Editor’s Note: Looking for the best overall iPod Touch games, including those that come with a price tag? Check out our guide to the best iPod Touch games.
There are tons and tons of games for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Some are better than others and some you have to pay for. We’re not looking at the expensive choices here. Instead, we’ve picked out some apps that are completely free (and aren’t Angry Birds, though Angry Birds is free now as well). In choosing the best free iPod Touch games, we’ve picked a range of games, from the simple to the complex, online and off. We’re sure that you’ll find something for yourself in this list. Download one and get to playing while you wait for the bus or to pass the time on the long ride home for the holidays.
What’s the Word? (Free)
Figure out what four seemingly unrelated images have in common to decide what the word is and solve the puzzle. You choose letters from the jumbled mess at the bottom of the screen and try to fill in the blanks correctly. You’ll earn gold coins that allow you to unlock clues as you go, and you can buy more of them via in-app purchases if you get stuck, but there’s no need to spend anything to enjoy this puzzler.
Baseball Superstars 2013 (Free)
This cute anime-style baseball RPG should be irresistible for fans of the genre. You’ll build your character from rookie to pro and aim for the Hall of Fame. There’s a pitcher and batter mode to test your ability to throw heat or swing for the fences. You can build up specific attributes for your character through training and the typical RPG leveling system works well. You’ll also interact with coaches and other players along the way. Adverts and prompts to buy points are the price you pay for a free game. If you’re patient, you don’t need to spend any money, and the game is a lot of fun.
Ghostbusters (Free)
Who you gonna call? That’s right. This freemium game casts you as a kind of Ghostbuster manager trying to keep your city from being overrun by slimy phantoms. There’s a little bit of micro-management, hiring new recruits, upgrading, and researching, but there’s also an action side to the game where you’ll command your Ghostbusters in skirmishes with ghosts. The game looks great and it captures the spirit of the source material and weaves in an original plot. Heavy-handed attempts to push in-app purchases are sadly inevitable, but there’s enough going on here to justify a download.
Subway Surfers (Free)
Temple Run and its sequel are hugely popular endless-running games, but the genre has a few other titles that are worth a look, and this is one of them. You’re running up a subway track trying to avoid trains and other obstacles and collecting as many coins as you can in the process. Power-ups add a little spice and variety to the action and you can spend coins to upgrade them. It’s a great looking game with a colorful cartoon art style – instantly addictive.
How could you not love a character named Barry Steakfries? The Halfbrick Studios mascot makes an appearance as a disgruntled middleman in a top secret science lab who decides to put the undercover jetpack project through some personal test runs. It’s a never-ending journey down the halls of the laboratory that’ll have you leaving evil scientists, defense rockets, and other obstacles in the dust. There’s tons of unlockables in the form of unique jetpacks, crazy uniforms, and awesome power-ups that will keep your fuel level and excitement factor full.
Highly addictive and challenging, Temple Run is a game that picks up after the scene in every classic adventure movie where the hero has stolen the treasure, and must navigate a maze of booby traps to get out alive. Run, jump, slide, and tilt your way out of an increasingly difficult maze to set the high score.
One of the very first games to pop up in the App Store was Tap Tap Revenge. Capitalizing on the music-heavy rhythm games that dominated the gaming world at the time, the Tap Tap series made the genre mobile. Over twenty titles later and Tap Tap Revenge Tour keeps the party going. It’s a return to form for this portable classic–for as classic as a less than five year old series can get. With the standard music-pounding modes and the addition of a Tour that unlocks new songs and venues, Tap Tap Revenge Tour is the deepest entry yet. It’ll keep your fingers and toes tapping.
Lead your kingdom to glory in the massive multiplayer online real time strategy game Valor. You’re pitted against other iOS users and battle it out for the right to rule the realm. You can form alliances and create guilds. Betray rival kingdoms in this surprisingly deep strategy game.
The most popular sport in the world, contrary to the beliefs of most Americans, is soccer–or Football to its fans. Flick Kick Football decides to strip out the occasionally boring back and forth of dribbling and and midfield tangles by focusing on just the scoring. Players will be placed on various parts of the pitch and challenged to put the ball in the back of the net. Bend the shot around defenders, beat the keeper, and hit the bullseye for some bonus bragging rights. It’s the very best of the sport, no matter what name you call it.
Play against the computer or your friends with Hangman and Tic-Tac-Toe. They’re separate apps that make for some quick gaming. Admittedly, these two are more fun to play against your friends. Still, they’re simple games and worth a few minutes.
Are you a fan of planes, trains and automobiles? Well, Pocket Planes only has one of those. But it’s so good, you won’t even remember the other two modes of transportation. Start out as a tiny airport that can only ship out a few passengers per flight and build up until you’re heading up the next big airline. Customize your company’s look with unique color schemes and uniforms, trade planes and parts with friends, and build your airborne empire to over 250 cities across the world.
Hanging with friends Free/Words with friends Free
Zynga’s Words and Hanging with friends games are uber-popular and you probably know someone who has at least one them. Words is Scrabble and Hanging is a twist on Hangman. Instead of a noose the characters hold balloons that float them up. Grab either one and challenge your friends.
Who doesn’t love shooting bubbles? It’s been a gaming classic since the 1980s and this app doesn’t disappoint in the shooting of bubbles regard. Beyond the normal bubble wall that descends there are several different maps and modes to choose one. Just tap the screen and fire away.
