2017 was a great year for App Store games, and now it's time to take a look back at the true stand outs throughout the year. There were so many games to enjoy, and yet we have to cut them down to just the top 50, and then rank them all. We will present the 50 best games of 2017 in sections of ten in a reverse countdown until we reach the game of the year for 2017. Each game on this list deserves its own recognition, and the rankings are based on select criteria including made for iOS, originality, how well it defines its genre, graphics, sound, interface, replay factor, and more. Now, we present the 50 best games of 2017, according to AppAdvice.
Through all of the release of 2017, Oxenfree stood above the rest to capture the crown of 2017 iOS Game Of The Year.
Get ready for tons of choices and intrigue in this deluxe paranormal narrative.
Get ready to experience a story driven adventure unlike any other on iOS. The story can rival a TV show as you transition from teenage angst to paranormal activity with a continuous emphasis on character development. Choose the dialogue, decide which friends to save, and try to figure out the mystery at hand.
These two outstanding games just missed out on the title of 2017 Game of The Year.
Inception level puzzling
Rearrange the panels to create a continuing storyline among beautiful artwork. Each shifting panel reveals new intricacies and mysteries in an ornately detailed puzzle game.
A beautifully hand drawn hidden object game with expansive images that come to life.
Imagine Where’s Waldo in a living and breathing world. Hidden Folks takes the classic hidden object style, and builds upon it with huge maps to explore complete with moving characters and environments. The game includes a ton of charm to the art style and the clues with each object that you need to find accompanied by a little story blurb.
The top 10 games of 2017 are simply amazing. You can't go wrong with any one from here on up.
Push a green blog through strange lands in this all new type of adventure game.
An all new type of adventure game that revolves around touch. You drag your finger to delete the back of the Mushroom 11 organism, and then it grows on the front. It’s a surprisingly smooth mechanic that lends itself to all new platformer style challenges to move through the world, and deal with various forms of obstacles including boss battles.
A totem teamwork challenge
Kalimba has players controlling two characters at the same time to help restore light to the island. Are you up to the task in this beautiful puzzle platformer?
Slice the screen and readjust the pieces to create the path forward.
A new type of puzzle game in which you slice the backdrop to create a new path forward for the main characters. You simply decide where to cut the backdrop, and then drag to realign to two new portions you have slice apart. The goal is form a new path over lava, past enemies, and on to the exit point.
The best part is that after a few sudden changes, you come to expect them, which builds up suspense as you move through the world.
Inside continues the 2D puzzle platformer formula of Limbo, and enhances it in nearly every way. Prepare for a suspenseful storyline filled with eerie moments.
Manipulate time to figure out the path from A to B in this all new type of puzzle.
A puzzle game that lets you control time to solve the puzzle. You not only need to direct the astronaut to the end point, but you need to do so at the right time to get past obstacles, use teleports, and flip switches in the right sequence. The astronaut can travel through time to flip a switch at one period of time to clear the path later in time. It’s a a complex idea that is implement very well for compelling puzzles.
A cat themed action RPG with real time combat on a tapestry infused map.
Cat Quest is a fantastic open world RPG dungeon crawler that's filled with dragons, cats, and epic loot.
Evade the cops and wreck havoc anew!
Reckless Getaway returns in an all new form. The sequel continues the theme of avoiding the cops, but now in an open world format. Your goal is to last as long as you can in free roaming levels with tons of cops, and the ability to truly be reckless with havoc causing driving skills. There are also numerous unlockable cars that bring their own side missions to the different maps.
We're almost to the top 10, and these games just missed the cut.
Monument Valley 2 is a stunning and worthy sequel to the original that everyone should have.
Prepare to rotate the world to create a path forward for a mother and her child. The sequel delivers an all new stand alone storyline built upon the same ideas of the original. The MC Escher inspired 3D perspective shift filled with optical illusions remains intact to an even more...
Spin a Rubik's cube style level to position your character to take out enemies.
Think of Monument Valley on a Rubik’s Cube with Hitman Go style combat. If you can think of that, you have the basis for Euclidean Lands, which delivers a beautiful 3D challenge. You need to rotate the world, and move your character into position to dispatch of enemies, and reach...
Thimbleweed Park is a point-and-click adventure game that's dark, mysterious, and packed full of humor.
