Mobile games are easier to play now than they ever have been, especially on the iPad. The architecture has improved considerably over the years and today’s iPad range have amazing screens, plenty of storage space, more RAM, fast processors and, in recent time, their own operating system. Today, the iPad is more than capable of playing even the most graphics-heavy games, giving owners a much wider choice of game to pick from.
This year hasn’t been the best, and it isn’t going to change much, either. More and more people are spending more time at home and not going anywhere. That means they have more time available, and many have turned to their iPad to save them from climbing the walls. The biggest problem is finding the right games to play. You could argue that there is so much choice in the app store that it shouldn’t be an issue to find one, but that is exactly what the problem is – too much choice. There has been another problem, though.
Until recently, most games were optimized for the iPhone with iPad support, but now developers are adding primary support for the iPad, and that means your choice of free and paid games is even bigger. Sure, look through the store and see what you find but it’s pretty much guaranteed that by the time you actually find a game worth playing, you’ll be on the verge of throwing your iPad across the room in frustration.
So how do you do it?
Top Ten iPad Games for 2020:
It doesn’t matter whether you want a game you can play for hours or one that just kills five or ten minutes; we’ve found ten that cover pretty much all preferences, some paid and some free.
FREE
- Fortnite – Free, In-app purchases available
We’ve all heard of Fortnite, and we all know that it is one of the most popular games of the last couple of years. So much so that there are even huge online Fortnite tournaments. It’s an incredibly fun game where you start on an island with lots of other people. Winning the game requires that you are the last one left; sounds simple but is how you get there that counts. There are lots of resources on the island, and you must be ruthless in taking out other players. As you progress, the safe zone shrinks, making it harder to stay hidden. Regular updates bring new events, new features, new maps, and more, and you can play for hours for free. Note: Right now Fornite is not available on the official apple appstore. But you can download it from the Panda Helper appstore.
- Angry Birds 2 – Free, In-app purchases available
Another name we’ve all heard of, and some have even watched the Angry Birds Movie. The first Angry Birds game introduced us to the fun of taking out the irritating, evil pigs by flinging birds at them; this one takes things to the next level. This time, you can take part in multi-stage levels, choose which bird you want to throw, and battle bosses to win each stage and progress through the game.
- Run Rabbit Run – Free, In-app purchases available
Some say that Run Rabbit Run is a hardcore platformer, and they are not wrong. It seems such a simple game. The hungry rabbit is searching for carrots, and it is your job to get him to them. That’s where the simple aspect ends. Along the way, there are obstacles; learning how to jump them is the hard part. Expect to get frustrated as you fail time and again and addicted to completing each level. But this is more than just jumping; you have to factor inertia and speed into it as well. You can have hours of frustrating fun with this game for free, although there are in-app purchases if you want to go down that route.
- SpellTower+ – Free, in-app purchases available
This is the reimagined version of the original SpellTower game, and this one is proving just as popular. There are several puzzle modes to choose from, including the chilled out Zen mode, Daily Tower, where the puzzle of the day pits you against others, and for the extra challenge, a primary word search. Think Tetris and then turn it upside down; pick your words and then watch as more letters appear at the bottom – stop that tower from getting to the top, that’s all you have to do. It is an incredibly addictive game for those who love words and who just want to kill half an hour or so.
- Clash of Clans – Free, In-app purchases available
Like Fortnite, Clash of Clans is another very popular game, this time with cards. You must build your settlement and upgrade it to become the strongest. Defend your fortress and towers against others while actively attacking their towers to destroy them. You can recruit friends, join an existing clan, or create your own and take your clan to battle with others in Clan Wars. This is another addictive, fast-paced game that will occupy you for hours. You can download games like these from the AppValley appstore.
PAID
- Ticket to Ride – $2.99
Board games were once all the rage and are starting to come back into fashion. But they aren’t the easiest things to take with you, and you can’t exactly set them up just anywhere. Now, there’s no need. Ticket to Ride is one board game that you can have on your mobile device. The game premise is to connect the cities together by building a railway network. On each turn, you choose two cars, take a new ticket or spend your cars on claiming a railway line. When you take a new ticket, you are challenged to get two cities connected before the game ends. The longer you can make your railway line, the more victory points you can win. This is the perfect game combining construction, strategy, and competition.
- Minecraft: Pocket Edition – $6.99
Another well-known game, Minecraft, was a PC game to start with. Now owned by Microsoft, there’s a version for pretty much every platform going, including iPadOS 14, and it suits the iPad perfectly. The game is much like the desktop game, where you explore your surroundings, build a home, mine, dig and swim in the hunt for resources. You can grow your own food, craft weapons and armor, and fight the enemies that stalk you across the land. Simple, 3D blocky graphics and the ability to make your own game gives you hours of fun. You can download it from the TopStore app.
- XCOM: Enemy Within – $4.99
This game is perfect for the iPad. A game of strategy and tactics, XCOM isn’t the fastest-paced game, but it does offer tons of action. The idea is to create a squad, give them abilities, armor, and weapons, and follow the storyline. It is set in a sci-fi universe and supports multiplayer gaming where turn-by-turn combat is the order of the day, and there are loads of side missions too—hours of fun for a small price.
- Terraria – $4.99
Terraria is similar to Minecraft, another sandbox game where you are dropped in a random world. All you have to do is survive, and you do that by building a home and adding defenses. Then you can begin to hunt for resources, craft weapons, armor, and traps, defeat the enemy and take out the monsters roaming the land. Play with your friends to battle and defeat the bosses and generally have a lot of fun. This is another game that gives you hours of simple yet addictive gaming.
- Ticket to Earth – $4.99
Our final offering is another battle game, this one taking RPG to another level. The game starts on a distant planet where the colony is dying out. Your job is to save them. You are based on the last earthbound ship, and the only way you can save them is to fight marauding attackers and a corrupt government. Get your teams in place and play puzzle games to earn powerful abilities in this turn-by-turn game of tactics and strategy. There are also a few levels available in Augmented Reality.
The iOS store is a minefield of games; thousands of them and finding the right ones to play can be time-consuming and frustrating. More and more are now being given support for iPadOS, and we tried to give you a fair selection of both free and paid games to choose from. If you subscribe to Apple Arcade, you can even get many of the premium games for free, and you won’t get any of the in-app purchases either – they are all included in the game.
So, if you are looking for a game that you can play for a few minutes or one that you can immerse yourself in for hours, these ten games have you got you covered. There is something here to suit all levels of players, all preferences, and all ages. So, give these games ago. Even if you don’t enjoy theses, they may lead you to other games and game genres you may never have considered trying.
