My Favorite iOS Games
These are some of the best games I've played on iOS.
Games not yet added to the Wiki that I'd put on this list: Campus Dynasty, Bullet Hell Monday Finale, Queen: Rock Tour, Nonograms Katana
List items
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Price: 3.99
IAP: three DLC at varying price points
Android: No :(
Imbroglio is an easy to learn, incredibly difficult to master high-score chasing rogue-ish game that feels way ahead of its time.
Each game exists entirely within 16 squares. The goal is to collect stars that increase your score. All the while, enemies are appearing at an increasing rate. The combat is turned based with an interesting twist - each of the 16 squares has a weapon attached, and you must be on that specific square to use that weapon.
It leads to situations in which you need to consider positioning much more often than traditional rogue-like games. Additionally, you have a "deck" of weapons. Prior to the run, you choose which weapon goes where.
Also check out: 868-HACK and Cinco Paus by the same dev, Michael Brough
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Price: 4.99
IAP: None
Android: Yes
I'm obsessed with solitaire-like games on mobile, and this is one of the absolute best on the platform.
On one half of the play area are cards randomly dealt from a deck. It's more or less like a regular deck of cards except that each suite represents enemies, weapons, abilities, and coins.
The other half of the play area is your character. You can equip weapons and abilities, save them for later, and bank coins.
The goal is to make it through the deck. You can remove enemy cards by dragging them onto a shield or dragging a weapon onto them. Each card has a strength of 1-9, so it becomes important to make sure you're saving your highest level weapons and shields for the most powerful enemies. Your character has 13 health, and once it's gone you lose the game.
Really great art style, and the amount of game modes and character or card unlocks make the replayability high.
Also check out: Miracle Merchant and Card Thief by the same dev, Tinytouchtales.
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Price: 4.99 or free with Apple Arcade subscription
IAP: None
Android: Yes
It's a classic for a reason.
Kairosoft games are pretty well known and well loved and seriously addictive.
In this one, you run a game studio. It starts out in the early 80s and slowly advances through gaming history. New consoles are released with names suspiciously similar to real-life consoles. Each game you release is given review scores.
Maybe the best part is being able to choose the genre/focus of your game and name it before watching the sales numbers go up.
Also check out: Game Dev Tycoon. Other Kairosoft games like Pocket Academy, Grand Prix Story, Dungeon Village.
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Price: 1.99 (free lite version available)
IAP: None
Android: Yes
PathPix might be my go-to game when I'm stressed.
You're given a grid with numbers on it. Each number has a color, and must be connected to the same number with the same color. The number signifies how many squares on the grid the line must go through.
Each puzzle, once completed, makes a pretty picture!!
Also check out: other games in the PathPix series. Pathpix Art and PathPix Year are my favorites.
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Price: n/a, currently in beta
IAP: n/a
Android: Yes
Shattered Pixel Dungeon has been on Android devices for a while, and I'm so glad it has finally made the jump to iOS.
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is based on the source code for Pixel Dungeon. It's a traditional roguelike with a simple but charming and effective artstyle.
It's very easy to pick up and play the game, and it works phenomenally on a touch screen.
The best part is that the dev is constantly updating and adding to the game based on player feedback. This is my go-to traditional roguelike game on the platform.
Also check out: WazHack for a sidescrolling roguelike experience, Brogue on iPad devices
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Price: Free
IAP: 1.99 to remove ads
Android: Yes
Burger Shop 2 is a game in which all the ingredients for sides, main dishes, drinks and desserts are brought out on a conveyor belt. You must combine these items together for impatient customers before they decide to leave.
It's a simple concept, but it quickly becomes more and more difficult to juggle several customers while making several dishes efficiently. To make things better (or worse, depending on how much of a completionist you are) each level is graded from 1-3 stars.
It has the same spirit as Overcooked, even though the mechanics may be different. Once you get in a groove, it becomes very fun to try to ace each level.
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Price: Free
IAP: 4.99 full game unlock
Android: No :(
Zach Gage's Sudoku app actually made me enjoy Sudoku.
It aims to teach you techniques to get better at the game and includes several quality of life changes that don't remove the challenge or satisfaction of completing a puzzle.
Gage and his team designed a puzzle generator that created thousands of puzzles to complete. It also uses this generator to help you solve puzzles. If you get stuck, this puzzle-creating and puzzle-solving AI will teach you the necessary technique to help you out.
Also, the interface is top notch.
Also check out: literally any other Zach Gage game, but especially Pocket Run Pool and Sage Solitaire
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Price: Free
IAP: 2.99 to remove ads
Android: Yes
This is probably my favorite game to play on a plane.
It's a skiing game. You tap one side of the screen to go left, and the other side of the screen to go right. The game has an end, but there are so many levels that I haven't found it yet.
The goal of the game is to make it to the finish line without crashing into something.
I love the simple but charming style and the often amusing story.
Also check out: Alto's Odyssey, Grand Mountain Adventure
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Price: 6.99
IAP: DLC character for 1.99
Android: Yes
It's a deck-building roguelike. There are none of those out there, right?
Your character's deck of cards is dealt onto a 3x3 grid (I like grids, OK?) and your goal is to make your way through a dungeon utilizing cards from that grid.
It's got an almost Adventure Time-esque art style that really brings it all together.
It's probably the best game in the genre on mobile devices (outside of maybe the port of Slay the Spire)
Also check out: Meteorfall: Journey, Slay the Spire
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Price: 1.99
IAP: none
Android: Yes
You're in the desert...golfing.
It's that simple, except there are over 64,000 holes.
Also check out: the sequel, Golf on Mars
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Price: 1.99
IAP: No
Android: No
It's a relatively straightforward but challenging fantasy-themed platformer in which you fight enemies, look for secrets and upgrade your weapons using gold.
Also check out: Sword of Xolan
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Price: 1.99
IAP: None
Android: No :(
You're confronted with a grid (we love grids, people). On each row and column of the grid is a number; this represents the number of bombs.
Your goal is to move your character from the beginning of the level to the exit portal, avoiding the bombs along the way. Luckily like any good minesweeper game you can use flags to mark the locations of each bomb.
It can be easy at first, but the later levels are much larger and take some definite guesswork.
Also check out: Mineswifter if you want the best traditional Minesweeper game on the platform
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