Ditch the Data - Top 15 Must-Play Games for iPhone/iPad

Are you hamstrung by a limited data plan? Does your commute take you underground? Either way, you have your reasons for being offline sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you have to be bored while stuck without the internet.

Your iPhone and/or iPad are powerful gaming devices, and you don’t even need access to the internet to enjoy using them. This is thanks to the iOS games you can play offline, and these are the best offline games for iOS.

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1. Alto’s Adventure

Alto’s Adventure is the infinite runner that’ll help you get your skiing fix. Take control of Alto and ski down the slopes of the Andes, picking up coins and avoiding obstacles in the process.

Use touch controls to make Alto jump or grind and rack up points by performing tricks. The entire game plays offline, so enjoy your Andean adventure from your subway car. The game never finishes, so whenever you’re waiting without Wi-Fi, this game can keep you entertained.

Download: Alto’s Adventure ($4.99)

2. Alto’s Odyssey

The sequel to Alto’s Adventure, Alto’s Odyssey, keeps everything you liked about the original and adds a little more. New characters, new locations, new music, and a few new mechanics make this game feel more like an expansion than a true sequel.

Still, if you love Adventure, you’ll love Odyssey too, which focuses more on extreme sports than Adventure focuses on collection.

Download: Alto’s Odyssey ($4.99)

3. Monument Valley

Have you ever seen one of those impossible paintings by M. C. Escher and wanted to explore them? That’s the entire premise of Monument Valley, an indie puzzle game that is made with the Unity engine. You play as Ro, a little girl wandering through colorful buildings and solving intricate puzzles. Your primary tool is your ability to change the perspective of the screen, which unlocks new paths.

The beautiful visuals and mysterious setting make this game one of the most thrilling and immersive experiences you can have on your phone, and you can play it entirely offline. You might never need to use the internet again.

Download: Monument Valley ($3.99, in-app purchases available)

4. Monument Valley 2

In the sequel to Monument Valley, you play as Ro’s daughter, navigating the world on a quest to find her. The concept is essentially the same, but the visuals are much more striking, the puzzle-solving much more subtle and nuanced. The beauty of the graphics really shines on a bigger screen, which makes these installments two of the best offline iPad games.

This game has four more chapters than its predecessor and builds upon the first game’s features. In some worlds, the game replaces the isometric geometry art style from the first game with more 2D scenes.

Download: Monument Valley 2 ($3.99)

5. BADLAND

You’re a gooey black ball that just wants to not die. BADLAND is a challenging puzzle game that sends your character through a world of dangerous traps and hazards. Use touch controls to keep your ball afloat, while you watch out for the spinning blades, pointy spikes, and other dangers that will shred it to bits. Various pickups in the world can turn you bigger, smaller, multiply you, and more.

The challenging gameplay will suck you in. The creepy music and beautiful gothic visuals will keep you coming back. There is a local multiplayer component, but all gameplay can be experienced offline.

Download: BADLAND ($0.99)

6. BADLAND 2

BADLAND 2 adds some new mechanics, in particular the ability to move your character both left and right, which takes off some of the pressure. The essence of the game remains, however.

There is a light online multiplayer mode, but like its predecessor, this game really shines offline, on your iPhone, alone with headphones, and immersed in the experience.

Download: BADLAND 2 ($0.99)

7. SevenBloks

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This inventive puzzle game is like a mix of Tetris and Sudoku. The rules are simple. You have a 7x6 grid, filled with blocks that have numbers on them, one through seven. Whenever a numbered block is in a column or a row with the same number of block as it features, it clears. If it clears next to a white block, the white block cracks, then breaks to reveal a numbered block.

The goal, like Tetris, is to not lose by having the blocks go over the top and to rack up points while doing it. It’s simple, but endlessly challenging fun. You can experience everything but the leaderboards offline, making it a great game to play while waiting for an appointment, or riding a train through an area with no Wi-Fi.

Download: SevenBloks (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. Mini Metro

Another puzzle game with a beautiful interface, Mini Metro lets you build your own mass transit system. Using maps of real-world cities, you can draw your own lines connecting different stations. You have a limited amount of lines and trains and an ever-increasing number of stations, so you have to place things wisely. If people end up waiting too long at any one station, you lose.

