Best Games To Play On Ipad In 2025
The iPad has become an incredible gaming tool, with access to a vast library of titles that suit all types of gamers.
From graphics-intensive action titles to soothing puzzle games, the App Store has great options that maximize the iPad's large screen and silky-smooth performance.
Casual gamer or hard-core enthusiast, there's something for everyone. In today's blog, we've gathered the top iPad games to play, with a selection of genres, gameplay styles, and age-worthy suggestions so you can find your next favorite digital escapade.
1. Action and Adventure Games
For players who love quick action, rich storytelling, and fluid combat systems, action and adventure games are the ideal choice—and the iPad has some of the best such games available.
With its spacious Retina screen and sensitive touch controls, the iPad provides a console-quality experience that makes every fight, puzzle, and cinematic sequence more engaging.
Here are some of the best action and adventure games you can play on your iPad.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is perhaps the most visually impressive and ambitious action RPG on mobile devices, and it plays remarkably well on the iPad.
Created by HoYoverse, this open-world game takes cues from titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, providing an enormous, anime-themed world to discover.
Players are able to switch between characters with special elemental powers, have real-time battles, and quest in a variety of environments from dense forests to snowy mountains.
The cross-platform game play of the game enables you to synchronize progress on mobile, PC, and console, so you can switch between devices without progress loss.
Its story, regular content updates, and multiplayer co-op mode ensure fresh and interesting gameplay.
Although Genshin Impact is free-to-play, it has gacha mechanics for unlocking characters and weapons, so in-app purchases are present—but not required to play the game.
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls
Classic side-scrolling action fans, rejoice. Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls brings the legendary gothic franchise back in a contemporary package.
When it first released with microtransactions, the game has now been brought back on Apple Arcade as a cleaner, ad-free experience with no in-app purchases.
Not only does this enhance gameplay, but it also makes the game more playable for those seeking a full experience without paywalls.
In Grimoire of Souls, you get to play through several characters in the Castlevania series, among them Alucard, Simon Belmont, and Charlotte.
Each of the characters has its own fighting style and special abilities, and they share different gameplay styles for missions.
Rich atmospheric visuals, a traditional orchestral soundtrack, and optimized smooth touch controls for mobile use are some of the features in the game.
With regular content drops and special events, it has plenty of replay value while maintaining the retro vibe that series longtime fans will love.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time
Released only on Apple Arcade, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a must-play for both fans of the animated show and action-adventure gamers.
It serves both as a tribute and a sequel to the popular TV show, allowing the player to play as the famous samurai warrior in a stylized, story-paced journey across time and space.
The game mirrors the series' art style, providing cel-shaded visuals and silky smooth animation that feels like an interactive episode.
Gameplay consists of real-time combat with melee and ranged weapons mixed together, platforming sections, and character development.
As you play through different timelines, you interact with well-known allies and foes, strengthening the familiarity for fans while presenting newcomers to the mythology.
The controls are responsive and the larger iPad display assists in bringing an uninterrupted combat experience.
Battle Through Time offers no ads and no in-app purchases, a full game from beginning to end—a luxury in today's mobile market.
2. Strategy and Simulation
If you like thoughtful planning, decision-making, and long-term progression, then strategy and simulation games provide some of the most gratifying experiences in the iPad app store.
Strategy and simulation games test your mind with intricate systems, whether commanding armies, directing empires, or operating a football club.
iPad's expansive screen and responsive touch functionality make it an excellent platform on which to enjoy titles within this genre, complete with exact control and full-depth gameplay.
Included below are three exemplary strategy and simulation games showcasing the range and depth to be found on iPad.
Civilization VI
Sid Meier's Civilization VI delivers the complete 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) strategy experience to smartphones, with an impressively loyal port of the popular PC franchise.
In this turn-based title, you develop a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age, vying with other nations for dominance through conquest, science, culture, or diplomacy.
The game's interface is touch-optimized so that players can zoom in and out, control units, and bring up menus with touch gestures.
Even with the depth of gameplay, the controls are smooth and natural on the iPad. The base game can be tried for free, with full access available through in-app purchase.
Additional optional expansion packs, such as Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm, further deepen and extend replayability.
