soldier, who, along with a buddy, must fight off wave after wave of enemies. At your disposal is a growing arsenal of guns, grenades, and other helpful objects you can collect along the way. A recent update introduced online multiplayer, allowing you to hook up with a random stranger to stand back-to-back and mow down the alien hordes. The game has a lot of depth and polish, as its been updated and upgraded many times. It can get a bit monotonous as well. The most fun comes from collecting bigger and badder guns, some of which have some pretty crazy powers. There’s also a subtle adventure-game element where you travel to new worlds and discover new enemies to defeat. Gun Bros has freemium elements where you can speed up your weaponry upgrades, but there’s lots of depth to the game without having to spend a dime. Buckle up, because Gun Bros is violent fun. Download.
11. Shape Shift is a challenging puzzle game where you must match 4 of the same color in a row. But there’s a catch—you can only swap squares with the same shape inside. To complicate matters further, squares with numbers inside them count down each time you make a move. You’ll need to clear those squares before they reach zero, else it’s game over. Shape Shift is a challenging casual game that is well-designed. Download.
12. Temple Run puts you in control of an Indiana Jones-like archeologist escaping a tomb he has just robbed. You must dodge around, jump over, and slide under obstacles as you outrun an angry pack of apes defending their territory. The crisp 3D graphics and solid jungle sound effects (complete with jungle beats!) provided great atmosphere for this fast-paced casual game. Collecting gems along the temple path will allow you to upgrade your temple runner, and of course that’s where a freemium element comes in, allowing you to buy more coins in order to speed up your upgrades. But it’s not necessary to spend a dime to fully enjoy the game. Overall, Temple Run is a well-designed casual game with that Indiana Jones mystique. And it’s free! Download.
13. Tiny Tower lets you build a tower floor-by-floor and manage all the businesses and people inside of it. You can customize each floor, choosing the type of business that occupy it. You’ll also need to supply living space for the tower’s residents, called Bitizens. Give your residents jobs, collect money and rent, and keep building up to the sky. The game combines strategy and humor for an entertaining yet still challenging mix. There are some freemium elements (in-app purchases), but you don’t need to spend money to play the game. Download.
14. iJewels is an addictive match-3 puzzle game similar to the popular Bejeweled. Features 4 different game modes: Normal, Timed, Quick and Infinite. High-def graphics makes the game look crisp on the iPhone’s Retina Display. Integration with GameCenter. Download.
15. Zenonia 4 is an epic RPG game offering 227 unique maps and 136 quests of action-packed adventure. The game features 4 classes to play, Sword Knight, Shadow Hunter, Mechanic Launcher and Nature Shaman. Outfit your character with hundreds of different pieces of equipment and battle against hundreds of different types of monsters. Dozens of hours of epic fantasy gameplay for free. Not bad. Not bad at all. Download.
16. Air Wings is a fight to the death with paper airplanes. It’s an online game (Air Wings uses Apple’s Game Center to assign you a random online opponent), so you’ll need an Internet connection. Using tilt controls, you must pull off some serious maneuvers to avoid opponents or position your plane for the offensive, all the while gathering the right weapons to launch at your opponent. Weapons include spitballs, exploding rubber darts, “heat-seeking” pencils, and more. This game is one of my personal favorites, as it’s just well-designed in all aspects. There is even built-in voice chat in case you want to chat up your opponent (although there are some funny moments when players don’t realize their microphone is on). Air Wings is a great dog-fighting game only with paper airplanes. The game is completely free to play for as much as you want, but you can purchase other types of paper planes, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Download.
17. Baseball Superstars is a highly configurable baseball game featuring six different modes of play, including seasons, exhibition, and even a home rub derby. Not only do you have to perform on the field but off the field as well. Make strategic player trades, earn money from victories, and upgrade your players. You can acquire Hall of Fame caliber players via trades and upgrade your equipment. One of the best baseball games on the iPhone. Download.
18. Soccer Superstars 2011 is a full-featured soccer game from the makers of the popular Baseball Superstars series. The game features 6 modes of gameplay, including Exhibition, My League, Season, Cup, Dramatic, and Match Mode. You can create teams and players and upgrade player stats over time. Use legendary players and their special skills to pull of some sweet moves on the field. A highly customizable soccer game with limitless hours of challenging gameplay. Download.
19. Zen Pinball is a beautiful Retina Display-friendly pinball game that comes with a free table called Sorcerer’s Lair—no strings attached. It’s a polished pinball game with professional sound effects and voice acting. As a free game, Zen Pinball is a total steal, and there are no freemium elements, although if you like the pinball you can buy more tables inside the app. This is the best pinball game in the App Store (the in-app purchase tables are the best on iOS). Even better on the iPad. Download.
20. Deer Hunter Challenge is a hunting and skill shooting game. Locate roaming animals on a map, set up your location, and take them down with a skillfully aimed shot. Upgrade your weapons, equipment and clothing on the path becoming a master marksman. Download.
21. Candy Train is a challenging puzzle game. Keep your train rolling by rearranging the track ahead of it. Collect the various pieces of train to build a bigger train, then drive it through the station to complete the level. Collect candy along the way to build up your points. Sounds simple, but it’ll take some thinking ahead to keep your growing train going. Speed up the train when you’ve built a clear path, slow it down to buy yourself more time. Don’t let the cute graphics fool you, this is a tough one. Download.
