Main Highlights:
- While thousands of games are found on the App Store, there are plenty of other services that allow you to get games for your iPad.
- While your favourite iPad is an amazing tool for productivity, it wouldn’t reach its full potential without at least a few of the best iPad games.
- It’s small enough to take with you everywhere, but with a big enough screen to allow for more precision with your taps.
Since the release of the Apple iPad in 2010, the tablet has established its position in the broader computer landscape, with its stunning display allowing for the consumption of many forms of digital information. While other tablet makers haven’t had as much success, the iPad continues to prosper with each new model.
Some of that success might be attributed to the high quality of applications available for download from the Apple Store. Because, unlike their Android counterparts, which are frequently created for phones and stretched to fit the tablet form factor, iPad applications take advantage of the extra real estate.
The same is true for games, with the greatest of them taking advantage of the device to provide immersive mobile experiences. Here are some of the top ones on the market right now.
While your favourite iPad is an amazing tool for productivity, it wouldn’t reach its full potential without at least a few of the best iPad games. It’s small enough to take with you everywhere, but with a big enough screen to allow for more precision with your taps — it’s that deadly combination that makes me reach for my iPad to play my favourite mobile games over and over.
Whether you’re new to iPad gaming or are just looking for your next game to download here are the places where you can find games for iPad as well as the best iPad games out there right now.
WHERE TO FIND GAMES FOR IPAD
While thousands of games are found on the App Store, there are plenty of other services that allow you to get games for your iPad. Additionally, more laid-back games are usually good with just touch controls, but you’ll want to consider getting a game controller for an iPad with more intensive titles.
Apple Arcade: Apple’s subscription service on the App Store is just $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. With it, you can access a library of hundreds of ad-free games like Jetpack Joyride 2, Shovel Knight Dig, and more.
Xbox Game Pass (xCloud) for iOS: Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription starts at $1 a month and then goes up to $14.99 a month. It costs more than Apple Arcade but gives you access to hundreds of more intensive games like A Plague Tale: Innocence, Fallout 4, and much more. PLAY SOUND
Steam Mobile: Downloading the Steam Mobile app allows you to access Valve’s game distribution service. You’ll need to purchase each game individually, but there are tons of games available here.
Moonlight Game Streaming: This is basically an open-source Nvidia GameStream made to work for iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV. Download the app and you can stream games from your PC remotely to play them on your mobile Apple device.
Nvidia GeForce NOW: Unlike Nvidia’s Moonlight app that we just mentioned, this is a paid service that gives you access to tons of iPad games like Fortnite, which is no longer available on the App Store.
Minecraft
Minecraft, the global sensation, is now available on all devices, including your iPhone or iPad. If you want anything online or offline, a construction and exploring sandbox that effortlessly transitions to iOS controls are ideal.
While you can play with other players and work on the same worlds together, after purchasing it, you may play it without using any data or Wi-Fi. Whether it’s your first time playing or you’ve been away for years, you’re certain to spend hours constructing a world directly from your phone.
Download: Minecraft ($6.99)
Ticket to Ride
The award-winning board game is now portable. In Ticket to Ride, you and your pals become railroad barons, racing to be the first to connect the country by train. The aesthetics are faithful to the original board game, even down to the virtual railway cards you draw and hold.
You may play in Pass-And-Play mode, which allows you to take your turn and pass it to your buddies in front of you, but it’s also a great solo game. Each game lasts 15 to 20 minutes, making it ideal for passing the time on a real-life train journey.
Download: Ticket to Ride ($8.99, in-app purchases available)
Civilization VI
Civilization VI is the newest entry in the long-running series in which you, as the leader of your people, attempt to conquer the globe throughout history. Civ is a turn-based game that takes hours yet is easy to play in short bursts of time. It uses real-world leaders, location names, and historical landmarks. As a result, it is ideal for iOS.
Although you can play local and internet multiplayer, an offline AI campaign will keep you entertained on a lengthy subway or airline travel. There are various methods to play Civilization on your phone if Civilization VI does not appeal to you.
