We present to your attention a list of the best games for iPhone this year. Without spending a penny, you can download as many as 40 fantastic apps – from racing to sports simulators, from puzzles to shooters.
Do you like playing on iPhone, especially for free? Great, then check out the masterpiece roster of the best puzzle games, racing, platforming and more. And most importantly, all these games are free.
Internet wisdom says that games for iPhone are an industry of cunning deception, fake dice (especially when you browse the top of free programs at your own risk). This belief is fundamentally wrong – some of the best mobile games are really worthless.
In our article you will find 40 free games for iPhone that we think are the best. We hope that now you will have no doubts!
Important! About in-game purchases. Many free games include In-App Purchases. In this roundup, we've highlighted the key in-app purchases for each game and where they get in the way of free play.
The best games of 2018 for iPhone
1. The Battle of Polytopia
The game begins with the fact that you find yourself in a small town surrounded by uncertainty, and under your command there is only one warrior. You have 30 moves at your disposal to explore the area, discover other mini-empires, create alliances or launch attacks, research and develop civilization.
The game is mainly strategic – you need to look for the best ways to use resources, the number of which is limited. Is it profitable to explore hunting opportunities in the wilderness this turn? Or is it a smart move to develop the technology for forging giant swords, with which you can later conquer rival cities?
This game is essentially a Micro Universe 'Civilization' – a brilliant idea for a mobile phone, made in the famous 4X genre: 'Explore, Expand, Use, Destroy'. This puts the game ahead of all current Civilization counterparts for iPhone. By limiting the number of your moves and forcing you to play on the account, the application seriously puzzles the player. You will have to think about how to increase your winnings given the limited resources and time.
For more 'bloodthirsty' players, there is a dominance mode in which the game lasts until there is only one tribe left. Whichever mode you choose, The Battle of Polytopia is undeniably an amazing achievement, great fun and one of the best free games for iPhone.
In-app purchases: Additional tribes will cost you between $ 50 and $ 229. The more tribes you have at your disposal, the more you will be able to display them in the course of each game, including on large maps.
Download The Battle of Polytopia in App Store
2. Data Wing
Data Wing first impressions are a great top-down race. You fly a small triangular craft at close range, trying to resist the force of inertia, just like you would control spaceships in the classic arcade game Asteroids. An unusual feature is that in Data Wings, your ship does not explode when it hits an obstacle. On the contrary, the game encourages you to get close to the very edge of the track and accelerate – sometimes to too crazy speeds.
If that's enough for you, Data Wing will impress you, but overall, this game is much more than a standard race. Of course, there are also time trials, races in which you need to collect check points in a certain time, as well as skirmishes with opponents. However, some levels just turn the whole game upside down – you have to overcome gravity itself. During these adventure mini-quests, you will explore caves, find keys and explore the surroundings, all in order to climb to a far and very high exit!
In parallel with what is happening in the game, a narrative is played on the level selection screen, from which you will learn that you are engaged in the transfer of important data, working for the so-called Mother – artificial intelligence at the very basis of the entire machine system. It's almost as interesting as an arcade action game – in the game, you seem to be looking at life 'off-screen'.
In theory, this strange game shouldn't be that interesting, but it is. In a nutshell, Data Wing can be described as a classic for iOS that is definitely not to be missed.
In-App Purchases: Along with ads, completely absent from Data Wing – the game is completely free. Winner of the Year? Definitely.
Download Data Wing at App Store
3. PinOut!
iPhone has seemingly seen all sorts of radically reworked versions of the acclaimed 'Pinball' – from cartoon Zen Pinball tables to 'colorful' INKS puzzle pinball. However, PinOut! still surprises by reimagining pinball as an endless race. You will find yourself alone with a huge table in order to get as far as possible in the time allotted on the timer.
This game is great. The neon visuals are reminiscent of Tron-style biker bikers, while your ears are drowned in the sweetest synth-pop soundtrack. Of course, these little things might not mean anything if the game could be disappointing. But the point is, it really is one of the best pinballs for iPhone.
Like the aforementioned INKS game, PinOut! resembles a high-precision shooter. Unlike the classic pinball tables, which are based on combinations and changes in speed, PinOut! you will have to find the best way to the next mini-table (usually for this you need to get to a special slope). Collect bonus points along the way – you can increase the countdown time.
It sounds simple even compared to the original 'Pinball', but the game is actually PinOut! is intense and exciting. So, by sending a ball at the wrong angle to the wall, you can waste precious seconds, especially if your timer is running out. Eight different themes and a small range of mini-games also increase interest in the game. Various tables and slightly simplified physics make PinOut! a great version of the game for iPhone – unlike traditional pinball tables, which are rather poorly suited for a mobile screen.
