A fantastic puzzler/platformer that kept the spirit of the larger franchise while adapting it to mobile devices perfectly

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Even more so than Hitman GO, Lara Croft GO distilled the core elements of the Tomb Raider series into a gorgeous puzzle adventure. The dual pistols are there, the ledge handstands, the dangerous traps and crumbling ledges, the mysterious ruins, the deadly fauna, all wrapped in a mobile-friendly turn-based package

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Taking a winning puzzle formula from Hitman GO and raising the level of production through the roof with one of our favorite video game characters, Lara Croft GO was more than just a puzzle game for me. With great atmosphere and sound, it truly was an adventure and a brilliant add-on in recent months made it special all again.

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This game is a true gem. Clever level design from beginning to end. It not only respects the original games to a great extent but also expands the reach of the series further. It's a perfect example of how to design levels and it oozes style.

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Fun puzzles, incredible visuals, tight gameplay, good animations,

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This is the kind of game that nails movement and then it's designed around that in the best way possible. The game totally nails the main mechanic of falling down the well and managing your momentum while doing so avoid and killing enemies in the process. The controls work perfectly on touchscreen and don't detract from the experience at all. I'm kinda tired of the rogue-like aspect of games and I feel it detracts from the experience here making it seem like you waste your time when a run doesn't go that well. The permanent unlocks are neat but don't change the game enough to erase that feeling.

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Simple, fast, challenging, and fun. It has enough randomness to keep things interesting, but not too much that you ever feel really screwed by a run.

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Downwell is a game that looks decemptively simple, but it's built around wonderful systems. It's challenging and clever and just so addictive to play.

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Fresh addictive roguelike game with interesting mechanics.

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Not only is this one of the prettiest games of the year it also does almost everything else right. The controls are smooth, the progression is tough but fair and it offers tons of variety and options while playing it. It forces you to get good at the game to progress without being frustrating and that's a great feat in and out of itself.

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The stunning art direction completely sold me on the game in a heartbeat, but the gameplay is tight as hell too.

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The best mobile racing game that is also coming to consoles. Plays like a dream with Out Run vibes in a modern art style.

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Beautiful 60fps Out Run style racer. Lots of courses and content and just so smooth.

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Go back to the days of Outrun, modernize it and give it perfect touch controls and you've got one of the best arcade racers on mobile.

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What got me hooked on this one is, yes, partially the opportunity to see classic Final Fantasy characters, bosses, and backgrounds re-rendered and updated for today. But what kept me hooked months later was actually the surprising depth to the game. It's basically a series of Final Fantasy fights revolving around a fairly simple battle system, but it's surprising how much strategy goes into getting the resources you need to craft the right skills to equip your party members and take on some of the bosses.

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I absolutely fell in love with this game. Although a bit dangerous on the RNG/gambling side, if you luck out and have been playing since launch, it offers so much challenge and nostalgia. Probably one of the best recent takes on ATB.

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Great fan service and the constant events are all great.

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Easily the best in the Room series. The hub-based structure and multi-room puzzles imbued the game with a greater sense of exploration and discovery, the puzzles are more tactile than ever, and the story was the most compelling yet due its multiple endings and eerie atmosphere

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The Room has a way of pulling me in and making hours pass like minutes. May be my favorite chapter to date, with good balance between expanding the scope of the series while retaining the intimacy of handcrafted, tactile puzzles to tinker with

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I wasn't expecting much, but this one actually turn out to be really sweet score attack game with a nice twist on the regular pac-man

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A brilliant brand new take on a cult classic, and another great game to play on the go.

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This is Puzzle Quest on crack. Such an awesome rythm, music and game design.

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Just as fun as its predecessor. This one felt shorter, but I still had a ton of fun playing through it.

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More fun than the first one, great upgrade system.

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The sequel to 10000000 and better in most ways.

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An excellent match-3 meets JRPG made better by the addition of an easy mode. I put close to 100 hours into the game, which is unprecedented for me anymore.

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There are many match-3 hybrids that blend that mechanic with elements from other genres. but Hero Emblems feels like an RPG first, with a strategic match-3 battle mechanic. A sprawling map, flashy combat, varied skills and upgrades, and many hours of content makes Hero Emblems one of the best games in the genre.

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I've probably spent more hours on this game than any other game in my lifetime - console, PC or mobile. That's saying something. It's not just a match-3 RPG. It's got the charm and story of the best JRPGs around with incredibly deep and strategic combat. Not merely matching gems. But fighting through buffs and rebuffs, timed traps, setting up the board for that skill you know you need or the health to save you.Yes, it's also incredibly hard...even on easy. Finding that right combination of what emblem and skills will ultimately take down a boss, dying and getting that sweet satisfaction when you finally get the job done. This is a game that will forever live on my iPad.

