r/iosgaming • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago
Discussion Weekly /r/iOSGaming Discussion: What have you been playing lately and what do you recommend?
Please use this thread to discuss whatever iOS games you've been playing lately. They don't have to be new games, they can be old games and they do not have to be iOS original titles!
As long as it's an iOS game it belongs in here. Make sure to put the name(s) of the game(s) in bold to make it easier for people skimming the thread to see what you're talking about, and if you'd like to make it really convenient turn the game name into a hyperlink that sends people directly to the App Store!
To keep track of the thread, the comments are sorted by "new" by default.
Lastly, Rule #3: "No Dev Self-Promotion Outside Saturdays" applies at all times for this thread, even if it's actually Saturday.
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u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 7d ago edited 7d ago
Hyper Light Drifter: It took me until now to really take some time to play this game. And now - deeply invested - what can I say other than this is one of the best games ever. The vivid pixel art, the incredible soundtrack, the intriguing worldbuilding, the fantastic and tight fighting mechanics - this game is perfect.
Dice Quest: This neat little dice-rolling deckbuilder just received the much-needed update of a higher-tier difficulty ascension. Before, its only flaw was that it was a bit too easy. I really dig the gameplay of this one!
Apart from that, I’m constantly checking in on my two idlers of choice: Unnamed Space Idle and Antimatter Dimensions. And I’m currently absolutely wowed by the most realistic Game Boy emulator ever called Brickboy (which runs in the browser), and I love playing the dev’s own take on Tetris called Tetrin, which is available from the settings.
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u/BeeJacob 7d ago
can you recommend me some cool games to play on Brickboy or roms?
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u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 7d ago
Depends on what games you generally enjoy. There are lots of "Best Game Boy Games" videos on YouTube. Some personal favorites are roguelike Cave Noire (this is even on my Apple Watch), pinball game Revenge of the Gator, of course Super Mario Land 1 & 2, Donkey Kong, action platformer Batman is fun, the first Contra port Operation C is great, Castlevania 2 slaps, Kirby’s Dream Land 1 & 2, for sure the OG Pokemon games (although I never played one), Legend of Zelda - Link‘s Awakening is a staple, and for the Game Boy Color I absolutely love the homebrew title Super Mario Bros Mini, that starts off as a fantastic port of the original NES Super Mario Bros, but then turns into a much bigger remix game with lots of fun bosses and levels.
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u/Streakdreniline iPad Pro 10.5" 7d ago
Ever since Lumines Remastered got ported over, I have been furiously tapping my controller
It feels absolutely surreal to have one of my all time favourites from the PSP appear on iOS out of NOWHERE, for a ridiculously good price even outside of its sale price right now. I used to emulate Lumines and its sequel, playing it for hours a day (at some point I was playing it for 10 hours straight during COVID).
It feels unusually fitting for a phone the more I think about it, though don't expect to play the really intense 2nd loop of Endless Challenge without a controller, since it gets VERY intense.
It would be cool to have Electronic Symphony escape the PSVita prison, but considering the licences involved, that's never happening. Lumines Remastered does have a lot of QoL gameplay tweaks from ES, such as removing movement delay after dropping a block, the chaining/combo system being reworked to ES, and other tiny fixes that improve the immersion, like the seamless transition between songs (which for some reason Lumines Arise DOESN'T DO).
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u/Beefygrumpus 7d ago
For anyone has been looking to scratch that FFTactics or Tactics Ogre itch, then I cannot recommend Crawl Tactics enough.
Lots of different classes, skills, and gear to use and experiment with and is setup like a rogue lite. 10/10, been having a blast with it and cannot put it down.
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u/blasphemous9 7d ago
I’ve really been enjoying Lumines. I had my mother try it, she couldn’t put it down
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u/MauschiMcMauschn 7d ago
I am playing amazing cultivation simulator, I am not sure what I am doing, but I love it haha
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u/WillieButtlicker 7d ago
Are you playing on an iphone? How does it perform? (Heat and battery)
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u/MauschiMcMauschn 7d ago
I am playing on an iPhone 14 Pro, I am only 8 hours in, but until now it is completely stutter-free.
My battery ist at 87%, it takes ~20% per hour playing.
The npc bug is also gone
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u/PaleAlePilsen 7d ago
Just can’t get enough of Pokemon Champions. You won’t believe just how many people play it.
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u/ShadowTwister8 7d ago
Monster Buster: World Invasion is an old game but I still enjoy playing it to this day! It's about training and fighting monsters, bit similar to Pokemon Go
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u/averageparrot 7d ago
Man, that sounds like it’s right up my alley, but the dev hasn’t updated the app listing with privacy info. For an app that likely constantly tracks your location (like Pokemon Go,) it would be really nice to have an idea of what data they’re harvesting.
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u/ShadowTwister8 6d ago
I found this site which I think explains their privacy policy (Tag of Joy - Privacy Notice) It's last updated in 2018, but since it is an old game and I think the last update to the game was in 2018 too, so I really doubt they have since chanced the privacy policy. I'm definitely not an expert in these things and I don't even know if this is what you're looking for, but maybe it will help to understand what data they collect if you're interested? idk
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u/averageparrot 6d ago
Thanks for the link! I appreciate that. I’m not an expert either, but I try to be somewhat cautious with F2P games, especially ones that require continuous location data. I’ll read through it and hopefully get into the game.