The classic style of point and click adventure games of the past like Secret of Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and others are on full display in Thimbleweed Park. You get to play as two FBI Agents who are faced with a small town murder to solve. There are numerous quirky...
Puzzle over panels anew
The sequel continues the style of rearranging panels to create the path forward. There's an all new storyline with more complex sequences to solve.
Embark on an emotional puzzle adventure down the old man's memory lane.
A story driven puzzle adventure that emphasizes narrative without relying on any text or voice acting. It still creates an emotional journey for the player as they guide the old man across the landscape. The puzzle aspect comes into play as you shift the ground to create continuous landings for...
Survive the zombie apocalypse with a band of crazy people, and even crazier circumstances.
Your goal is to get on the death road, and survive as long as you can. The game presents other people to interact with, destinations to scavenge in, and plenty of humor mixed in during the zombie apocalypse.
Fez has been ported to iOS to deliver classic 2D platforming with a 3D twist.
FEZ, the perspective-shifting puzzle platformer that started it all, has finally arrived on mobile.
Solve the case of disappearing robots in this intriguing text based adventure.
A text based adventure game set in the future in which you play as a detective trying to figure out the mystery of disappearing robots. The game aspect tests your ability to collect words and phrases to use in dialogue puzzles to solve the case, and mystery of the futuristic...
A beautiful 3D puzzle adventure awaits you.
The Witness, the critically acclaimed title from 2016, is now available on iOS.
Start up the campfire, and get ready to think about roasting marshmallows.
Gather 'round the campfire and cook some tasty meals in this scrumptious puzzle game.
Now, we're getting to the point of some true stand outs. It's like splitting hairs to rank all of these amazing games from 2017.
A console inspired racing simulation game with a deluxe 3D graphics engine.
Grid merges realistic simulation and arcade racing to offer an eclectic mix of intense racing action. The game looks gorgeous, and you unlock the full game with one purchase price.
Guide your thief through the dungeon as stealthy as possible with specific cards.
The board game is composed of three rows and three columns of cards. You try to move your thief past guards, through traps, and to collect gold. The game gives you limited stealth, and every move costs stealth points, so you need to be careful with every card you move...
Do battle by making match based paths to your enemies in this genre mash-up.
A genre mash-up that offers the familiar match three mechanic as the movement system for a turn based strategy challenge. You need to string together your movement across specific tiles to charge the move that corresponds to the different colors. There’s an overarching futuristic Sci-Fi storyline to add extra incentive...
With not many Metroidvania style games on the App Store, forma.8 GO stands out as a must-have on the App Store if you’re a fan of the genre.
If you're craving a Metroidvania type game on your iOS device, then forma.8 GO is a must.
Slide the murdered to take out camp kids in this slasher inspired puzzler.
The 80s slasher flicks of Halloween, Friday the 13th, and others are a great juxtaposition for a block sliding puzzle game. This game genre is usually filled with overly cute characters, but the campy horror flicks are a great theme too. Swipe to slide the Jason inspired character into the...
A beautifully rendered turn based RPG that challenges you with enemies as well as fractured psyche.
A different type of turn based RPG that requires you to lead a team of flawed heroes. There are the usual outlandish enemies, but Darkest Dungeon incorporates survival tactics so that you deal with stress, famine, disease, and more. Paranoia, masochism, fear, irrationality, and other mindsets will add quirks to...
Linelight is puzzle perfection.
Linelight, originally available on PC and PS4, is now available on iOS.
Start your own game dev company, and try to design games that become popular and profitable.
At first glance, this game is a lot like Game Dev Story. Your goal is to start your own company, design your own games and make your way to the top. Game Dev Tycoon takes great inspiration, and builds upon it with so many factors to experiment with in designing...
Uncover a mysterious adventure storyline with clicking and timely upgrades.
An intriguing Sci-Fi narrative enclosed within a clicker game. Tap the screen to build up the ability to launch potato probes to explore mysterious planets. The storyline will keep you clicking, which is a definite rarity for the genre.
Moving on up. The games keep getting better as we reveal the next ten in our reverse countdown to game of the year.
Nintendo has brought another of their big name franchises to iOS.
Nintendo’s turn based RPG series Fire Emblem has come to iOS, and the version is truly made for touch. It’s effortless to command your team of heroes to get into position for the best strategic approach to take out your enemies in a lengthy adventure.