In-app purchases: PinOut! offers a one-time upgrade worth 229 rubles, which allows you to save game progress. In the free version, you have to start the game anew every time.
Download PinOut! in App Store
4. Threes! Free
Perhaps each platform has its own perfect puzzle, and Threes! Free is confidently declared the best puzzle game for iPhone. In the best traditions of the genre, Threes! Free is based on a very basic mechanic, which in this case involves combining cards with numbers on a tiny 4×4 board. However, these are the details that allow Threes! Free to confidently defeat the competition.
The idea of the game is to combine numbers. Move the blue one to the red two and they become one card with a value of 3. Two threes for a six, two sixes for a 12, and so on. The difficulty lies in the fact that your every gesture causes the movement of all unlocked cards of the field. If you are lucky or have managed to calculate the moves in advance, then in one move you will be able to perform several such unions; otherwise, you will be surrounded by a mess of disparate numbers. Each turn at the edge of the field from which you 'swiped' a card, a new number appears. Thus, planning is the main task in this game.
You will need to play multiple times to succeed in Threes! Free, but having done it once, you will not get out of the pool of this game. You will dream of seeing new cards sooner (each of them will even seem unique), and soon you will realize how much the cards with large numbers increase your score in the game. Auction of Unprecedented Bounty will delight – the game is completely free, and by watching the promotional video, you will receive three additional games that will be added to your current counter.
All this gives the game a great advantage over the huge number of Threes clones! (most of which contain the number 1024 or 2048 in the title), which literally overwhelm App Store, sucking life from the paid version of the original game. We advise you to contact Threes! – in addition to the fact that this particular application is the original among the army of clones, it can also be played completely free of charge.
In-app purchases: none.
Download Threes! Free in App Store
5. Pover Hover: Cruise
If you are one of the connoisseurs of the great game Power Hover, then you will surely be delighted with the new version called Power Hover: Cruise, where the capabilities of the first part are expanded to endless outer space.
In the pyramid (Pyramid location) you will find traps built into a huge ancient tomb. You jump over incline slides, penetrate between nets formed by laser beams, squeeze through holes in walls, and all the while, the screen rotates mercilessly.
In a machine location (Machine), you just have to rush through an underground tunnel, where any terms like 'floor', 'walls', 'ceiling' lose all meaning. The distraught robot throws projectiles from afar along your path. One shell explosion – instant death.
Dive or ride the Metro – zig-zag through the city, of course, avoiding countless dangerous spikes. And your favorite location will be Air, because what could be better than being able to surf in the clouds, collecting batteries on the way and meeting all sorts of units of madly rotating equipment?
Power Hover veterans will probably already have an idea of what to expect from the game's aesthetic. Cruise is definitely the finest game to play with an absolutely insane electronic soundtrack. It retains, however, the control of the original with the element of inertia that we are so fan of. Not easy, because it gives the player a unique feel as they master the control skill. Do not even hesitate – some from the outside will find it difficult how you describe the arc across the screen instead of sharply shifting to the right or left.
The difficulty of passing locations can be frustrating, but Pover Hover: Cruise is a game worth perseverance, because it is so pleasant to achieve success and rush forward to victory!
In-App Purchases: New robots and vehicles with special properties (some even grant extra lives) are available in In-App Purchases. Prices range from 15 to 249 rubles. As an alternative way of unlocking, there is the possibility of setting new game records.
Download Pover Hover: Cruise in App Store
6. Spaceteam
In the multiplayer game Spaceteam, right next to your spaceship, a supernova prepares itself inappropriately to explode. Hurry up to escape or become cosmic dust! Ah, a little snag: whoever created your vehicle's control panel was clearly a messy person … or even a sadist.
Controls are scattered across the screens of all players. Instructions are given immediately. Instead of just giving your subordinates the command 'Deflection Factor Four', you can only say something like, 'Please, someone, turn Spectrobolt on!', Desperately trying to deal with all the screams around.
The controlled chaos quickly turns into a lunatic as the control panel falls to pieces, leaving behind a greenish haze. Words start to replace symbols … After playing Spaceteam, you’ll think, “All these TV spaceship captains, dressed in spandex suits, have never faced such difficulties, but they probably never had such fun on their flights.”
In-App Purchases: One-time purchase worth 379 rubles will unlock all improvements (more challenges, character games, companion cat).
Download Spaceteam at App Store
7. Asphalt 8: Take off (Asphalt 8: Airborne)
Asphalt 8 confidently sends reality on a long vacation. No, the game is too explosive. Reality is more likely burned to ashes and scattered in the wind in front of the approaching sports cars, rushing along the ground, but often spinning, circling and soaring in the air.
