Top 12 Exclusive Games for iPhone and iPad (iOS)

The sequel to Cornfox and Bros.’ lush adventure takes the simple top-down action-RPG of the original and opens the adventure up in full 3D. The result is Oceanhorn 2, which is pretty much the closest thing you’ll get to playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild on a phone or tablet. It’s coming to other platforms, but right now you can only play it on iOS via Apple Arcade.

FTL might be the favorite game of most gamers around the world, not just mobile gamers. It has a relentless roguelike gameplay and you will have to do many resets before you can beat it for the first time. However, the fun doesn't end there, as you will unlock more ships and different crews that will allow you to play a completely different race and, for example, board enemy ships instead of blasting them to pieces with lasers and rockets. FTL is an iOS exclusive for now.

Here's how you can repair a damaged stasis pod, should you need it!

We’re not sure this Apple Arcade gem will be the envy of non-iOS users—who needs another match-3 RPG in their life, right?—but it deserves it. Capybara has blended tactile hack-and-slash mechanics perfectly, making this cute puzzler really stand out from the crowd.

A classic but still valid. Tiny Wings is an iOS hit from the early(ish) days of smartphone gaming, and you can still see its influence in many casual games released today. Have you ever played a game that requires you to create momentum for a character by tapping the screen on a downward slope and releasing to jump near the top of the slope? That mechanic was stolen from Andreas Illiger’s hillbilly masterpiece.

Another iOS exclusive, requiring one of the latest iPhones: 15 Pro, or iPad Pro 5th generation or higher. Other than that, Resident Evil is a well-known horror franchise, where you can name maybe one mediocre game, the rest are works of art, each in their own way. In RE 4, Leon, our favorite blond cop, is sent by the President of the United States to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a remote European village. Talk about cliché, eh? However, the gameplay is great, and so is the gameplay, while the atmosphere will give you chills, so we can ignore that 90s action movie plot.

Simogo makes the kind of polished, innovative iOS exclusives that leave iPhone users feeling elated—and maybe a little guilty—because they can have it all for themselves. Device 6 is a great example. This interactive story could only work on a phone, laying out text like an interactive map and letting you spin your phone to make sense of it. It’s beautiful stuff, and it’s iOS-only.

A little different here, because Ridiculous Fishing was on Android before it was pulled for technical reasons we won't get into. Vlambeer's game is a true masterpiece for mobile devices, and it's still worth playing today. Drop your line, dodge the low-value fish, then reel in your loot before tapping to blow them up.

Yes, you’ve played enough endless runners in your life. We feel you. But there’s always room for one more when it works as well as Pigeon Wings Strike. This fast-paced side-scroller mixes elements of racing and shooting games to create something a little special. And you can only pay on iPhone or iPad.

The dark and disturbing yet addictive and atmospheric puzzle platformer Inside, developed by the authors of the fantastic adventure Limbo, is definitely worth playing. The project from Playdead has an incredibly unique art style. The world of this game wants to kill you and tear you to pieces. This is a dark puzzle platformer about a nameless boy. However, the plot of the game is not directly explained, which gives you the freedom to interpret the story in your own way.

Disney Melee Mania is a fast-paced multiplayer game where you have to fight against other players in 3 vs 3 matches. If you are looking for a game to have fun when you have a few minutes to spare, Disney Melee Mania is the best choice, as the matches here last about 5 minutes. You will meet many memorable characters from Disney cartoons and relive your childhood, in a way. Currently, there are 17 characters, each with unique abilities.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best games of the last decade, and it's currently only available on iOS. We'll probably never see it on Android, but one can hope. Regardless, it's a beautiful port of a cRPG that can be played solo or in co-op with up to 4 players. Its combat system, coupled with the fact that you can play it in co-op, makes it almost perfect. You can choose up to 6 different races and many classes, play it however you want, whether you want to be a force of evil, good, or just follow your own path. However, every choice has consequences, so think twice before making certain dialogue or combat choices, they can completely alter the entire campaign.