My Favorite Mobile Games
Over the last few years I’ve downloaded a lot of mobile games: on iPad, iPhone, and Android. Most aren’t worth playing. Some are good, and a few are fantastic. This is a list of the games which I enthusiastically recommend. Almost all of them are available on iOS and Android but the links below are to the iOS App Store.
Almost all of these are games which cost money. In general, paid games are better. It comes down to economy: most mobile game developers have only two methods for earning income: sell games for an up-front cost or monetize free games through annoying and often underhanded tactics. Ads will pop up which you have to pay to remove, artificial blocks will be introduced into the game to incentivize a small purchase, and so on. A good game is worth spending a few dollars on. Enjoy.
Note: Another great list of iOS games to check out is this one.
Updated April 2018
Ovivo
Ovivo is an unconventional platformer set upon a black and white landscape filled with metaphors and illusions. Open to interpretation and thoughtful in a way that is rare. Link
Lost in Harmony
Part running game, part rhythm game, Lost in Harmony is one of the most unique, ambitious mobile games. Included in Apple’s prestigious “Best of” awards in 2016. Link
Mini Metro
This award winning “sublime subway simulator” has won dozens of accolades for successfully fusing depth and accessibility. Design subways for growing cities. Link
Really Bad Chess
A variant of chess created by indie developer Zach Gage, wherein pieces are rearranged at random, depending on the player’s skill level. The result is both novel and familiar. Link
Gorogoa
Rearrange illustrations which operate like puzzle pieces to solve puzzles and link together a very novel narrative experience. Not just a game, Gorogoa is art. Link
Reigns
Manage a medieval empire through a series of yes/no choices presented like Tinder. Lead through benevolence or malevolence and experience the consequences. Link
Vignettes
A puzzle game without text or characters where through perspective changes, objects shapeshift and reveal hidden functionality. Kaleidoscopic, intuitive, and beautiful. Link
Gnog
A visually stunning 3D puzzle game where you manipulate interactive monster heads. Includes some great augmented reality functionality using ARKit. Link
Downwell
Among the best action games on mobile, Downwell is a vertical shooter where your ghost-like character (wearing “gunboots”) descends deeper into a mysterious well. Link
Monument Valley
Award winning puzzle game which utilizes M.C. Escher-esque “impossible geometry” to guide a female protagonist named Ada through obstacle courses. Stunning. Link
Ridiculous Fishing
Developed by much-loved Dutch developer Vlambeer, Ridiculous Fishing is a “handcrafted game about fishing with guns, chainsaws & toasters.” Link
Dark Echo
“Trapped in darkness, you must use visualized sound to guide your way through threatening environments.” Dark Echo is like a blind simulator. Play with headphones. Link
Super Hexagon
Among the most simple and difficult games I’ve ever played. Hugely influential, having inspired many similar games. Runner up for App Store 2012 game of the year. Link
Alto’s Adventure
Alto’s Adventure is a Zen-like obstacle avoidance skiing game. “Above the placid ivory snow lies a sleepy mountain village, brimming with the promise of adventure.” Link
Prune
“Prune is a love letter to trees. A game about the beauty and joy of cultivation.”Tap and drag to prune your tree to guide it toward the sunlight it needs to prosper. Link
_Prism
“Touch shapes and patterns to unfold sacred geometry and reach the ethereal soul.” Mesmerizing geometric puzzles in space. Link
Wave Wave
“Wave up and down to survive the gauntlet of geometric doom.” A brutal challenge created in the mold of Super Hexagon. Play with headphones and try to survive. Vexing. Link
Device 6
“Plays with the conventions of games and literature, entwines story with geography and blends puzzle and novella.” Link
Super Arc Light
Minimalist retro arcade shooter featuring a one button control mechanism. Your ship rotates around an arc and you survive by eliminating incoming ships. Link
You Must Build a Boat
A mash up of the endless runner genre (Temple Run) and match-3 (Candy Crush) presented in Atari 2600 style. Legitimate difficulty, witty humor. Survive the flood. Link
Star Command
Build and command a starship across the galaxy and “watch your crew die grizzly deaths all at your command” in pixelated space. Link
80 Days
Circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less, like in Jules Vernes’ Around the World in 80 Days. Interact, trade, and navigate obstacles in exotic locations. Link
Plague Inc.
“Can you infect the world? Plague Inc. is a unique mix of high strategy and terrifyingly realistic simulation.” Design a pandemic which eradicates human life on earth. Link
Hoplite
Dungeon crawling, turn based strategy which focuses on tactical movement around small maps. Like chess with spears and magical abilities. Link
Inks
Pinball with an artistic twist: as the ball moves, it leaves paint trails behind. As you complete each stage of increasingly difficult pinball, you finish with an art print. Link
Papers, Please
“A dystopian document thriller” that takes place in a fictional communist country called Arstotzka. Accolades from The New Yorker, Wired, and more. Well deserved. iPad only. Link
Spaceteam
A cooperative party game played with 2-8 players where you shout technobabble at each other. One of the funniest games I’ve played in the last few years. Link
Threes!
A small puzzle which takes 30 seconds to learn but hours to master. Beautiful minimalism which earned it numerous prestigious awards. Link
Hitman Go
Critically acclaimed puzzler set in the Hitman game universe. Assassinate targets by taking turns to occupy key positions in diorama-themed 3D stages. Link
Tiny Wings
“You have always dreamed of flying – but your wings are tiny.” Award winning endless runner where you tap to guide a hand drawn bird through rolling landscapes. Link
Kingdom Rush: Frontiers
The gold standard for tower defense games on mobile. Build and upgrade defenses to suppress an onslaught of enemy troops. Link
Her Story
Interactive detective puzzle where you discover the truth behind a murder by reviewing 1994 VHS footage of a female suspect’s recorded testimony. Link
The Battle of Polytopia
Colony expansion strategy game which plays like a 20 minute compressed version of the epic PC strategy series Civilization. Link
Pac-Man 256
Pac-Man turned into an endless runner. Navigate ghosts through the familiar Pac-Man stage with the exception that it never ends. Pay to remove ads. Link
Does Not Commute
Navigate cars, trucks and school buses and play with time in a “temporal paradox in which you have no one to blame but yourself”. Link