This game is the opposite of the more relaxed Real Racing 3. It is pure pleasure – joyful, colorful, mind blowing. The game does not pretend to be even minimal serious, and this only makes it better. Branching routes stretch through overly realistic cities, which are periodically launched by rockets or deadly avalanches. All this time you are trying to reach the checkered flag, bypassing the competitors with your crazy ride.
The game has a lot of very fun racing tracks, although you will have to try hard to get progress in the game. However, in a good race, you will still want to replay the levels over and over again, and Asphalt 8 is just such a game.
In-app purchases: The flamboyant Bugatti Veyron hypercar is only available in in-app purchases. It is quite cynical that some of the game events require special expensive cars. If you decide to spend money, be careful.
Download 'Asphalt 8: Airborne' in App Store
8. Clash Royale
You may be suspicious of Clash Royale if you know Supercell's reputation as the developer of the highest grossing and even somewhat ruthless (in terms of in-app purchases) games in App Store. The game is really packed with in-app purchases. Take your eyes off that aspect, however, and you'll see one of the best multiplayer games out there.
Each player owns a King's Tower and two smaller flanking towers. You summon creatures to the battlefield by drawing cards from your deck (a set of four cards is always available on your hand). Playing each card costs you an 'elixir', which slowly replenishes. During each duel, you will have to figure out how to get around the enemy, repelling his attacks and even organizing your own 'surprises' for him.
Clash Royale is surprisingly fair game. Of course, if you want to have the best spells and get to the top quickly, you have to spend a little. However, if you don't mind wading through the ranks of the lower leagues, you can play and slowly improve your deck without spending a single penny. Even the timer for unlocking the chests won in battle is not annoying, because without it there is a risk of getting stuck in the game Clash Royale forever!
In-App Purchases: Most in-app purchases are crystals that can then be converted into gold to buy and upgrade cards. A Handful of Crystals (includes 80 crystals) for $ 75 is almost useless, but a $ 379 Crystal Wallet (500 crystals) can be a great help at lower levels. Perhaps you shouldn't spend too much on the 'Box of Crystals', for which you will have to shell out 749 rubles.
Download Clash Royale at App Store
9. Sparks are everywhere (It's Full of Sparks)
How difficult it is to be a firecracker … At this moment you are happily going about your business, and the next minute you will explode, turning into noise and lights. Things get much worse when you know what awaits you ahead of time. This is exactly the case for fireworks in the game 'Sparkles Everywhere'.
Realizing the approaching death, fireworks try to get to the water and extinguish the wick. But the world is full of platforms and various devices that prevent the heroes of the game from reaching their goal, especially when the firecracker puts on colored glasses that allow them to see the passages and platforms.
Each of the 80 levels is a mini-game with intricate puzzles. So, you not only have to figure out how to reach the dream pool with life-giving water, but also master the dance choreography for your fingers, which will help you reach your goal in time.
Some levels, I confess, are too frustrating. This mainly happens when you are unable to accurately hit the sliding controls in difficult areas. All in all, 'Sparks Everywhere' is a fun and dynamic platformer with thoughtful level design and extraordinary charm.
In-App Purchases: New fireworks appear on a timer by default, however you can watch ads at any time and get 15 additional fireworks. A one-time purchase worth RUB 149 removes the timer and all in-game ads.
Download 'Sparks Everywhere' in App Store
10. Super Cat Tales
You will now find out that the original title of Super Cat Tales was Super Cat Bros, and you will probably wonder what this app is from App Store. However, this game is not at all from the series of platformers where we see a plumber in overalls as the main character. Call it an 'old school' game, it captures your breath with its original storyline and striking visuals.
How does Super Cat Tales differ from old school platformers in the first place? Management. Touch the left or right side of the screen to change direction. Double tap the screen and the cat will jump off the ledge. Cats in the game can also climb walls (and even scratch them like a scared kitten trying to hold on for too long) and jump from one wall to another like a ninja.
Getting used to the unique controls of Super Cat Tales is not easy at first. Give the game time, however, and you will soon realize that it is almost the perfect platformer for iPhone. The animation is very atmospheric (what a cat running across a dandelion field is worth!). The levels are short but filled with hidden corners with 'secrets' to discover.
We give Super Cat Tales a solid top five and recommend downloading, especially considering that the entire game can be played completely free of charge.
In-app purchases: The game contains in-app purchases that remove ads (149 rubles), limit the number of lives (149 rubles) and open the gates if you haven't found enough secret compartments (75 rubles). The 'Premium Set' worth 379 rubles is very valuable. However, the game is completely passable without any in-app purchases.
Download Super Cat Tales in App Store
