Shoot 'em ups give you a single ship, and your goal is to blast away large scale enemies as you fly along a given level. There is also enemy fire to dodge, and the games can deliver vertical or horizontal scrolling. On iOS, many of these games let you guide your ship with your finger with auto firing allowing you to simply dodge, and line up your attack. There are variations, but the heart of the sub genre is to guide your plane to survive and shoot enemies out of the sky.
Highest scored apps in the category
A scrolling shoot-’em-up from the creators Crossy Road
Take to the skies in a shoot-'em-up brought to you by the creators of arcade classic Crossy Road. Shooty Skies features adorable characters, epic bosses, and adorable enemies. This casual game is endless fun, with plenty of variety.
Own the sky by taking out enemies and completing missions in this fast-moving follow up.
In the action-packed shooter Sky Force Reloaded, take out enemies, complete missions, rescue people, and upgrade your plane.
Embrace the Chaos of Space in Steredenn, Now on iOS
Steredenn is the mobile port of the frantic bullet hell shmup that came out on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 back in 2015. It features randomly generated levels, multiple game modes, and amazing action.
Apps with average score
Hi there! You looking for some fine retro action? Look no further! I've got what you need. Just download this .exe, disable you cyber protections and blast some bits tp hell!
With unique looks, handcrafted effects, and extraordinary music by Tom Schley, Glitc³ki.|r i5 fa ERROR 0x00004f5 ::: ERROR ERROR...
Blast your way through waves of video game invaders in Astro Attack!
* Lots of video game themed ships to pilot
* Retro shooty space action!
* Chain powerups to become an unstoppable machine of invader destruction
* Simple one touch controls that even your Grandma could use
* Win new ships inside boxes...
GET TO THE CHOPPAAAAAA!
pocketgamer: "HELI HELL gives you a wall to smash into, over and over again"
More powerful than ever, the enemy has holed up on the Island of Vylleña. And now it's up to you to track him down and destroy all hostile activity.
An increasingly powerful arsenal...
***** TouchArcade 5/5 - Game of the Week - "Stunning Shooting" *****
Sequel of Award Winning next-gen top down air combat shooter with stunning 3D graphics and amazing orchestral soundtrack.
Enjoy the classic atmosphere of WW2 arcade shoot-'em-ups in modern rendering.
Prepare your plane and destroy the axis of evil with Flamethrower, Tail...
This stunning shoot ‘em up (or shmup) game combines the classic arcade elements with the new modern rendering and incredible electronic soundtrack.
"Galactic Attack: Alien" offers gorgeous 3D graphics, intense gameplay and a lot of features. The options to boost up your spaceship are incredible.
Fire up your spaceship - enter this...
*** Pocketgamer Silver Award Winner ***
*** Featured by Apple as "15 greatest Party Games" ***
*** Featured by Apple at the "What's Your High Score" category ***
Now with NEW SHIPS, NEW ENEMY and a brand NEW POWER-UP!!!
Shoot Once. Die Twice!
Shoot. Kill. Die. BOOM! Welcome to Twin Shooter, the old school space...
The spit is on! Defeat hipster enemies as you collect coins, power-ups and crazy llama costumes. Lllama-tastic scores can land you on the leaderboard, so what are you waiting for? Get spitting!
• Play a REAL game from Season 2 of Nickelodeon's hit show: GAME SHAKERS!
• Swipe and spit to defeat...
Taito's classic arcade shooting game blasts its way to iOS.
RAYCRISIS, the final installment in TAITO’s classic RAY series of arcade shooting games, locks on to iPhone!
TAITO is famous for arcade shooting games, and the RAY trilogy is one of its most beloved series! Its final work, the evolutionary evolution and the popularity of graphic RAYCRISIS appeared at iPhone /...
Blast your way through enemy ships, evade fiery asteroids, sneak through blockades and face-off against epic bosses in this action-packed space shooter! Then when the blasting is done, raid cargo ships to find procedurally generated items to customize your fighter.
With a zillion different modules to mix and match (shields, missiles,...
The mobile blaster legend is back to celebrate its 10-year anniversary in super-destructive style. Harnessing the intensity of classic arcade shoot-’em-ups combined with the hottest smartphone technology, Sky Force 2014 offers a stunning scrolling shooter experience with an incredible new social gameplay element.
Ten years ago, IGN said, “Put simply, Sky...
RAIDEN LEGACY, a four-title compilation of the mega-popular RAIDEN arcade series, includes RAIDEN, RAIDEN FIGHTERS, RAIDEN FIGHTERS 2 & RAIDEN FIGHTERS JET. Originally developed by Seibu Kaihatsu, each of these classic scrolling shooters has not only been authentically recreated for mobile, but also enhanced with brand-new features!
MORE OPTIONS!
Each RAIDEN LEGACY...
9/10 Eurogamer --- Game of the Week - “Perhaps the most visually stunning shooter ever made”
9/10 IGN --- “Everything fans expect is here in Sine Mora.” 8.5/10 Gamespot --- “One of the best XBLA titles this year.”
9.5/10 Destructoid --- "One of the most aesthetically-pleasing, fun, and thought-provoking games...
Fire your super weapons and destroy the enemy in the hottest new shmup to hit the store!
Air Force One Domination will have you blasting enemies, discovering new worlds and upgrading your jag ships.
Features Include:
- Fast paced action game play with just one touch!
- Powerful weapons, ammo, powerups and enemies to...
A CLASSIC OLD-SCHOOL GAME
R-Type II is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Irem in 1989. This classic old-school game is the sequel to R-Type and the story takes place two years after. The player controls a ship called the R-9C which is an improved version...
Toon Shooters has been updated for iOS 11 - Exclusive to the App Store. Play one of the most memorable classic shmups today!
Featured in the App Store under 'The Best Games You've Never Played' in the US & many other countries.
In a faraway place a long time ago, the Galactic...
R-TYPE, THE CLASSIC ARCADE SHOOTER, RETURNS AS A UNIVERSAL APP!
Revisit the 80's (mesh half-shirts and Keds optional) with this classic, old-school shoot 'em up! One of the decade’s most popular arcade games will awaken fond memories of jangling quarters, Jolt Cola and week-old popcorn. Fire up your iPhone or...
** Attack with your sky force and show your real power to the enemies in this game of war**
There are many scrolling shooters but none of them is like "Sky Force Battle". This stunning shoot ‘em up game combines the classic arcade elements with the new possibilities offered by current...
