We’ve picked the very best iPhone games to keep you entertained on the move.
We’ve rounded up the best iPhone games you can download today, whatever genre you’re interested in. If you’ve got a new or upgraded iPhone, or are simply just bored with what you’ve already got, then you’ll be exhilarated to hear that you can revolutionise it, turning it into one of the greatest consoles of all time. That’s because the iPhone arguably kicked off the mobile gaming revolution, becoming home to exciting multitouch innovation through to ports of famous arcade titles. Today, most phones are capable, powerful handheld consoles – if you know the right games to buy. This round-up covers the best iPhone games available right now. It’s split into categories, so you can jump right to the top racers, puzzle games, adventures, platformers, and more. We’ll also highlight one new game every month, so remember to check back regularly to get a taste of the latest game to consume your waking hours. ($1.99/£1.99/AU$2.99) Ord echoes ancient text adventures — or those branching-narrative gamebooks where the story progresses when you make a decision. Here, the narrative is pared back to just three words: a set-up, the choice you make, and the resolution. In the quest story, for example, you’ll be told ‘lake’ and have the options ‘swim’ and ‘fishing’. Naturally, one of those might have a single-word sticky end. This all might sound reductive — even pointless — but it’s interesting how much atmosphere is built up in these tiny snatches of story, and tricky to find all the endings. Short jingles and subtle visual effects add further atmosphere as your mind fills in the blanks, constructing its own details to flesh out the minimalist stories. The basic nature of Ord. does leave a question mark around its longevity. But for the small outlay, it’ll splash a grin across your face during your first few dozen quests. These are our favorite iPhone card games, RTS and turn-based strategy titles, and board games to check out right now. ($4.99/£4.99/AU$7.99) Kingdom Two Crowns is an iPhone game that kicks things off with a monarch on horseback, using his handful of gold coins to have locals do his bidding. Train archers and they set out to hunt local wildlife for dinner. Elsewhere, fences are erected to turn your ramshackle campfire into a slightly less ramshackle fortress. This is just as well, because when the sun sets, the Greed arrive. These ghoulish beasts exist to steal things. If they nab your workers’ tools, you’ll have to spend to upgrade them again. If they get your crown, your reign is over, and it’ll be down to your heir to figure out how to defeat the Greed once and for all. With its lush pixel art, large side-scrolling landscapes, and smart mix of real-time strategy and action, Kingdom Two Crowns is a mobile masterpiece. (Free + $2.99/£2.99/AU$4.99) Peak’s Edge joins an increasingly impressive sub-genre of sorts on iPhone: turn-based strategy games in a shoebox. Here, your little pyramid trundles around single-screen levels, aiming to smack enemies into oblivion and reach a goal. Much of the strategy lies in the various power-ups that are dotted about. Roll on to one and it’s applied to that face of your pyramid. Defeating foes subsequently relies on correctly orienting yourself before attack. Quickly, it becomes apparent that Peak’s Edge is easy to get into, but tough to master – and with procedurally generated levels,25 skills, and 30 armor types, there’s loads to dig into. Note that although you can play for free, we’re treating this as a premium game, because IAP rids the title of intrusive ads, and unlocks the unlimited undos you’ll need to have the best experience. ($1.99/£1.99/AU$2.99) Maze Machina finds you as a mouse in a maze. Unfortunately, it’s not a cardboard creation with cheese at the end, but a bewilderingly complex clockwork construction crafted by an unhinged robot testing his mini-mes. The aim is to get to a key and then an exit. But every tile on the four-by-four grid acts as a power-up. As you swipe to move, everything else on the grid follows suit. You must therefore strategize to forge a path to your goal, not get impaled by tiny stabby robots, and avoid inconveniently blowing up the key with a bomb. Every game feels like a new challenge with limitless combinations.