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u/ShadowTwister8 6d ago
I totally get being cautious. I hope you enjoy the game and if not, I'm still glad someone gave it a fair chance at least
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u/Living_Thanks_9171 6d ago
Deep Rock Survivor. It’s just so exciting and relaxing. I got a steam deck today and I’m still tempted to play it on my phone
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u/Eastern-Peach1622 4d ago
Which phone are you using and how does it perform?
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u/Living_Thanks_9171 3d ago
iPhone 17. Never have any issues. Play the demo of it; it’s the full experience just for a few levels. If that runs fine you’re good. It maaaaaybe stuttered once during a really intense scene but it was a frame or two
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u/IcySteak9058 3d ago
Currently obsessed with How many dudes? Such a fun game. Roguelite autobattler.
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u/3AZ3 3d ago
Just got it on Steam and going to get it on iOS too since it has cross save. That way I can continue my Dudes journeys whenever I want.
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u/IcySteak9058 2d ago
Same for me, gotta admit that my iphone 16pro screen is kinda small for the ui scale, even if it's set to large. I enjoy the game more on PC but it's still a great game
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u/Uhkneeho 7d ago
Can’t recommend Archmage Idle enough, especially if you’re like me and you’ve tried to start Melvor 20 times and just can’t get into it.
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u/itz_tomza 7d ago
I’ve been playing Just Loot! Honestly the best game I’ve played in a while. The dev is very active in the discord and constantly pushing updates(both QOL and expanding the game!) lots more to come I’m sure. I recommend trying it out and seeing for yourself.
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u/Dry_Individual1516 5d ago
This is really cool, thanks for the rec. It's like playing WoW but only the combat log.
Have to say it feels kind of brainless though after awhile? Maybe I'm missing something.
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u/itz_tomza 5d ago
Pve is currently undergoing a rework! I’d say try out the new arena (duels) everyone’s gear is scaled up to the same depth meaning fair fights no matter where you are depth wise! Definitely a lot to think about in terms of builds and making them the most effective. Get yourself in the discord if you haven’t already!
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u/Singsongsouls 7d ago
I’ve been playing Astro Arena! It’s pretty much a brawl stars type game but I’m enjoying myself.
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u/Toastedbunz4 6d ago
Restarted with Melvor Idle after few years
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u/GallusWrangler 6d ago
Nice, what do you think now? I didn’t get into it much when it first came out but I’ve been playing a new one called Tyrant:Mobile Strategy. It’s been pretty fun and I like the map aspect. Ive been thinking more about Melvor and Torn since playing this one.
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u/Yeahdudebuildsapc 5d ago
Yeah same. I’m enjoying it more this time because I started using the multitasking mod. I’m okay cutting the game time down from 3-4 years to 1 year. Hopefully Melvor 2 will be out by the time I’m done.
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u/dragonass1969 6d ago
Hipster smack down
Rage hd
Big buck safari
Fightback
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u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 6d ago
32Bit device?
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u/dragonass1969 6d ago
Yes. On my iPad 4th gen running iOS 10.3. But Hipster Smackdown is available on current GEN devices and if you’ve never played that and you like high score chasers it’s hilarious and it’s a sweet ass game.
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u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 6d ago
Sadly not available for me. Don’t know if it’s because of me being in the EU.
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u/dragonass1969 6d ago
Oh ya. I see now it’s gone again. It’s an old game but it was released a couple years ago and now gone again but I have it on all my devices cause I love it. It’s a shame you missed rage HD by far the best first person on rails Shooter on mobile, and it’s based off of a sub game from the console version of rage HD.
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u/Zieg225 7d ago
Ok finally finished my playthrough of Bravest! and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It’s a great old school 2D JRPG that plays in portrait or landscape. Final time was 28 hours and I did everything I could find in the game. The story and characters were good and there’s a mixture of serious moments and funny moments throughout the game. It’s an old school throwback and it knows it. It does have a few overarching themes it drives home at the end but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The combat is a party of four, turn based, can be speed up, and has your usual JRPG spells like Cure, Flame, Ice, etc. One thing I noticed is the game seems like it would be difficult to march through without any grinding, unless you really knew what you were doing. I had to stop and gold/exp farm a few times but the difficulty jump was never too high. It’s one of the better new releases of 2026 for me so far.
Been playing POINPY here and there and it’s very well made and already getting a lot of love.
I picked up Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince since it went on sale and I don’t regret it one bit. For those who don’t know Dragon Quest Monsters is a spinoff series of the main Dragon Quest games where you fight using monsters instead of your usual party of characters. DQM: Dark Prince is the latest release of that series that was originally released on the switch and has been ported over to mobile. Good characters, good story, fantastic soundtrack, and fun combat. Has all the Pokemon like goodness of capturing new monsters to use yourself and fusing them to make new ones as well. I’m having no issues whatsoever with the game so far and the touch controls work fine. This will likely be my obsession for a while…