Reigns returns in an all new time period with all new swipe based choices.
The follow up to Reigns introduces a queen as the protagonist in the era of Enlightenment. Swipe left and right to handle the various attacks at your throne.
Rearrange columned letters to discover words to crossword style clues.
A brand new word game style from the maker of SpellTower. You need to shift columns into place to try to form words from the grid of letters. There are two ways to play with a word finder as well as a crossword puzzle style solver.
Crescent Moon first showed this game to us at GDC in March, and now it's available for everyone.
Explore space and shoot your way through a captivating and immersive story in Morphite.
A game inspired by The Room that delivers an all new storyline.
Play as Leonardo Da Vinci's apprentice, and try to solve the intricate puzzles he has left behind. The game is heavily inspired by The Room to give you tactile 3D puzzles to solve with detailed and interconnected mechanics in play.
A 3D puzzle adventure with deluxe Sci-Fi storyline and mechanical puzzles.
You are the last survivor of Earth, and you need to figure out alien technology in an attempt to get back home. There's a cinematic style Sci-Fi storyline to play through by solving mechanical puzzles aboard the alien ship.
The makers of the Kingdom Rush trilogy have a brand new strategy game for you.
The Kingdom Rush series delivers what is quite possibly the best tower defense games. The developers have moved on to their next idea with Iron Marines, which is an all new real time strategy game. The goal is to guide your troops on strange planets through various missions with each...
Expand your kingdom bit by bit while on horseback.
Ride along the lands to bring people into your kingdom, gather resources to build up your kingdom, and survive for as long as you can. Different obstacles appear, and there are overarching mysteries too.
The classic inspired platformer returns with a sequel of its own.
Super Phantom Cat 2 is here and delivers classic platformer fun with a ton of fun felines.
A block sliding puzzle game transformed into an adventure.
Swipe the screen to slide Red across the castle grounds, through dungeons, and more in this new adventure game. It's an interesting genre mash-up that offers a simple mechanic to let you focus on the neat world to interact with.
The top 50 begins with the unveiling of numbers 41 to 50 on the list. When you see some great games this far down the list, you can't help but be excited for what's to come.
Ride a dragon to cause as much destruction as possible.
Jump into a mechanical dragon and get ready to dive into zombie-infested worlds and take them out in this challenging auto-runner arcade game.
The makers of Blek have a new path drawing puzzler for you.
FROST is a gorgeous puzzle game that's all about guiding spirits to their home worlds.
A beautiful 3D puzzle adventure reminiscent of The Witness.
The Talos Principle has arrived on iOS, and it's well worth your time.
Play cards at the right time to open doors and avoid nightmares.
Onirim challenges your ability to strategize the usage of different colored and symboled cards. Your goal is open the colored doors either with using rare keys, or playing three of the same colored cards in a row with alternating symbols. It takes patience to balance when to use your hand...
The biggest difference between the two can be summed up with one word, variety.
Animal Crossing is finally available on your mobile device. Was it worth the wait?
The game that only gets stranger
There's more strange things happening in Hawkins, Indiana. Can you defeat the monsters lurking about in this quiet town before Stranger Things 2 comes out on Netflix?
Blocks fly in from all around, and you need to place them on the character at the center of the screen,
A game truly made for touch as you need to drag together incoming blocks to continue to grow the main character. You can grab multiple blocks at once, and deal with a constant supply of good and bad blocks floating around. There are also special tiles to help you continue...
The Guides launched back in 2015, and now there's a sequel for more intriguing puzzles.
The sequel to The Guides maintains the peculiar puzzle is with a series of challenging and varied puzzles. The game uses all kinds of different mechanics to test your wit. There's also subtle overarching intrigue to wrap around this enigma.
A 3D puzzle adventure with two timelines for the same scene.
Embark on a 3D puzzle adventure game that spans two generations. Play as the father trying to figure out the path forward through desert landscapes. Then, flip time to play as the sun to move through sequences changed by the passage of time. Each chapter introduces a new puzzle mechanic...
Go Go turn based combat adventure.
A game inspired by the Power Rangers that gives you both control of a TV show as well as turn based tactical strategy combat. You can cast actors, upgrade your studio, and improve sets. Then, it's time for action with turn based combat with your five power ranger inspired characters.