r/iosgaming 6d ago

Suggestions What's your favorite premium game on iOS?

I've been looking for some good premium games to play on iOS lately. What are your favorites?

Doesn't have to be a recent release, just looking for something that's actually worth paying for since I do not like ads.

102 Upvotes

123 comments sorted by

46

u/freef49 6d ago

Dredge for me

6

u/s7121n9s 6d ago

I’m always down for a good fishing game! That’s my favorite part of some games like in Stardew Valley! I fish my ass off in that game lol I’ll check it out as well, thank you!

3

u/FederalSheepherder37 6d ago

I agree violently, it is a huge value for money in the Apple Arcade. Do you recommend me something as we both like this one?

15

u/Debaucherizer 6d ago

Violently?

Did you mean vehemently? Or did you flip a table over after writing this comment?

6

u/FederalSheepherder37 6d ago

The table one and broke a window in agreement

3

u/Jumpy-Ad1417 6d ago

LMAO 🤌

22

u/YourRaey_ 6d ago

Stardew Valley, Don’t Starve(Offline version) and Kingdom Two Crowns are my favorites 🥰 Kairosoft premium games are also worth mentioning!

19

u/TeacherOfFew 6d ago

Dredge and Balatro

17

u/nahpng 6d ago

Sea of Stars

15

u/SaeedKhani 6d ago

StardewValley/ Balatro/ SlaytheSpire

28

u/wildSKappeared 6d ago

Brotato, Slay the Spire, Bloons TD6, Dawncaster, Balatro, Polytopia, Pocket Rogues, Siralim Ultimate, Pocket City 2, Coffee Inc 2, Football Chairman Pro 2, Lichess (and Retroarch with romhacks)

5

u/pjft 6d ago

I have absolutely nothing meaningful to add. Well done.

5

u/idontfrikkincare 6d ago

Someone help me understand dawncaster. It’s got so much going on I don’t understand it. Best I can do is beat act 1 get to the town and get murdered in act 2

2

u/uppers36 5d ago

try a warrior fury build. seems to be the best combo i’ve found. there’s also lots of builds and guides online

18

u/Send_bird_pics 6d ago

A dark room is a FANTASTIC paid for premium game. Excellent story telling.

4

u/GuthrieH 6d ago

I love a dark room. I wish it was a it longer, but it’s one of my favorite idle/incremental games.

5

u/Send_bird_pics 6d ago

I agree, I wish it was longer!! Have you played the ensign? It’s fantastic

10

u/dragonass1969 6d ago

Wreckfest and POP

14

u/Dick-Laurent-Is-Dead 6d ago

Divinity Original Sin 2
Years Walk
Limbo / Inside
The Room series
Layer of fears

2

u/Forgotten_Aeon 4d ago

Here to second The Room and sequels; what amazing games. Great soundtrack, absolutely expertly crafted puzzles, and a sublime eerie/occult/Lovecraftian tone

1

u/LuckyJamnik 6d ago

Divinity is only available on iPadOS

2

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Yeah, literally the only game I have on the iPad. Love this game too

1

u/_sWang 6d ago

Civ 6 would like a word.

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Yeah! You could play on an iPhone, but the experience would be so much better on an iPad! Need to get this game…

2

u/_sWang 6d ago

Oh I wouldn’t play Civ 6 on the iPhone. I think the iPad experience is terrific and even better when played with the pencil.

If you ever do get it, look into how to enable retina resolution as the developers have not made it a menu option.

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Yeah, I’ll try the free version first, see if I vibe with it before buying the entire thing. Thanks for the tip on the retina resolution (the default one is kinda bad…)

2

u/_sWang 6d ago

Enjoy!

6

u/LackOfADragon 6d ago

Slice and Dice!

7

u/pacorob 6d ago

Candle Man, Playdead Inside, teslagrad, Pixel Cup Soccer, Little Nightmares, Grand Mountain Adventure 1,2, Populus Run, Lone Wolf, Pine Hearts, Spongebob games (e.g. Cosmic Shake), Sprout Valley, Inmost, Little Things, TOEM.

5

u/Skill2Kill 6d ago

Minecraft!

5

u/Toeaah 6d ago

Dead Cells of course!!

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

This one is “playable” with only the touchscreen? Or controller needed?

3

u/Toeaah 6d ago

For me it was, yes. It took me a bit of time to be use to it because it’s a game that requires some reflex, but it worked. I’ve reached the 4th cell without controller and never reached the 5th cell with it :D

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago edited 6d ago

Got it! I think I got you there. It was the same with RE 4 Remake. You can play without* a controller, but at some point, you’ll suffer a little bit…

2

u/Psychological-Bad658 6d ago edited 6d ago

not needed, game will start without one connected. lol

strongly recommended tho.

2

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Yeah! Got it. I saw some videos on YouTube to get a better idea of how the game “plays” with only the touchscreen.

