Top Ten iPhone Games

happygeek 0 353 Views

I have, in the past, argued that the iPhone is more of than the other way around. I admit that I had my tongue in my cheek when I penned that particular piece, but there is no doubting that the iPhone has become something of a portable gaming platform sensation. Often despite the best efforts of Apple, it seems, to prevent good game ideas from reaching the public.

A friend of mine recently suggested that the iPhone was even a return to the golden age of gaming in as far as it brought affordable fun back into the gaming equation. Well, affordable if you remove the hardware from the equation admittedly. The point being, with games coming free of charge at the App Store, and even the paid for ones starting from as little as 59p ($1)it really does hark back to the glory days of Commodore 64 tapes at pocket money prices.

More importantly, because of the limitations of the format, especially with regards to screen size, processor power (even on the 3GS) and input methods there is a renewed focus on that all important, and seemingly sadly oft overlooked when it comes to next generation consoles, little thing called gameplay.

Popularity in terms of the official App Store top paid for and top free games is as follows:

Paid -

  1. Moto X Mayhem (a motorbike riding game)
  2. Paper Toss: World Tour (throwing a screwed up bit of paper into a bin, seriously)
  3. Civilization Revolution (yes, the Civilization sim on your iPhone)

Free -

  1. 20Q Mind Reader (twenty questions fun)
  2. Flick Cricket (cricket in your pocket)
  3. Waterslide Extreme (racing down giant waterpipes)

Of course there are some stinkers out there, and for every 20 games that I have downloaded and played on my iPhone I reckon I have kept only one or two. So what are the games which I would not want to spend a week in a hotel room without? Here's my personal top ten iPhone games, irrespective of whether they cost a handful of change or not, although your mileage will vary according to your particular gaming tastes.

  1. Worms (classic gaming with the battling worms, now on the iPhone)
  2. Secret of Monkey Island (another classic, this time the pirate puzzler)
  3. Bejeweled 2 (gem swapping puzzler that really is totally addictive)
  4. Spore Origins (Electronic Arts with a totally original evolution sim)
  5. Tap Tap Revenge (tap and shake your iPhone to the beat of popular tunes)
  6. Assassin's Creed (yes, that one, but shrunk down to fit the iPhone)
  7. Minigore (3D survival shooter)
  8. Flight Control (don't let the planes crash! with peer-to-peer multiplayer action)
  9. Bookworm (straightforward word puzzler, hugely addictive though)
  10. Ragdoll Blaster (shoot a ragdoll at targets and avoid the obstacles, crazy fun)

Dani AI

Generated

As pointed out, the iPhone early on behaved more like a pocket games console than a plain phone: tight constraints pushed designers to make short, focused gameplay loops instead of console-style spectacle. That design logic still matters, but readers arriving years later should note platform drift — many early App Store releases were 32-bit and stop running on modern iOS, and availability changes over time. Check an app's last-update and compatibility before assuming an old favorite will work.

When building a top-ten that still matters, judge candidates on practical, lasting qualities rather than hype:

  • Control feel and touch responsiveness.
  • Session length and how save points handle interruptions.
  • Offline play and required downloads.
  • Monetization model (premium vs heavy IAPs).
  • Cloud saves or cross-device sync.
  • Recent developer support and update cadence.
  • Battery/CPU footprint and stability.
  • Controller or local-multiplayer options, if important.

A simple way to curate a personal list: pick the categories you care about (quick-play, strategy, puzzle, co-op), nominate a few titles per category, play each for several short sessions, then rank them using weighted criteria (controls, replay value, cost). That avoids bias toward the loudest best-sellers — a point echoed by 's preference for more strategic choices.

If a game misbehaves: check the App Store compatibility notes and last-update date; update app and iOS if possible; force-quit and restart; free storage then reinstall after backing up saves; consider running it on an older device if it is 32-bit only; contact the developer if nothing else helps.

For multi-day travel: pre-download content, enable low-power mode, lower screen brightness, silence game notifications, and bring a charger or power bank. These small steps preserve battery and make long play sessions far more pleasant.

Member Avatar for jomesmoc
jomesmoc 0 Newbie Poster

My Favorite Iphone games are:

Plants vs Zombies.
Rolando.
Civilization Revolution.
Catan.

Edited by jomesmoc because: n/a
Member Avatar for happygeek
happygeek 2,411 Most Valuable Poster

Wot, no Angry Birds? :)

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