Download: Civilization VI (Free, in-app purchases available)
Stardew Valley
Civilization VI is the newest entry in the long-running series in which you, as the leader of your people, attempt to conquer the globe throughout history. Civ is a turn-based game that takes hours yet is easy to play in short bursts of time. It uses real-world leaders, location names, and historical landmarks. As a result, it is ideal for iOS.
Although you can play local and internet multiplayer, an offline AI campaign will keep you entertained on a lengthy subway or airline travel. There are various methods to play Civilization on your phone if Civilization VI does not appeal to you.
Download: Stardew Valley ($4.99)
Alto’s Odyssey
Alto’s Odyssey, the sequel to Alto’s Adventure, preserves everything you liked about the first and adds a bit more. This game feels more like an expansion than a genuine sequel, with additional characters, locales, a soundtrack, and a few new concepts.
Still, if you enjoy Adventure, you’ll enjoy Odyssey, which focuses on extreme activities rather than collection.
Download: Alto’s Odyssey ($4.99)
Monument Valley
Have you ever been intrigued by one of M. C. Escher’s seemingly impossible paintings? That is the entire idea of Monument Valley, an independent puzzle game created using the Unity engine. You play as Ro, a little girl who explores colourful buildings and solves complicated riddles. Your major utility is the ability to adjust the screen’s perspective, which opens up new pathways.
This game is one of the most exhilarating and engrossing experiences you can have on your phone, and you can play it fully offline. You may never need to connect to the internet again.
Download: Monument Valley ($3.99, in-app purchases available)
BADLAND
You’re a gooey black blob who doesn’t want to die. BADLAND is a hard puzzle game in which your character must navigate a planet filled with frightening traps and perils. Keep your ball floating by using touch controls while keeping an eye out for whirling blades, pointed spikes, and other hazards that will rip it to shreds. Various pickups across the world can make you larger and smaller, multiply you, and do other things.
The difficult gameplay will draw you in. The spooky soundtrack and stunning gothic graphics will have you going back for more. Although there is a local multiplayer component, all gameplay may be enjoyed offline.
Download: BADLAND ($0.99)
SevenBloks
This creative puzzle game resembles a cross between Tetris and Sudoku. The rules are straightforward. You have a 7×6 grid filled with blocks with numbers one through seven on them. It clears if a numbered block is in a column or row with the same number of blocks as it does. If it clears close to a white block, the white block fractures and eventually breaks, revealing a numbered block.
The aim, similar to Tetris, is to avoid losing by having the blocks go over the top while scoring points. It’s easy, yet never-ending tough fun. Everything except the leaderboards can be experienced offline, making it a perfect game to play while waiting for an appointment or riding a train through a region with no Wi-Fi.
Download: SevenBloks (Free)
Mini Metro
Mini Metro, another puzzle game with a lovely interface, allows you to design your own mass transit system. You may draw your own routes linking different stations using real-world city maps. You have a limited number of lines and trains, as well as a rising number of stops, so you must put everything properly. You lose if customers wait too long at any one station.
The maps and layout are basic and elegant, with a look reminiscent of minimalist transportation maps common in large cities.
Download: Mini Metro ($3.99)
Alto’s Adventure
Alto’s Adventure is an unlimited runner that will satisfy your need for skiing. Take control of Alto and ski down the Andes slopes, collecting cash and avoiding obstacles along the way.
Touch controls are used to make Alto leap or grind and earn points by completing stunts. The entire game is playable offline, so you may enjoy your Andean journey from the comfort of your subway vehicle. Because the game never ends, it may keep you engaged while you’re waiting for Wi-Fi.
Download: Alto’s Adventure ($4.99)
Conclusion
These are some of our recommendations for iPad games. Some iPad games excel at graphics, simulating a console-like experience. Others succeed by incorporating accessible controls that make use of the tablet’s touch screen.