22. Tiki Totems is like Jenga in reverse. The object is to make the structures fall down, but in specific ways. Colorful and unique, and an overall challenging puzzle game. Perfect for the casual puzzle game lover. Download.
23. Jetpack Joyride is a side-scrolling game where you strap on a jetpack and fly through a secret laboratory, collecting coins and power-ups while dodging various obstacles. Jetpack Joyride is a fun, fast-paced survival game similar to classics like Doodle Jump in that the object is too see just how long you can last. The fun is in learning the various ways to survive the longest as well as updating your character with cool new types of jetpacks. An all-around well designed game with lots of critical acclaim. Download.
24. Samurai II: Dojo is a fun and gory fighting game where the object is to slice up hordes of onrushing enemies. Has light RPG elements where you can upgrade your character’s health, buy new weapon attacks, and upgrade your attack power. Beautiful Japanese artwork make this the best free fighting game on the iPhone. Download.
25. Mega Jump is a colorfully addictive casual game where the object is to keep jumping higher and higher without falling off the screen. Your character is propelled upward each time it touches a coin or other special object in the game. Working against you are gravity itself and other objects that can have a negative effect on your character. Mega Jump features beautifully crisp graphics that look great on the iPhone’s Retina Display. A collection of silly and fun sound effects provide the game with a whimsical feel. The more coins you collect along the way, the more upgrades you can buy for your character and for the special objects that randomly appear in the game. There’s a freemium element where you can buy extra coins to quicken your upgrades, but it’s not necessary to spend any money to enjoy the game (I haven’t spent a dime and love it). Mega Jump is the perfect casual time-waster. Download.
The Simpsons Arcade for the iPhone is, simply put, a total blast. This isn’t the full arcade cabinet title, but rather a compact version. But if you’re a fan of the Simpsons’ deep character set, much of the joy of Simpsons Arcade comes through the appearance of characters like Krusty the Clown or minor characters like McBain (aka, Rainier Wolfcastle). And to top it off, it’s a good fighting sidescroller.
The graphics of The Simpsons Arcade look spectacular on the iPhone. It may be that the soft lines of cartoon drawings translate well on to the iPhone’s screen, but the graphics are vivid and beautiful—it’s just like watching the show on a good LCD TV set.
Because the game is a remake of the arcade-cabinet version, the controls unfortunately feature a simulated joystick and buttons. But the good news is that they are mostly frustration free, as the game compensates in lowering the difficulty a bit. There is at least one special attack move that involves some trickery with the buttons, but I soon mastered it and feel most players will be able to too.
Casual strategy and puzzle games have long been standout genres on the iPhone, as their gameplay tends to fit perfectly with the iPhone’s interface and mobile usage. So it’s particularly exciting when we come across an excellent game in this area. Sword & Poker ($3.99) is an addictive, challenging game that belongs in the top tier of casual iPhone strategy games. Poker and RPG elements may seem like strange bedfellows, but here they combine perfectly to create a deep game with layers of strategy. We found Sword & Poker to be rewarding casual gaming.
At the heart of Sword & Poker are the mechanics of poker. Players are given 4 cards each round that they place on a gameboard of 9 random cards to create poker hands like pairs, straights, flushes, etc. Forming hands deals a certain amount of damage to the enemy depending on your character’s weapon and other factors like shields and spells. And that’s where the RPG elements come in. As enemies are defeated, you gain gold and collect treasures, with which you can buy new weapons, shields, and health points (in the form of “coins”) to make your character stronger.
The blending of Poker and RPG strategies makes for a great if somewhat strange combo. The poker element has you running through the various possible hands as well as watching your opponent’s cards. The RPG element has you waiting for the right moment to cast spells that can favorably rearrange the cards and deal massive damage. The blending of the two requires a multi-layer approach to your thinking. Yes, the game eventually grows complicated, but it also does a good job of slowly introducing each layer of strategy so players are not overwhelmed at the start.
Although Sword & Poker is mostly a thinking man’s game, it’s also possible to play (and win) with minimal brainpower. But that approach takes longer, and battles will be much messier. A clever use of a spell and cards can sometimes end a battle in a single stroke, preserving your own resources for the next opponent. It’s this blend of a casual difficulty level with rewards for advanced strategy that works so well on the iPhone.
All the laughs that made it a classic are still there in this iPhone version of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition ($7.99). And that’s ultimately why players should revisit the game and why we give it our recommendation. But grab a walkthrough, because its interface wasn’t ported well. The ill-designed touch-cursor system replaces mouse and keyboard and slows the game way down. And the iPhone’s tiny screen makes discovering the game’s innumerable tiny hidden objects a joyless task. But once you get the general idea of what to do, Secret of Monkey Island plays out like the world’s funniest interactive comic book, and you’ll enjoy nearly every moment.
I had never played Secret of Monkey Island until this version (I was a Maniac Mansion kid myself) but knew of it via word of mouth. Still, I was caught off guard by how funny the game is. Most surprising was the great voice acting. Already working with a great script, the actors deliver the lines in a way that wrings out every last drop of comedy. The graphics, music, and sound effects are likewise professionally done.
