Games for iPhone
Over the years, playing games on mobile devices has become an incredibly popular pastime, not surprising given the hardware on offer by Apple these days. Much faster processors, fantastic screens, more RAM and memory, all make gaming a topnotch experience on the iPhone and the iPad.
The iOS app store offers almost 3 million apps and games and, to be fair, there’s a great selection of games to choose from. Some are free, and some aren’t and most offer in-app purchases. The hardest thing is trying to find a game that you will enjoy playing. The app recommendation lists in the official store aren’t great and, unless you get a recommendation for a game, you can spend hours searching for a decent one.
Top Ten iPhone Games 2020
With thousands of games to choose from, it wasn’t easy to find ten to recommend to you but, we did manage it so, for you, here are ten iPhone games we think are worth looking at in 2020.
1. If Found… ($5)
If you like games that tell a story, this one will suit you down to the ground. Kasio is the main character and the game is centered on her diary, telling the story of her returning to Ireland, the arguments with friends and families and all the challenges she faces. The game leads to one night, a night where a black hole is about to destroy the whole world and its down to Kasio to stop it. With some fantastic hand-drawn illustrations, this game will draw you in and keep you happy for hours on end. You can run games like these and several more on an NDS emulator like NDS4iOS.
2. Gods of Boom (Free – in-app purchases available)
A strange name for a game, Gods of Boom is a top-class FPS (first-person shooter) game for mobile devices. Your job is to take control of a series of 3D maps and the only way to do that is to beat your opponents and be the last person standing in multiplayer battles. As you play, you can upgrade your character and your weapons. The one thing that puts this FPS game above others is its updates, bringing regular events, including Corp Wars mode and crossover events with The Walking Dead. You can download games like these on the TopStore app.
3. Call of Duty: Mobile
If you are a fan of Call of Duty on the PC, PlayStation or Xbox then you might be interested in Call of Duty: Mobile. It is pretty similar to the platform game but is a multiplayer version. It has everything you have come to expect and your job is to take part in brutal shootouts to take down the opposing team. Some players even resort to Battlelog hacks to win their games – aside from being safe and reliable it really gets you ahead of your game. The multiplayer maps come from iconic Call of Duty games and you get all the same opportunities to unlock loadouts, weapons, outfits, and more and use them to take out even more bad guys. It’s a very easy game to get into and you’ll find the mobile controls are easier to use than the console or PC versions. It is free but in-app purchases are available. You can download games like these on the AppCake appstore.
4. Civilization VI (Free Trial/$10)
$10 might seem a lot to shell out for a game but you do get a free 60-turn trial to see if you like it. It offers a ton of cool content, setting you in one of several historic civilizations, and its down to you to build up your empire, gathering resources and interacting with other players along the way. It works very well on mobile devices, with a full adaptation for touch screen and it even works ok on the smaller iPhone screens.
5. Hotel Empire Tycoon (Free – In-App Purchases available)
We don’t always want hard-hitting, shoot-em-up games; sometimes, a slower pace of game is what’s needed. Hotel Empire Tycoon is self-explanatory – you build up your business, adding furniture, staff and do whatever it takes to bring in guests and keep them happy. It is casual game and you can play it as much or as little as you want but there’s enough there to keep you going for a long time.
6. Brutal Hockey (Free – In-App Purchases Available)
If you are a fan of ice hockey, you’ll love Brutal Hockey. While it isn’t quite what you expect it to be, it does offer a whole lot of fun. This is ice hockey recreated in the way people who don’t understand it think it is played – all you have to do is score a goal and it doesn’t matter how you get there. It’s an action-packed, fast game with in-game powerups and AI adapts to you as you play, keeping the game challenging. You can compete for 15 cups, get your name on the leaderboard and choose from five factions.
7. The Elder Scrolls: Blades (Free – In-App Purchases Available)
Skyrim isn’t available for the mobile but Blades is a great Elder Scrolls game to fill the gap. If you are a fan of the Elder Scrolls games, you’ll find everything you’ve come to love in this game – dungeons, free-form exploration, and plenty of cool enemies to take out. Create your own character and customize as you go; as you go through the game, you even get to build and customize a city. It is free but there are a lot of in-app purchases designed to tempt you further into the game.
8. Draw It (Free – In-App Purchases and VIP Subscription Available)
There’s nothing complicated about the game idea – simply draw the word you are given. You have a set amount of time and you have to draw as many words as possible, earning points for each one. Take part in competitions to unlock word packs and win coins. The game premise is simple but it is addictive. If you want to go ad-free, get free coins and more word packs, you can go for a VIP subscription but it will cost you $15 a month.
9. Stickman Hook (Free – In-App Purchases Available)
Another simple game that is highly addictive, Stickman Hook requires you to avoid obstacles and traverse a course by tapping to hook onto certain points. Yes, it is a kind-off rip off of the web slinging ability Spiderman has but it is a lot of fun. As you progress through the game, the levels get harder and faster, and you get to unlock new characters, including a cheeseburger and a lemon. It’s the ideal game to get into to fill a few minutes.
10. Minecraft Earth (Free – In-App Purchases Available)
Who doesn’t love a good game of Minecraft on their iPhone? Well, Minecraft Earth takes things one step further, using augmented reality to add another dimension to the popular game. This time, you get to play in the real world, exploring and planning some cool creations before expanding them to real-world size; then you get to explore them. Other people can join you and there are some new mobs, unique to Minecraft Earth, such as moobloom and the muddy pig.
How to Disable In-App Purchases
Most games offer some in-app purchases although they are not obligatory to buy. These purchases tend to offer you a tempting way to get ahead in the game you are playing but you can soon rack up some pretty hefty credit card bills. While that may not be an issue if its only you playing, if your device is shared with others, you may not want those bills. If you have Touch ID on your device, you can simply use your fingerprint to make purchases but if you don’t want to do that, you can set a password or use Screen Time to prevent them:
Method 1: Password
- Launch Settings and tap on iTunes & App Store
- Tap on Password Settings
- Tap on Purchases and then In-App Purchases
- Tap Always Require
- Go to Free Downloads and you will see that Require Password is enabled
- Type a password in and tap on OK
Your purchases are now protected with a password.
Method 2: Screen Time
- Open Settings and go to Screen Time
- Tap the option to Turn on Screen Time
- Tap on Continue and then on “This is My Device” or “This is My Child’s Device”
- Tap on Content and Privacy Restrictions
- Tap on iTunes And App Store Purchases
- Tap on In-App Purchases and select Don’t Allow
In-app purchases can now not be made on your device.
With so many games to choose from in the iOS app store, you’ll no doubt stumble through a lot of bad ones before you find a real gem. All the games above offer something different and we’ve tried to give you a mix of fast-paced and slower games to try. Some of them are very simple games yet highly addictive, while others are a bit more in-depth.
Try them. Yes, this is just a tiny snapshot of what you can find in the iOS app store but they are all fun games. Not all of them are free but some offer free trials before you have to pay. In-app purchases will certainly push you along but, again, you don’t have to buy them, especially if you just want a game to fill in a journey to work or a five-minute break.
Don’t forget to share this and let us know if we missed any cool games off the list.
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