XCOM: Enemy Within
For those who enjoy high-stakes strategic combat, XCOM: Enemy Within offers an engaging experience that mixes turn-based squad tactics with base management and strategic decision-making.
A stand-alone expansion of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, this game adds new missions, enemies, weapons, and gameplay mechanics that complement the highly-acclaimed core formula.
In XCOM: Enemy Within, you play as a unit of top military personnel who need to protect the planet from aliens.
Every decision you make--from where your soldiers are in combat to how you spend the resources you are accumulating at home base--is permanent.
Careful positioning of your troops, resource management, and long-term planning are thus stressed.
And with permadeath, where losing an older soldier is tantamount to going back to day one, that makes every experience even more tense.
The iPad iteration preserves the graphical sheen and strategic sophistication of the PC original, with controls carefully optimized for touchscreen play.
It's a fantastic testament to the fact that sophisticated tactical games can play incredibly well on mobile devices when properly optimized.
Football Manager 2024 Touch
For sports simulation fans, Football Manager 2024 Touch provides the deepest and most immersive football management experience on iPad.
Based on the full PC version of the game, but in a more streamlined edition, it maintains much of the depth for which the Football Manager series is renowned, while retooling the interface to allow for more rapid interaction and shorter game sessions—perfect for the mobile gamer.
In the game, you take on the role of a football club manager, making decisions on tactics, transfers, training, and match-day lineups.
Every choice affects team performance, morale, and your career progression. The 2024 edition brings updated rosters, improved AI, and a more polished user interface, making it easier to navigate and manage all aspects of your club.
Football Manager 2024 Touch is especially well-designed for the iPad, where the balance between accessibility and depth permits both newcomers and old fans to have a rewarding management experience. The pausable nature at any time also makes it ideal for on-the-go gaming.
3. Puzzle and Board Games
Puzzle and board games are ideal for players who appreciate introspective challenges, creative mechanics, and rewarding problem-solving.
The iPad is ideal at providing these experiences due to its sharp screen and responsive touch input, which deliver interactions in a natural and engaging way.
If you enjoy solving mysteries, creating strategic designs, or playing digital adaptations of tabletop favorites, the App Store is rich in choices to try.
These following three are stand-out titles, providing some of the best board and puzzle action on the iPad.
The Room Series
The Room series by Fireproof Games is a tutorial on how to design puzzles in a way that completely immerses players.
These games transport players into unexplained worlds full of complex mechanical puzzles, hidden compartments, and ambiguous clues.
Each game within the series takes the form of a "locked room" narrative, where you're tasked with investigating elaborate 3D objects and solving layered puzzles to open up the next area.
What makes The Room games stand out is their sense of tactility. With touch controls, you turn keys, swipe panels, and manipulate objects in gestures that mirror real-world motions, making for an extremely immersive experience.
The dark visuals and atmospheric sound design contribute to the tense atmosphere, making it half-exploration, half-puzzle-solving.
Each game grows from the previous one, adding greater complexity and richer narratives. The series is best suited for players who are seeking a thinking challenge with a cinematic presentation.
Carcassonne
The iPad is a great vehicle for digital board games, and Carcassonne is among the greatest examples.
Founded on the tile-laying, award-winning game of the same name, Carcassonne sets players dropping tiles one after the other to form cities, roads, monasteries, and fields, which earn them points depending on how many of each structure they successfully complete.
The strategy involves creating your own or preventing your opponent from achieving their own.
The digital version is true to the original board game but introduces conveniences such as automated scoring, smooth animations, and local or online multiplayer.
The touch interface provides intuitive dragging and dropping of tiles, and the game features AI opponents of different difficulty levels for single-player mode.
Expansion packs can be used to introduce new rules and complexity, making it accessible to both beginners and veterans. It's an excellent way to play a favorite classic without having a physical board and pieces.
Mini Motorways
Mini Motorways, crafted by Dinosaur Polo Club, is a harmonious marriage of city-building and puzzle action set around a wonderfully deceptively simple aim: traffic control.
Players need to create an ever-expanding highway system that fills in between buildings and places using a few roadway tiles, sets of traffic lights, roundabouts, and various other gizmos to keep people moving.
What starts as an exercise in minimalist design soon devolves into intricate balancing act once traffic demands climb.