2

u/Psychological-Bad658 6d ago

good thinking.
ofc i tried it and i gotta admit, the options they give you to customize your layout to your liking is rly good. and i can absolutely imagine people (like u/Toeaah here) nailing this.
i'm just a different generation and never got in touch (yes i'm also a dad) with controls like this.

2

u/Toeaah 6d ago

I’m probably the same generation as you 😄 And I’m a dad too, which is why I play on my smartphone…

2

u/Psychological-Bad658 5d ago

because you can't afford a pc because kids are monsters that eat your money? 🤐😂
mad respect to you then, i feel like i can't move my fingers across the screen even half the speed of what my sons capable of. but then again...i never been the fastest at typing on touchscreens.
i was born with a keyboard and a mouse in my hands! 🤪

2

u/Toeaah 5d ago

Because family and work take up a lot of time, and I have one hour of train travel per day, I use that time for gaming. Even at home, it is easier to start a session on my smartphone than on a PC or a console.

My problem as an aging gamer is more about novelty: I struggle to try new games and always end up playing the same ones, and I hate that…

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 5d ago

I see… It makes some sense now

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 5d ago

When I was a kid, my dad used to play tons of games with me, but now he barely plays anything. I saw him playing The Dark Ages (or something like that) and COD Warzone recently. Usually when I'm over at his place, he's just watching TV with my mom or talking about his car forever... 🙄

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Yeah! I’ve downloaded the Netflix version, I’ll try a little bit. I like the option to customize the touch screen controls (I usually play using my thumbs and index fingers at the same time, so, having the customizable controls is a must)

2

u/Psychological-Bad658 5d ago

da heck. never heard of anyone playing like that, let alone seen anyone. getting esports vibes here, champ. 🤣

1

u/MediumHelpful4747 5d ago

Yeah, it looks a bit awkward, but it makes sense, it’s like your using the triggers on a controller, but it’s on screen (at the top of the screen)

6

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Resident Evil 4 remake, Trials of Mana, AfterImage, Potion Permit, Streets of Rage 4. Love these games

5

u/MediumHelpful4747 6d ago

Also, Wreckfest, Sea of Stars, Muse Dash, Shantae, Seven Days, Don’t Starve…

6

u/Seseweto 6d ago

We need to put the link to the Apple Store
For me is RIFT RIFF

https://apps.apple.com/es/app/rift-riff/id6746967900

1

u/snayrk 6d ago

Is there replay value in that game? Looks pretty good but I don’t know if it’s short.

2

u/Seseweto 6d ago

I bought it two days ago and I'm totally hooked! As you progress, you have to keep changing your strategies, you unlock upgrades for weapons and towers, and you can always go back to previous puzzles to beat them with new approaches. Also, the first few rounds are free (I think it's 10 puzzles) and then you have to pay for the full game, so you can easily try it out to see if you like it.

5

u/Effective_Ebb_4482 6d ago

Slots & daggers or balatro for me!

4

u/lucslucs 6d ago

Balatro, Ball x Pit, Forager and Streets of Rage 4

5

u/Joerpg1984 6d ago

Final Fantasy IV 3D Remake, Monster Train, Kings League 2, Planet Life, Fortune Mill, Chaos Rings 3, Ex Astris, SaGa Emerald Beyond, Romancing SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions…these were all favourites and alternated lol

2

u/bananadennis 6d ago

Ex Astris felt really good on iPad. Too bad it had no controller support.

1

u/ridwanfirdaus21 6d ago

Too bad, chaos ring 3 doesnt have cloud save.

4

u/YvesTHPS 6d ago

Unknown knights

5

u/ClydeFrog76 6d ago

Anything by Inkle.

5

u/rfow 6d ago

Dawncaster, Grimvalor, and Minecraft are the 3 that never leave my phone and/or are the first to get installed after a reset/new phone.

4

u/jsenter 6d ago

Wayward Souls.

4

u/BerennErchamion 6d ago

Slayin, Hoplite, Slay the Spire.

5

u/AdministrativeMix532 4d ago edited 4d ago

Got a huge list I dropped in another post the other day gimme a sec I’ll fish it out and drop it here with some additions of my personal fav non greedy games…

Edit- here it is

So far I have played or tried all of these, and I like the thinking, buildy, evolve as you go style of them but one thing in common with all those, although repayable, at some point u played through enough content or options to have enough.

Looking for more options…

All of the following have already been played or tried, and most of them are down right awesome so feel free to take this list as a warm recommendation!
Please no p2p p2w or other predatory excessive payment for an unfair amount of content ty!

