Best Games

Top 20 best open world games for iPhone and iPad (iOS)

|
iOS
Top 20 best open world games for iPhone and iPad (iOS)

Left Arrow
0/20
Right Arrow
Updated on September 18th - re-checked the list. 

Looking for the best open world games for iPhone & iPad? Look no further, because we've brought the best six of them together into this list for you. Read on to find out the best places to lose yourself on mobile.

Whether you want to explore a realistic world or one completely submerged in fantasy, there is probably an iOS open world game for you. Often there is the option to follow stories and quests or to just wander around, exploring on your own so that you can find whatever you stumble upon. We’ve compiled a list of games that go from fantasy through hyper-realistic or full of dinosaurs all the way through to the ones where you can drive planes. There is something for everyone on this list.

How did the list of the best open world games for iOS come to be?

But where did iOS open world games come from? They've arguably been around for quite some time, with a lot of people citing early adventure games as some of the first examples. Arguably, any title where you can choose which path to take (or, indeed, just dilly-dally around and do nothing) is open world, which more and more titles are starting to be. As a matter of fact, there aren't actually many linear games releasing these, and a whole mass of games might have tight stories, but promote you exploring the level and making careful choices as to how you proceed.

Arguably, though, the rise of open world games came within the last fifteen years, with series like Bioshock, Deus Ex, Dishonored and Hitman all promoting players thinking outside of the box, and giving people the tools to progress but little instruction. Meanwhile, other titles like Skyrim, The Witcher 3, Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause, Legend of Zelda, and, of course, Minecraft, all gave people larger and larger worlds to explore - and as their popularity surged, we started to see more and more open world elements spreading into other games.

We've got everything here from horror-based survival games to some of the names we've mentioned above, so do make sure to click on through to find out what we believe are the best iOS open world games for iPhone and iPad. And, of course, if you think we've missed something then leave us a comment, because we do occasionally revisit our various lists to make sure that we've kept them completely up to date.

Click Here To View The List »

1
Off the Road

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Racing
Find out more about Off the Road
Off the Road

Exploring is sometimes more fun when you have vehicles to control along the way! Off the Road allows you to drive boats, trains, cars, helicopters, harvesters - basically anything that has wheels. You can drive wherever you want, switching your vehicles out and exploring. The game has realistic features like tire pressure, so knowing your vehicle may help.

2
Sky: Children of the Light

Available on: iOS + Android + Switch
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Sky: Children of the Light
Sky: Children of the Light

Sky: Children of the Light provides a beautiful, colourful world where you must restore the stars to the sky. Around you are the ghost-like shapes of other players running about and trying to solve their own little puzzles. You can only talk through gestures in Sky, but you will be chatting with others even if it is just using this, as the best part of the experience is the feeling of these others.

3
Don't Starve: Pocket Edition

Developer: Klei Entertainment
Available on: iOS + Android + PS Vita
Genre: Adventure, Hardcore
Find out more about Don't Starve: Pocket Edition
Don't Starve: Pocket Edition

I love Don’t Starve. This is a survival game where you are plopped onto a world full of horror, and as the night comes you will find more monsters, looking to steal your sanity. Your goal in Don’t Starve is simple - don’t starve to death or really die in any way. Instead, you can start gathering and finding resources, crafting, and building a way to survive.

4
Portal Knights

Publisher: 505 Games
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Portal Knights
Portal Knights

Portal Knights contains a big world where you can explore, fight, gather materials, level up and more. There are different classes that change your gameplay. There are lots of really cool structures and mobs in Portal Knights, as well as just a vast land to explore. It’s a really fun game if you’re into discovering your world.

5
Second Galaxy

Publisher: Zlongame
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer, RPG
Find out more about Second Galaxy
Second Galaxy

Maybe space is more you thing, in which case, Second Galaxy is great for space explorations! You can travel across thousands of realistic star systems, battling other ships along the way. This game is quite massive in the amount of places you can explore and really does a great job of delivering a galaxy full of adventure!

6
Morphite

Publisher: Crescent Moon Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Morphite
Morphite

Traveling through a wonderful, procedurally generated world in outer space, Morphite is a wonderful adventure and exploration game that takes some aspects from No Man’s Sky and brings it to a colorful and bright polygon-styled world. You can drive vehicles or ride creatures, all depending on the planet you land on and decide to explore, until you get bored and move on to the next.

7
Dragon Raja

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action, Multiplayer
Find out more about Dragon Raja
Dragon Raja

Dragon Raja is an anime MMORPG with some beautiful graphics to really help you get into the game! There are tons to do in this beautiful world from fighting in battles to fulfilling quests to simply interacting with the different people you come across. You can work on your skills by slaying monsters you find or just explore around, hoping to discover a beautiful place.

We have some codes for Dragon Raja that you can use in case you decide to give it a go.

8
Goat Simulator

Publisher: Coffee Stain Studios
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Action, Simulation
Find out more about Goat Simulator
Goat Simulator

Goat Simulator is a strange open world game, where you can run into bugs, play as a goat, explore a big world and cause all sorts of chaos. You can headbut whatever, spend time wrecking random things, harass people and really do whatever you want as a goat. You don’t really live your life like a real goat, so just embrace it and cause chaos.

9
Minecraft - Pocket Edition

Developer: Mojang
Publisher: Mojang
Available on: iOS + Android + Windows Phone + Xperia Play
Genre: Adventure, Brain training
Find out more about Minecraft
Minecraft

Minecraft is a game everyone has heard of - you are able to build up blocky structures, mine, fight mobs, grow food, discover temples and much, much more. The game itself has large worlds with tons to discover, but Minecraft doesn’t have a quest system, leaving you to your own devices when it comes to building the world of your dreams.