The visual simplicity of the game, with its calming score and silky animation, is only too easy to become lost within, but successful play demands continued planning and instantaneous adaptation.
As each city level presents varying demands, weekly downloadables or everyday challenges provide differentiation and replay.
The iPad touch interface provides for accurate road placement and rapid edits, with complete control for players over their transport networks.
It's a perfect choice for brief sessions or extended, strategy-focused gameplay that is both relaxing and mentally engaging.
4. Role-Playing Games (RPGs)
Role-playing games (RPGs) are among the most addictive and immersive experiences to be found on the iPad, with wide-open worlds, character customization, and hours of story-based gameplay.
Whether discovering magical realms, developing relationships with in-game personalities, or waging strategic combat, RPGs provide depth and variety unmatched by any other type of game.
The iPad's processing power and large, high-resolution display make it the perfect platform for immersing oneself in richly detailed RPG epics.
Following are three outstanding RPG titles that highlight the variety and popularity of the genre on iPad.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a relaxing and engaging RPG that combines farming, life simulation, and mild combat mechanics into a wholesome and highly rewarding experience.
From ConcernedApe, the game starts with your character getting a dilapidated farm in a small rural town. From there, you can farm, raise livestock, mine for materials, fish, craft, and befriend the townspeople.
Though the game seems simplistic at first sight, it's surprisingly deep. You can personalise your farm, improve buildings, wed a town inhabitant, and explore hidden secrets within the local mines.
The cycle of seasonal change, festivals, and advancement system provide the game with a rich rhythm that compels you to return.
The iPad edition boasts convenient touch controls, cloud saving capabilities, and a UI designed specifically for mobile gameplay, which makes it among the best experiences to take Stardew Valley on the road.
It's a great option for gamers who like relaxing, open-ended games with a whole lot of soul.
Monster Hunter Stories+
Monster Hunter Stories+ is an adorable turn-based RPG that gives the Monster Hunter series a new spin.
Instead of hunting monsters, you befriend them—hatching eggs, growing things, and deploying them in thoughtful battles.
This was its original format when released on the Nintendo 3DS, and it's available now on Apple Arcade with an increased array of content and features.
You are a Monster Rider, one who is paired with a monster and exploits their special abilities on the battlefield.
The combat system is more accessible than in the mainline Monster Hunter franchise but still rewards strategic depth in its rock-paper-scissors-esque systems, abilities, and group alignments.
The iPad release gets more screen room to work with and optimized touchscreen controls, so the map-navigating, party-management, and fighting are a pleasure.
With its well-crafted narrative, side quests, and lootable monsters, Monster Hunter Stories+ is an enjoyable RPG that can be played by anyone, regardless of age.
Honkai: Star Rail
By the creators of Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail is a high-end turn-based RPG with gorgeous visuals and an engaging sci-fi fantasy narrative.
Players become a Trailblazer, venturing through planets on an interstellar train, fighting enigmatic threats, and discovering cosmic mysteries.
The game marries classic JRPG gameplay and contemporary design and narrative to a compelling mix of exploration, tactics, and character growth.
Fighting in Honkai: Star Rail involves turn-based play, with players contributing different strengths and elemental attunements on the battlefield.
Team strategy and thoughtful skill implementation are paramount for success, particularly as opponents get tougher.
Visually, this game is world-class, and its detailed models of characters, dynamic effects, and cinematic graphics are well shown on the display of the iPad.
Similar to its predecessor, the game is free-to-play with gacha elements for unlocking new characters and equipment, but the gameplay itself is accessible without deep investment.
5. Casual and Indie Hits
Indie and casual games push creativity, accessibility, and charm to the top of the mobile gaming platform.
They tend to be easy to learn but deceptively deep and replayable. On the iPad, such games come into their own through responsive touch input, high-energy graphics, and rapid-load gameplay—ideal both for quick session play and multi-hour gaming sessions.
Whether you’re solving quirky puzzles, dodging waves of enemies, or engaging in light-hearted multiplayer antics, the following casual and indie games offer entertaining and memorable experiences on the iPad.
Among Us
Among Us became a worldwide phenomenon due to its straightforward yet compelling concept: a social deduction game in which players collaborate to perform tasks while attempting to figure out impostors within their ranks.
