The 21 games that should be installed on every iPhone

#1

The iPhone is home to some of the best portable video games ever made. Unfortunately, they must be downloaded from one of the worst digital marketplaces. Farming simulations and clones too often dominate the App Store’s best selling list. Unusual and inspired games are left to fight for short stints on the coveted front page.

Too many of the best games for iPhone are victims of an out of sight, out of mind economy. After a game’s launch, it sinks into the quicksand of mobile gaming junk until it’s buried deep beneath thousands of free-to-play cash-ins. Curation has in large part been left to those who remain passionate about the phone as a gaming platform, despite Apple.

What follows is a list of the 21 games that should be installed on every iPhone. As exceptional games continue to be released on the iPhone, we will expand this list. And we will create a similar list dedicated the the iPad and games that make the best use of its larger screen.

The list:

  • Bounden
  • Desert Golfing
  • Drop7
  • Angry Birds
  • Eliss
  • Tiny Wings
  • Kero Blaster
  • Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
  • Dodonpachi Resurrection HD
  • Super Stickman Golf
  • Space Invaders Infinity Gene
  • Threes!
  • 868-HACK
  • Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time
  • Ridiculous Fishing
  • Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor
  • The Room
  • Super Hexagon
  • Canabalt
  • Spaceteam
  • Device 6

Click on the link to read their writeup of each game. Is the list missing any of your favorites?

#2

That’s a nice idea. Are they going to be free or installed to be purchased from the store?

#3

As far as I know, none of the games on the list are completely free. Plants vs. Zombies 2 is free to download, but filled with in-app purchases.

#4

Well yes, that’s to be expected with most games sadly. I would be surprised if there are games that are completely free.

#5

There are good iOS games that doesn’t require you to spend any money. I’ve had a lot of fun with WordBrain. The only in-app purchases are hints and the game is more fun without them. It’s available in English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

#6

-Love Live School Idol Festival

#7

No mention of Phoenix Wright? You can still get it with og sprites and ost.

#8

Is that gimped too? I know they removed gameplay elements with games like 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.

#9

Hum, not really, it’s a direct port. The only thing they actually change is… the sprites for the controls on the bottom part i think. It still has all the translation errors and typos of the original too!

#10

Nice! The iOS version is probably a lot cheaper. Have you played the iOS version of Ghost Trick? That was pretty good too although I prefer non-touch controls.

#11

No, i have it for the DS instead.

#12

The iOS port is lifeless. The art is vectorized to hell and has less frames. It looks like flash animation.

#13

No no, i meant this one. That one is horrible and shouldn’t even be considered.