The maps and the layout are simple and beautiful, with an aesthetic that is similar to the minimalist transit maps found in major cities.

Download: Mini Metro ($3.99)

9. Civilization VI

Civilization VI is the latest installment of the longtime franchise where you, as the leader of your people, try to rule the world throughout history. Using real-world leaders, place names, and historical monuments, Civ is a turn-based game that takes hours but is easy to play in quick chunks of time. This makes it perfect for iOS.

Although you can engage in local and online multiplayer, an offline AI campaign is more than enough fun for a long subway or plane ride. If Civilization VI doesn’t appeal, there are otherways to play Civilization on your phone .

Download: Civilization VI (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. Stardew Valley

Another port from PC to iOS, Stardew Valley lets you get away from it all and run your own farm in a small town. You can useiPhone and iPad gaming options like Steam Link and Apple Arcade to make the experience easier by using a controller.

Beautiful 8-bit graphics, simple, non-competitive gameplay, and strangely compelling dungeon-crawling make this game one of the best ways to spend a long subway ride. When city life is getting you down, escape to Pelican Town, where all you have to do is harvest the pumpkins on time.

Download: Stardew Valley ($4.99)

11. New York Times Crossword

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The New York Times Crossword, edited by Will Shortz, is the gold standard of daily puzzles. Get access to the latest one every day, as well as the entire archive of past crosswords with the New York Times Crossword app. In addition to the puzzles themselves, the app has a number of other features. Keep track of your streaks on theStats page, go through theArchive to do puzzles from the past, or buy packs of special crosswords.

You can either subscribe to the New York Times Digital Subscription or get a Crossword subscription separately. If you don’t subscribe, you’ll only have access to the dailyMini crossword, which is a treat in and of itself but nowhere near as fun as a full puzzle.

While you need internet access to download new crosswords, you can keep an unlimited number of them offline for playing later. When you do use the internet to download new crosswords, usingtips to reduce mobile data usage and save money on the data spend will come in handy.

Download: New York Times Crossword (Free, in-app purchases available)

12. Ticket to Ride

The award-winning board game now fits in your pocket. Ticket to Ride makes you and your friends railroad barons, competing to be the first ones to link up the country by train. The graphics stay true to the original board game, down to the virtual train cards you draw and put in your hand.

You can play inPass-And-Play mode, which lets you take your turn and pass it to your friends in front of you, but it is also the perfect game to play in solo mode. Each game takes 15 to 20 minutes, perfect for passing the time on a real-life train trip.

Download: Ticket to Ride ($8.99, in-app purchases available)

13. Minecraft

The global phenomenon that is Minecraft is available on all platforms, including your iPhone or iPad. A building and exploration sandbox that makes the jump to iOS controls smoothly is perfect if you want something online or offline.

While you can play with other friends and work on the same worlds together, you can play it without any data or Wi-Fi necessary after purchasing it. Whether it’s your first time playing or you’re returning after years of absence, you’re bound to kill hours of time creating a world right from your phone.

Download: Minecraft ($6.99)

14. Plague Inc

Ever wanted to relieve the pandemic from the pandemic’s point of view? No? Well Plague Inc. is available anyway, an iOS and iPad game where you attempt to infect the world as various types of diseases. A perfect game to play while sitting around waiting, and runs like a dream no matter your phone specs.

There is a steep learning curve to Plague Inc., depending on the difficulty you play on, giving you a challenging experience that you can return to again and again to try different strategies.

Download: Plague Inc ($0.99)

15. Jetpack Joyride

A highly-paced, side-scrolling game that you can play anywhere, anytime. Jetpack Joyride has fun mechanics, a great art style, and high replayability that is perfect for fans of endless runner games.

In Jetpack Joyride, you fly through the maps, attempting to collect as many coins as you can while avoiding rockets and laser beams by flying over or under them. Over time your character will speed up, increasing the difficulty of the game.

Download: Jetpack Joyride (Free, in-app purchases available)

What Are Your Favorite Offline iPhone Games?

We’ve covered some of the best games you can enjoy offline on iOS, so that you’re not relying on having data when looking for a way to pass the time.

If you want to game offline on your iPhone but still have fun with your friends, iPhone party games suited for groups meeting in person are the best thing you can use.

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