Each session of the game is set on a spaceship or base, where players are randomly assigned the position of either a crewmate or an impostor.
Crewmates need to perform tasks while keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, while impostors try to eliminate them without getting caught.
The game is particularly enjoyable with friends, both locally and online. Cross-platform multiplayer allows it to be easy to jump into games from any device, and the bigger screen on the iPad provides players with a better look at the action and maps.
Touch controls are implemented neatly and responsively, providing smooth and intuitive movement, completion of tasks, and emergency meetings.
Continuing updates, new maps, and customization options are still adding diversity, making Among Us fresh and replayable for party groups and casual gamers alike.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is an unexpected indie success that combines bullet-hell action with roguelike elements, providing quickly paced, highly addictive gameplay that's simple to learn yet difficult to master.
The player operates a character that attacks automatically as it moves through waves of ever-increasingly tough enemies.
The objective is to survive as long as one can, gathering experience, revealing new abilities, and upgrading weapons in the process.
In spite of its old-school graphics, Vampire Survivors is a thrilling ride with frenetic action and rewarding progress.
Each playthrough is unique, with randomizing upgrades and multiple characters to play as, each with different strengths.
Strategy and experimentation are rewarded as players discover what combinations of power-ups and guns work well together.
On iPad, the game's one-touch movement system is ideal for mobile play, where players can concentrate on dodging and positioning while the mayhem ensues around them.
Donut County
Donut County is a lighthearted, narrative-driven physics puzzle game in which you control a strange hole in the ground that expands incrementally by consuming everything around it.
As you eat things—ranging from traffic cones to full buildings—the hole gets bigger, allowing you to solve puzzles and move the plot forward.
The game is quirky and lovable, full of funny dialogue and a vibrant art style that's great for all-ages players who like to play games casually.
Donut County stands out because it is so simple and creative. Each level adds fresh aspects to make the underlying mechanism seem new again, such as applying the hole to affect other objects or inducing chain reactions.
The brevity of gameplay and leisurely speed allow for an awesome recommendation to gamers wanting a relaxing game that remains interactive and intelligently designed.
Touch control of the iPad takes full advantage of the finger-moving enjoyment of having to move the hole around and act on objects within it.
6. Creative and Sandbox Games
Creative and sandbox games give gamers the freedom to explore, construct, and interact with open-ended worlds according to their imagination and problem-solving ability.
Such games do not use linear goals—rather, they provide players with tools and systems to define their own experience through crafting, designing, or experimentation.
This type of genre does well on the iPad because the platform offers portability, sensitive touch-based input, and great performance.
Two of the most engaging creative games out there are Minecraft – Pocket Edition and Lego Builder's Journey, both of which have different ways of approaching open-ended gameplay.
Minecraft – Pocket Edition
Minecraft – Pocket Edition puts one of the most legendary sandbox experiences in the palm of your hand.
The creator of Mojang Studios, Minecraft was created to provide the game's PC and console versions while transforming them beautifully to the iPad touch interface as well as compact shape.
Playing in either its Creative mode whereby materials are plentiful and you're able to design whatever your heart desires or in its Survival mode that introduces crafting, exploration, and combat with danger, Minecraft promises unlimited playability.
Additionally, frequent updates continue to keep the game new, with new mechanics, mobs, and blocks regularly added.
Community-created content and add-ons, as well as mods, expand on what's possible even more, particularly for more experienced players.
Minecraft – Pocket Edition is an essential title for any world-building and creative-expression player and one of the most flexible titles on the platform.
Lego Builder's Journey
For a more storytelling and artistic interpretation of creativity, Lego Builder's Journey is an exquisitely designed puzzle game that reflects the beauty of creating with Lego bricks.
More so than usual Lego games where action or platforming is prevalent, this title focuses on gentle creativity, puzzling, and emotional storytelling. It's more relaxed, but slower, contemplative experience which is both serene and visually captivating.
Players navigate a Lego figure through minimal diorama-style levels in the game by creating solutions to spatial puzzles with Lego pieces.
The puzzles are elegant in that they require you to create paths or formations through which one can advance from point to point.
The iPad release makes the most of the device's screen, producing sharp graphics and silky smooth performance.
The touch controls are responsive, allowing you to turn bricks, pull them into position, and navigate the world with ease.