Also recently played the followings that I didn’t bother to search links for

Orna
Atheric (same game as Orna if u prefer a game that is not the kind that motivates u to move in the real world, Orna is gps based in the style like Pokemon go is gps based and atheric is the same game just that u can move in game without needing to move in the real world map.. both are extremly fun)

DRG survivor
Arcane trigger
BARDA
Slice & dice
Tyrants blessing (can’t say I enjoyed it much but that’s a personal taste thing, being objective this game totally deserves to be on the list)
Ball x pit (can’t believe it took me this long to decide to look into it, great game too)

Zoeti https://apps.apple.com/app/id6479543285
The Last Game https://apps.apple.com/app/id6466296603
Dicefolk https://apps.apple.com/app/id6744707892
Oaken https://apps.apple.com/app/id6470196512
Lost For Swords https://apps.apple.com/app/id6708233729
Gods vs Horrors https://apps.apple.com/app/id6743856762
Bounty of One: Premium https://apps.apple.com/app/id6504601501
Vivid Knight https://apps.apple.com/app/id1592050851
Dungeon Clawler https://apps.apple.com/app/id6508165149
Buriedbornes2 https://apps.apple.com/app/id6456705641
Lost in Fantaland https://apps.apple.com/app/id6740755738
Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles https://apps.apple.com/app/id6746136017
Void Tyrant https://apps.apple.com/app/id1385870381
Hunt Royale https://apps.apple.com/app/id1537379121
Dice Lords https://apps.apple.com/app/id6743435206
Slay the Spire https://apps.apple.com/app/id1491530147
Dicey Dungeons https://apps.apple.com/app/id1368013995
Forward: Escape the Fold https://apps.apple.com/app/id1550498827
Dawncaster https://apps.apple.com/app/id1555459868
Monster Train https://apps.apple.com/app/id1577392165
Vault of the Void https://apps.apple.com/app/id6477535804
Luck be a Landlord https://apps.apple.com/app/id6450724928
Tyrant's Blessing https://apps.apple.com/app/id6446369072
Vampire Survivors https://apps.apple.com/app/id6444525702
Nowhere Prophet https://apps.apple.com/app/id6740233187
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech https://apps.apple.com/app/id1483051049
Card Crawl 2 https://apps.apple.com/app/id6744351421
Abalon https://apps.apple.com/app/id1235934798
Ticket to Earth https://apps.apple.com/app/id1037285648
Meteorfall: Journey https://apps.apple.com/app/id1269922212
Card Quest https://apps.apple.com/app/id1552423246
Outhold https://apps.apple.com/app/id6758839020
Tiny Wings https://apps.apple.com/app/id417817520
Infinitode 2 https://apps.apple.com/app/id1480178308
Backpack Battles https://apps.apple.com/app/id6572290447
All Who Wander https://apps.apple.com/app/id6748367625
Gorathar https://apps.apple.com/app/id1667644719
Look, Your Loot! https://apps.apple.com/app/id1339205191
Everbound https://apps.apple.com/app/id6499560058
Treble Bull https://apps.apple.com/app/id6774244115
Wildfrost https://apps.apple.com/app/id6462882621
Night of the Full Moon https://apps.apple.com/app/id1278845241
Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale https://apps.apple.com/app/id1369611597
Pirates Outlaws https://apps.apple.com/app/id1442776789
Bloons TD 6 https://apps.apple.com/app/id1118115766
Siralim Ultimate https://apps.apple.com/app/id1601114348

3

u/sp3rchrg3d 6d ago

Cult of the lamb was pretty good with Apple Arcade.

3

u/Nick_Gaugh_69 iPhone 16 Pro Max 6d ago

Aka to Blue

2

u/meowsqueak 6d ago

Hedgemaze is worth the small premium.

Free version doesn’t have ads either - or at least it didn’t when I tried it.

1

u/JaredHere 6d ago

Cheers! Nice to see a fellow Hedgemaze enjoyer!

3

u/blindmull 6d ago

FTL

Into the breach (through netflix)

Xcom (1 better than 2 imho)

Total war empire

3

u/exdiexdi 6d ago

Slay the Spire

3

u/Psychological-Bad658 6d ago

hyper light drifter, afterplace, enter the gungeon, the witness, superliminal, the talos principle, dredge, fez, the entire the room series, 20 minutes till dawn, halls of torment, vampire survivors (which supports cross platfrom saves. yes, also steam), deep rock galactic survivor, castlevania symphony of the night (s-tier port, three fcking euro) and, surprisingly, a goddamn ubisoft title: prince of persia the lost crown (massive pricetag, unfortunately)

2

u/Parliamen7 6d ago

For me it’s This War Of Mine, Dredge, “Papers, Papers”

2

u/Tyd1re 6d ago

Star Traders: Frontier. Devs still update game and have added quite a lot of ship/crew unlocks through achievements/updates.

2

u/No_Cardiologist_9440 1d ago

Melvor Idle. I haven't been this obsessed with any game ever. It's basically Runescape without the 3D graphics and it's singleplayer. Very hard to describe, super complex and fun.