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An astonishingly fun and charming RPG. If there are any Paper Mario fans reading this, get this game.

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Solid handheld RPG that came out early this year based on Steven Universe. A well-made licensed game that did a good job in making a relatively deep game while also pandering just enough to fans of the show. Props to the gameplay designers for making a mobile game worth replaying.

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Excellent strategy game that made great use of the license. Tense, horrific, and thrilling.

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Wow. I was taken back at the amazingly dark, Alien like atmosphere in this game. Yet another incredibly challenging game. This one with pitch perfect turn-based strategy. Building up your marines with powerful weapons. Holding your breath as more creatures lurk in from the shadows to take you down. And the agony of losing all that XP you were saving for the next big skill or pumping up your stats. Best SRPG (maybe not quite RPG) of the year by far.

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Thought this game was masterful, brilliant production values and the pacing and difficulty were just right. The music and graphics were lovely but the tactics and options you had were even more stunning. The last levels were from hell but I was so invested in my team at that point that I wanted to see them conclude what they began. Brilliant game and easily my iOS GOTY.

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DoctorWho said:

How many of these require some type of online connection?

I always end up downloading a game I'm interested in and never playing it because it wants to connect to a server on boot up. That's not realistic on a subway.

Record Keeper interests me greatly.

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DoctorWho said:

How many of these require some type of online connection?

I always end up downloading a game I'm interested in and never playing it because it wants to connect to a server on boot up. That's not realistic on a subway.

Record Keeper interests me greatly.

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More_Badass said:

As far as I know, only Record Keeper requires an online connection

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Magic Mushroom said:

I liked Lara Croft GO, but Downwell was robbed.

Little gem of a game, hopefully it comes out on PSN as well.

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duckroll said:

Honestly, everyone should just disregard this shameful list and download Terra Battle instead.

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infiniteloop said:

Very good top ten. 2015 was a great year for ios.

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reKon said:

most of these are on Android too...

EDIT: actually all of them might be

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DoctorWho said:

How many of these require some type of online connection?

I always end up downloading a game I'm interested in and never playing it because it wants to connect to a server on boot up. That's not realistic on a subway.

Record Keeper interests me greatly.

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RodeoMatthew said:

Deathwatch can be played offline as all the data is store locally. It's got a shop but its not needed.

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KodaRuss said:

Deathwatch looks sweet. Too bad I dont have IOS...

I really struggle to find mobile games that I like, still cannot get over a lot of the touch screen wonkyness.

I have Lara Croft: Go to play now on my surface so Ill try that out soon

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DoctorWho said:

Thanks. I am curious about that one.

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KodaRuss said:

Deathwatch looks sweet. Too bad I dont have IOS...

I really struggle to find mobile games that I like, still cannot get over a lot of the touch screen wonkyness.

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More_Badass said:

The best games for touch are puzzlers (Lara Croft GO, Blockwick, etc.), turn-based/tactical games (Deathwatch, Hoplite, etc.), interactive fiction (Sorcery, 80 Days, etc.) and games that embrace the tactile nature of touch (Room 3, Device 6, Shadowmatic, etc.)

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Haunted said:

I can vouch for Warhammer being a great game (though I played the PC version which doesn't have the microtransaction stuff).

Definitely my favourite game on this list and so good it almost made my overall top 10.


For what it's worth, that game is also available on Steam (and looks really good for a game that's also on mobile).

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Tragicomedy said:

Recently bought a 6s+, so a lot to look forward to. I've only played A Dark Room, Twofold, Monument Valley, 80 Days, and Future Fight so far.

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Busaiku said:

Neko Atsume was robbed.

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Busaiku said:

Neko Atsume was robbed.

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hawk2025 said:

Man. Looking at that list...


While I can appreciate a lot of the "why's" on people voting for these (I've played 8 out of 10), the only one I can genuinely say was a compelling, fun, interesting game experience was Lara Croft GO (and so it rightfully owns its place as number 1).


Ultimately, it's clear at this point that for now iOS gaming simply isn't for me.

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duckroll said:

Honestly, everyone should just disregard this shameful list and download Terra Battle instead.

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Haunted said:

I can vouch for Warhammer being a great game (though I played the PC version which doesn't have the microtransaction stuff).

Definitely my favourite game on this list and so good it almost made my overall top 10.


For what it's worth, that game is also available on Steam (and looks really good for a game that's also on mobile).

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More_Badass said:

The best games for touch are puzzlers (Lara Croft GO, Blockwick, etc.), turn-based/tactical games (Deathwatch, Hoplite, etc.), interactive fiction (Sorcery, 80 Days, etc.) and games that embrace the tactile nature of touch (Room 3, Device 6, Shadowmatic, etc.)

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ODDI said:

Woot Woot! Pac-man 256!

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