It’s that time again! Time for another roundup of our favorite iPad apps available to date.
When you’re looking for a new game to get your hands on, the App Store’s selection can be intimidating, and it can be hard to figure out where to start. Action games, strategy games, puzzle games – where to begin? Check out our list of the 25 best iPad games so far in 2016, organized alphabetically. If we miss any of your favorites, be sure to drop us a line in the comments below!
Ball Tower
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
Incredibly challenging, wildly addicting. Ball Tower is simple. Tap the screen to change direction of your character (a ball) and stay on course with the tiles that are forming before your eyes. The tricky part is, the levels are different every time you start a new game, so there’s no muscle memory coming into play here. I love an app with simple design and gameplay, but the one downside is the ads are bit heavy.
Batman: Arkham Underworld
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
I know, I know – another Batman game, but this one’s different. This time around, in Batman: Arkham Underworld, you play get to play as the bad guys – a criminal mastermind whose mission, alongside with characters such as the Riddler, is to take cover Gotham City. Defend your hideout by progression through the game, earning rewards to pay for better defense and more thugs for your gang.
Bridge Rider
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
In Bridge Riders your job is to pave (or build, I suppose) a path for your rider to cross to the next platform. This is an easy game to jump into and start playing, but once you’re going, you might not want to stop. Bold colors and simple design make this game very enjoyable on the iPad. While the app is free, you might be tempted to buy an extra life or two to reach a higher record, in which case, you might have to cough up some cash.
Clash Royale
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
From the makers of one of, if not the most popular mobile tower defense games ever created, Supercell, Clash Royale brings some of your favorite characters within the same universe as Clash of Clans into an online, PVP strategy game. Your goal is to take out your opponent’s towers before they take out yours. The higher your level, the more characters and loot you unlock, and just like Clash of Clans, patience is your biggest enemy. Want to get farther faster? You’ll have to use in-game currency (fueled by real world dollars) to speed up treasure chest unlocks.
Combo Critters
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
Explore the galaxy in this action/adventure game that features a host of different critters that can be combined to create unique, more powerful critters. In Combo Critters, once you land on a planet, it’s you job to explore the territory in search of puzzle pieces and complete boss battles to unlock new planets to explore. Along the way, you’ll meet many foes, but once they have been defeated, you can collect them to join your army. Very easy, fun gameplay and nice 8-bit style design.
Cubicle
[Price: Free / $1.99 Ad-free upgrade]
This one is not for the faint of heart. The characters in Cubicle may be cute, the concept may be simple, but this is one of the more challenging response arcade/puzzle style games. You’ll need a lot of focus, quick reaction times and zero hesitation to be any good at this. Apparently, although this is one of my favorite games to play, I’m not very good, as my all-time high so far is only 24. See if you can top that!
Does Not Commute
[Price: Free / $2.99 Premium Upgrade]
In this frantic driving-turned-strategy game, you must race against the clock to make sure everyone gets to where they are going! Each move you make with individual characters will repeat itself with the start of a new driver until you’ve completed the level. The path you choose for your current driver will remain, so plan ahead or pay the price! Rightfully so, Does Not Commute was a winner of Apple’s Design Awards back in 2015 and it still hold its own as one of best looking games to date!
Doomsday Clicker
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
The premise of Doomsday Clicker is simple. Destroy the world, harbor the human survivors, use all of their money to build up your bunkers, and tap the red button to destroy the world again! This game is extremely simple and dangerously addictive. The more wealth your diabolical plan earns you, the more “perks” you can add to each of your rooms, increasing productivity and earning you more money. How far will you get before you’re tempted to let it all burn?
Egg, Inc
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
Ever dreamed of being an egg farmer? Egg, Inc allows you to build your own egg-conomy (ok, I’ll stop,) making money the more eggs you hatch. You start with a farm that has a hatchery for your eggs, a hen house for your hatched chickens, a shipping center where your eggs are hauled away and other fun little easter eggs (sorry, that’s the last one) throughout. The more cash you earn from your eggs, the more you can expand your farm. The game can be a little overwhelming at first with all the menus and actionable items, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a ton of fun. Egg, inc also makes great use of the iPad’s multi-touch functionality by allowing you to hatch eggs while simultaneously striking down pesky drones for extra cash!
Egz – The Origin of the Universe
[Price: $3.99]
The fate of the universe as we know it is in the palm (shell?) of Egz. If we want the universe to grow, we must create life, and to create life, Egz must reach its destination at the end of each level. The game is set in a mushy, pustule-filled landscape with bright, vibrant colors and has simple gameplay with increasingly difficult stages. At first, I was little put off by the $3.99 price tag, but with the character customization and baked in mini-games, I was actually very pleased with the purchase.
Perchang
[Price: $1.99]
Another game with incredible design is Perchang. This game will challenge your strategic thinking by presenting you with increasingly difficult levels, all with new obstacles and challenges that you must overcome to get your balls into the “goal.” Fans, paddles, doors and more are at your disposal to help guide your balls to their destination. Don’t let the first few levels and “areas” fool you – this game gets difficult!
PKTBALL – Endless Arcade Smash Sport
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
If you’re in the market for fast-paced, challenging gameplay, you’ve come to the right place. PKTBALL is a tennis-style game that pits you against either a computer-controlled, or human-controlled foe. Dragging your character to the ball and releasing fires a shot off towards your opponent, and the gameplay quickly picks up pace. PKTBALL’s multiplayer mechanic takes advantage of the iPad’s large screen, allowing up to four players to play head-to-head. This is a great selection for a family game.
Pokémon Go
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
How could we have a best games list without Pokémon Go? I’ll go ahead and admit that this app did not make the list because of its design or stability – it is lackluster at best in both departments. However, the pure nostalgia and feeling of a childhood dream coming true is enough to draw players in. The GPS-based gameplay gets players out of the house, visiting Pokéstops and Gyms, collecting loot and nothing beats the excitement of catching some of your favorite Pokémon such as Bulbasaur, Jigglypuff and of course Pikachu. It might seem like lugging an iPad around for this game isn’t the best experience, but it’s the device’s battery life that will come in handy.
It’s worth noting that you will need an iPad with GPS and Cellular in order to play Pokemon Go!
Polyforge
[Price: Free/$0.99 Ad-free upgrade]
Beautiful and simplistic, Polyforge presents players with soft colors and geometric shapes, paired with gentle tones to create an almost therapeutic experience. The goal is to make contact with each side of the polygonal shape on the screen. Each hit creates a unique tone, and when sequenced, forms a nice melody for each level. This is a great game to jump in and play when you have a few minutes to spare or when your brain needs a break from work, school, etc.
Wonderball – One Touch Endless Ball Arcade Action
[Price: Free/In-App Purchases]
Space Invaders meets Pong, meets Brick Breaker. Wonderball is an iPad game that’s all about precision and timing if you want to go far. In order to advance through the game, you must tap the screen at the exact time that your character (a ball) is passing through a fairly narrow line. The farther you get, the faster and closer the bricks become, and the more difficult the game becomes.
So, there you have it. Our favorite games for iPad so far in 2016. You’ve got a good mix of everything from puzzle games to action, strategy to head-to-head. Did we miss your favorite game? Be sure to let us in the comments below so we can check it out!
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