These are the top 10 games for iPhone and iPad according to the Pocket Gamer team (2018)
And we know some stuff
To celebrate the launch of our new site, we decided to get our heads together and make a list of what the current Pocket Gamer team thinks are the best games for the biggest platforms we cover. In this list, we're going to look at what we think are the ten best games for iPhone and iPad.
This isn't a list based on scientific measures, it's about the games that have meant the most to our writers, that have stuck around for the longest on their phones, or that have remained lodged in their brains long after they've stopped playing.
We'd really love to hear about the mobile games that mean something to you, or the ones that you think everyone who's into gaming of any sort should play.
Don't forget to check out our top 10 games for Android and Nintendo Switch while you're at it.
Downwell
The App Store has become something of a repository for short-burst, super-tough arcade action games, and Downwell sits firmly at the top of the pile. It is, quite simply, one of the best action platformers you can pick up for any device, and it works as well on touchscreens as it does anywhere else.
At review we said "it's slick, it's smart, it's actually pretty funny, and while it might trade on its retro swagger, it's full of fresh ideas that buzz in the best possible way," and then gave it a shiny Gold Award. Click here to read our Downwell review in full.
New Star Soccer Manager
Certain members of the team may have become severely addicted to this one when it first came out earlier in the year. In fact, they might still be severely addicted, and writing this entry may well be about to trigger a relapse in them. It's a brilliant, hugely in-depth but also remarkably simple sim game. And it'll eat up hours, days, and even weeks of your life if you let it in.
When we reviewed it we said "New Star Soccer Manager is a game of wonderful poise, utter compulsion, and shows that strategy management games don't need to bristle with hardcore pride to be spectacular." Then we gave it a Platinum Award. Click here to read all of our New Star Soccer Manager review.
The Room
There are a handful of games on the App Store that really defined the current era of mobile gaming, and The Room is definitely one of them. A game about manipulating objects with your phone's screen, it plays on our fears of the unknown in the most imaginative ways. It's also just one of the best puzzlers you're ever likely to play. Just sayin'.
When we reviewed The Room we said "it's tough, but its atmosphere of unease, and the feeling you get when you solve one of its trials, are more than enough reward." It got a Gold Award. Click here to read our The Room review.
Guns of Boom
A meaty shooter that's perfectly designed for mobile play. It owes a good chunk of its existence to Team Fortress 2, but there are enough new ideas here that you'll let that slide. Team-based, and with plenty of options for character customisation, it's the comprehension of the strengths and weaknesses of the platform Guns of Boom finds itself on that really make it stand out.
At review, we gave Guns of Boom our second highest accolade - the Gold Award - and said "this is an essential mobile multiplayer experience, and you should drop what you're doing right now and go and pick it up." Click here and you can check out our Guns of Boom review in its entirety.
Severed
It always strikes us as pretty weird that Severed didn't come to mobile before any other platforms, but that's life - and the awesome mixture of slicing, swiping, and Mexican folklore has found its home at last. It's not just beautiful, it's not just put together with craft and guile, it's also one of the most entertaining and engaging games you can stick on your iPhone right this second.
When we reviewed the mobile version we called the game "ambitious, slick, stylish, and damn pretty," adding that "this is a unique dungeon crawler worth playing." Then we gave it a Gold Award. You can check out the whole of the review by smashing a click or a tap right here.
Gorogoa
There's so much going on in Gorogoa that distilling it into a couple of paragraphs feels like doing the game a disservice. It's a puzzle game that involves manipulating different layers of images. Move things around in one layer of the image to change what's happening in another. Think Framed, but using photoshop instead of comics and you're part of the way there.
At review we said "playing Gorogoa is like flipping through an illustrated puzzle box, each layer removed revealing something new and wonderful beneath." And then we gave it a Platinum Award. Click here and you can check out our Gorogoa review in its entirety.
Prune
There are quite a few puzzle games on this list, but they all find new and exciting ways for you to interact with your iPhone. Prune is no different - it's a game about slicing up trees in order for them to bloom. There might be more going on than that, but we don't want to spoil too much if you haven't played it yet.
When we reviewed Prune we called it "an awe-inspiring work of digital poetry that transcends its initial subject material to explore a much larger, much more complex theme." It got a Platinum Award as well, and you can read the whole of our Prune review by clicking this link.
Monument Valley 2
While the original Monument Valley was an incredible achievement, this sequel builds on it in a whole bunch of different ways. Explore and traverse bizarre landscapes, twisting them so you can make seemingly impossible connections between chunks of stone. And probably have a bit of a cry while you do it.
When we reviewed Monument Valley 2 we said "it builds on what came before - in a very real way, it's a sequel about sequels. And its story about legacy cements ustwo's own position as one of the greatest developers working on mobile." It got a Platinum Award as well, and you can read the whole of our Monument Valley 2 review by clicking here.
Florence
A game that's all about the first bloom of new love, the slow creep of routine, and the possibilities that are inherent in the ending of chapters of our lives. It might not have much to show for itself mechanically, but experientially you're going to be hard pressed to find a game on the App Store that will touch you more.
At review we said "if you're looking for a game that's entirely self contained, won't take up more than an hour of your time, and will likely leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest, then Florence is going to be right up your street." Click here and you can have a gander at the rest of the review.
Clash Royale
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In a lot of ways Clash Royale was ahead of its time. Why do we say that? Well just look at all the clones and copies of the game that have come out in the couple of years since it was released. It defined how to do midcore multiplayer on mobile, and its resonance is still felt even now.
We described Clash Royale as a "mobile game that thinks outside the box, and does it brilliantly," when we reviewed it. Then we added "expect to be hearing about Clash Royale clones in the not-too-distant future," and gave it a Gold Award. Click here to check out all of the, apparently incredibly prescient, review.