Although the game is briefer and more linear than average sandbox game, it achieves a sense of creativity through a tastefully crafted experience that is at once personal and inspirational.
7. Competitive and Multiplayer Games
Competitive and multiplayer games are a major staple of the mobile gaming experience, providing hardcore, lightning-fast action and the opportunity to compete with players all over the world.
They tend to need speedy reflexes, tactical awareness, and coordination, and offer rich experiences for those who seek both single-player and multiplayer challenges.
The iPad's generous screen and sensitive controls make it a great platform for competitive gaming.
Following are three top-notch multiplayer and competitive titles—Clash Royale, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Rocket League Sideswipe—each with different gameplay experiences and fun online competition to offer.
Clash Royale
Clash Royale, which was created by Supercell, integrates aspects of tower defense, collectible card games, and real-time strategy into a quick-paced multiplayer game.
Players in Clash Royale construct decks of cards containing different troops, spells, and defenses and use them to compete against other players in real time.
The objective is straightforward: knock down your opponent's towers while protecting your own within a short time.
The game is simple to learn but challenging to master. Every match necessitates that you strike a balance between offense and defense and your resource—elixir, which energizes your cards.
Strategic moves, like when to strike, what cards to deploy, and how to defend, make Clash Royale a constantly exciting game that repays strategic thinking and timely reactions.
Multiplayer battles are fast-paced, typically ranging from three to five minutes long, making it ideal for pick-up-and-play sessions or extensive playthroughs.
Whether you're playing informally for entertainment or trying to ascend the ranks, Clash Royale provides a competitive experience that's both accessible and enjoyable.
League of Legends: Wild Rift
League of Legends: Wild Rift brings the legendary League of Legends experience to mobile, delivering a more streamlined version of the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) to the iPad.
From Riot Games, Wild Rift preserves much of what made the original PC version so successful, such as the deep characters, strategic gameplay, and fast-paced team-based action, but with controls optimized for touchscreen devices.
In Wild Rift, five-player teams fight against each other to destroy the enemy team's Nexus, the central building found in the middle of their base.
Players use one of the numerous champions from the game, with each champion possessing special skills and playstyles.
Winning at Wild Rift needs great teamwork, coordination, and planning as players take part in live battles on an ever-changing battlefield.
The wider screen of the iPad allows for a more engaging experience than in smaller phones, enabling players to more effectively see the battlefield, communicate with other players, and react to enemy players.
The touch controls, while intuitive enough to use for anyone, can still enable depth and precision one would want out of a competitive MOBA.
Wild Rift has casual and ranked modes, giving every level of player a place to enjoy exciting matches, whether starting out or working towards the highest rank.
Rocket League Sideswipe
Rocket League Sideswipe equips the original idea of Rocket League—rocket soccer—with fast and frantic gameplay on mobile and intuitive yet efficient touch controls.
In the mobile game, players drive personalizeable cars and play soccer-like game matches where they utilize the jump, boost, and flip capabilities of the cars to get the ball into the other team's goal.
As opposed to the original Rocket League, played in a 3D environment, Sideswipe has a 2D view, allowing the game to be more intuitive and accessible on mobile.
The goal remains the same: score goals and not let the other team score, but the format is condensed to allow for shorter matches, making it ideal for mobile.
The touch controls feel surprisingly responsive, providing gamers with accuracy in operating their cars and performing complicated moves.
When solo or teamplaying, Rocket League Sideswipe provides a challenging atmosphere where situational thinking and tactical car control are what deliver victory.
It's perfect for short matches which don't necessitate extensive game time but have a highly competitive and entertaining output.
Multiplayer modes include local as well as online competition, which means you can play against friends or worldwide players.
Conclusion
In summary, the iPad provides a wide variety of gaming experiences, ranging from casual and indie successes to competitive and creative games, and is thus a flexible platform for all kinds of players.
Whether you want to be immersed in strategic combat, let your creativity shine through building and puzzles, or enjoy quick multiplayer action, there's something for everyone.
The touch controls, big screen, and high performance of the iPad make it the perfect device for mobile gaming.
With so many different genres and experiences to delve into, it's obvious that the iPad is an elite piece of hardware for playing quality games on the move.
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