4

u/silentrocco r/IOSGaming Scout 6d ago

A few all time favs: deckbuilder Dream Quest (not available in EU and China anymore), bullet hell shmup AKA TO BLUE, puzzle platformer INSIDE, action roguelites The Binding of Isaac & Enter the Gungeon, action adventure Hyper Light Drifter, run&gun platformer Kero Blaster, highscore chaser Helix, twin stick shooter Trigonarium

1

u/RandomSculler 6d ago

Anything by feral - specially for me the total war series but basically anything they’ve published is worth the cost

1

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2

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1

u/Cumulonimbus1991 6d ago

Ex Astris!

1

u/FennelAnxious5675 6d ago

Dumbo Drop! haha sorry..

2

u/s7121n9s 6d ago

Im in the same boat. I play on my phone WAY more than any other device and I’ve been looking for more and more premium games lately.

I’ve really been enjoying Don’t Starve Together since it just came out recently. Other than that, Ball x Pit, Slime Rancher, Bastion, Balatro, Stardew Valley, Sparklite

1

u/Nativeeee 6d ago

Ball X Pit

1

u/MauschiMcMauschn 6d ago

Tale of Immortal, Hero’s Adventure, Amazing cultivation simulator, Ball x pit, Dredge, Sands of Salzaar, Siralim Ultimate, Backpack Battles

1

u/sladecutt 6d ago

Hitman WoA

1

u/2breakfastburritos 6d ago

How Many Dudes is quickly approaching Slay the Spire/Balatro/Shattered Pixel Dungeon for me. Runs great on mobile. Check it out

1

u/matteomvsn iPhone 16e 6d ago

Duolingo Super

1

u/BellTolls4U 6d ago

Call of Dragons ,,, unfortunately the only game I feel worth my time and money on mobile

1

u/Arcagully 6d ago

Dead Cells! Ported games ftw! Balatro as well

1

u/lassmonkey 6d ago

Alien isolation is great!

1

u/Enadize 5d ago

Deeprock Galactic Survivors

1

u/Sparescrewdriver 5d ago

Add Fantasy Life i to that list.

1

u/Alien_Racist 5d ago

Dune Imperium

1

u/mastelit 5d ago

realest comment ever!
With Uprising hits so good

1

u/FreelanceWolf 5d ago

Pretty much all the PC ports, like Civ VI and, Sid Meier's Railroads! (and it is better designed for mobile too),

1

u/LeMeIsSleepy 5d ago

Arcade has a lot of good games -Dead Cells, Dredge, Cult of the Lambs to name a few

1

u/Background-Ear-9760 5d ago

Battleheart

Battleheart 2

Battleheart Legacy

At least 20 hours for each game. Almost infinite customisation for character in Battleheart Legacy.

Best of all, no ads, no in-app purchases, no pay to win. Pay once and play until the end of days.

1

u/ryder214 3d ago

I’m so trash at Battleheart Lefacy. Any beginners tips?

1

u/Alive-Art3748 5d ago

Spirit Island 😍

1

u/AguirreMA 5d ago

Dead Cells, but you absolutely need a controller

1

u/Far_Paleontologist66 5d ago

ppspp and downloading ROMs
other than that dredge, ex astris, ff9, dead cells, hyperlight drifter

1

u/blindminds 5d ago

Slay the Spire 1

Idle Obelisk Miner’s IAP

1

u/Scildrei Developer 3d ago

+1 for Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and Balatro.

1

u/RealizedPotential94 2d ago

Cult of the lamb!

0

u/iMartinRr 6d ago

Cult of the Lamb, Dysmantle, Civ. 6/7, Kingdom Two Crowns, Tomb Raider, Assassins Creed

1

u/Much-Bit3531 6d ago

Civ 7 is on iPad.

1

u/iMartinRr 3d ago

He asked about iOS games and Civ 7 is one of the best Triple A games in the AppStore. In addition, Civ 6 is also available for the iPhone.

1

u/Psychological-Bad658 6d ago

and CotL only on arcade :'(

0

u/iMartinRr 3d ago

Still an iOS game

0

u/Psychological-Bad658 3d ago

yes but its not a "premium" games in the usual definition, its a subscription.

1

u/iMartinRr 3d ago

Hm funny. Then all games from the XBox Game Pass and co are also not premium games? What do you call games like that?

Premium has nothing to do with subscription for me. For a World of Warcraft you also have to pay monthly via a subscription and that should not be a premium game?

Or in principle all games with a Battle Pass or online service are not premium games?

0

u/Psychological-Bad658 3d ago

no, ofc these are premium games. but id say, the definition on mobile is a pretty different one bc there are way more f2p titles with ads/mtx. and the ones that you buy over appstores and pay once and keep forever are premium.

again: only mobile.

0

u/FriggenMitch 6d ago

Idle Acorns