10
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Available on: iOS + Android + Windows Phone
Genre: Action, Adventure, Racing, Shooter
Find out more about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

GTA is always mentioned when it comes to open world games, so we have included Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This game has a storyline, but you don’t have to follow it and can instead start exploring around the town, driving to new areas, and just seeing where the world takes you. It doesn’t have the best graphics, but GTA is nostalgic.

11
Junk Jack

Publisher: Pixbits
Available on: iOS
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Junk Jack
Junk Jack

Junk Jack is an interesting alternative to Terraria. This game is an open-world sandbox game with many items, crafting, and so on. Also, this game has a fantastic plot, which you can get to know during your incredible survival. In this game, you can study the underground and aboveground worlds and battle with many interesting bosses. Also, you can connect additional users to the game. You can play with up to three friends on the local network, and the Internet connection is available for two players.

12
Tower of Fantasy

Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Action, RPG
Find out more about Tower of Fantasy
Tower of Fantasy

Tower of Fantasy is another great open-world game. In the game, you will find many powerful characters and a lot of different weapons. Moreover, the game is constantly updated with new characters and weapons. The main advantage of the game is a dynamic combat system and a huge variety of enemies. Also, if you are an anime fan, you should definitely like the style of the game.

We have ranked all of the weapons and characters in the ToF tier list that you should definitely look at if you decide to play this one. It will make your gameplay much smoother.

13
ARK: Survival Evolved

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action, Multiplayer, Stealth
Find out more about ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK has a lot to offer in its seemingly never-ending sandbox game, where you are placed on an island full of dinosaurs, hoping to survive! You can find other players to play with, creating tribes and colonies to survive or just attempting to take it on your own. Either way, you will need to start building and crafting if you are going to make it through the night.

14
Nimian Legends: BrightRidge

Developer: Protopop Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Nimian Legends: BrightRidge
Nimian Legends: BrightRidge

With more of a focus on landscape, Nimian Legends: BrightRidge is a lovely game where you can explore around the world, discovering all there is to find and taking pictures along the way. You can play freely, just going wherever you are drawn too or can play a story mode that will guide you and lead you to fighting enemies in the world. Either way, it’s a lovely world.

15
Sunless Sea

Publisher: Failbetter Games
Available on: iOS
Genre: Adventure, Strategy
Find out more about Sunless Sea
Sunless Sea

Sunless Sea is another interesting open-world game where you have to explore a world full of adventures on your steamship. It has beautiful gloomy graphics and the fantastic dark atmosphere of Fallen London. You will have to fight in real-time battles against various enemies, trade, upgrade your steamship, and hire incredible officers. If you are looking for a game with a great story, Sunless Sea is one of the best options!

16
Black Desert Mobile

Publisher: Pearl Abyss
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer, RPG
Find out more about Black Desert Mobile
Black Desert Mobile

Black Desert Mobile is free and requires an internet connection. This fantasy game, with mechanics that match most of the features of the original PC version, has managed to raise over $1 billion since its inception in 2015.

One of the important features is an automatic movement, which will allow you to simplify the laborious process of moving around locations, especially on the small screens of your mobile devices. The character will move automatically until he gets to the place or is intercepted. You also get full-fledged 3D graphics with the ability to scroll the camera and 8 available spells that make the combat system in the game really variable.

17
Albion Online

Developer: Sandbox Interactive
Publisher: Stillfront Group
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer, RPG
Find out more about Albion Online
Albion Online

Albion Online is a fantasy sandbox MMORPG featuring a player-driven economy, class-free combat, and constant PvP combat. Explore a huge open world full of dangers and opportunities. Strengthen your wealth, make alliances, and leave your mark on the world of Albion.

18
Terraria

Developer: Codeglue
Publisher: 505 Games
Available on: iOS + Android + 3DS + PS Vita + Windows Phone + Steam
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG
Find out more about Terraria
Terraria

One of the most striking analogs of the famous Minecraft is the 2D sandbox of the highest quality - Terraria. It is immediately clear that the game is not suitable for lovers of excellent graphics, but less sophisticated gamers will definitely like it.

In general, the game is interesting for many factors. With the growth of your opportunities, the excitement also increases. In the current version, there is a beautiful visualization of many effects, and the quality of the overall graphic component has increased. It's now possible to have mounts that have special abilities, while on horseback you can attack and dig.

19
Crashlands

Developer: Butterscotch Shenanigans
Publisher: Butterscotch Shenanigans
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG
Find out more about Crashlands
Crashlands

It all starts with the fact that the main character Flux, who works as an interplanetary messenger, along with her robotic assistant Juice Box, flies in a spaceship over the planet Woanope. After some time, an alien monster Hewgodooko bursts into them. The villain destroys their ship and the protagonist lands on the planet.

The gameplay here is not very different from other RPG games: you are given a quest and you complete it. You also need to collect various equipment and upgrade your character while exploring the world.

20
Gangstar Vegas

Publisher: Gameloft
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action
Find out more about Gangstar Vegas
Gangstar Vegas

Gangstar Vegas is somewhat similar in concept to Sleeping Dogs: compact city, not many cars. The character is made surprisingly well. The plot is classic: he was supposed to lose the fight, but inadvertently knocked out his opponent with a not-so-powerful hook. And after that adventures in the criminal world begin.

Left Arrow
0/20
Right Arrow
Jupiter Hadley
Jupiter Hadley
Jupiter is a prolific indie game journalist with a focus on smaller indie gems. She covers thousands of game jams and indie games on her YouTube channel, letting every game have a moment in the spotlight. She runs indiegamejams.com, a calendar of all of the game jams going on in the world, and judges many jams and events. You can find her on Twitter as @Jupiter_Hadley