However, this doesn’t apply for the large majority of those who play games on mobile, the so-called “casual gamers” who just want to kill some time while commuting.
Thankfully, if you’re an iOS user, Apple has just revealed this year’s most downloaded games on the App Store in the United States, so if you’re wondering what to play next, here are some of the most popular titles according to Apple.
Balatro+ for iPhone | Image credits: Apple
Let’s start with the most downloaded Apple Arcade games, which are premium titles that don’t feature ads or in-app purchases. While these games require an active Apple Arcade subscription to play, many of them are available without Apple Arcade membership, although they do come with in-app purchases and, sometimes, with ads too.
Top Apple Arcade games
- NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition
- Snake.io+
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure
- Sneaky Sasquatch
- Bloons TD 6+
- Sonic Dream Team
- NFL Retro Bowl ’25
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Cooking Mama: Cuisine!
- Solitaire by MobilityWare+
Moving on to what’s probably the biggest category of games in the App Store, free games, here are the most downloaded free iPhone and iPad games in the US:Top free iPhone games
- Block Blast！
- MONOPOLY GO!
- Roblox
- Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile
- Township
- Last War:Survival
- Royal Match
- Brawl Stars
- Subway Surfers
- My Perfect Hotel
Top free iPad games
- Roblox
- Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
- MONOPOLY GO!
- Subway Surfers
- Brawl Stars
- Geometry Dash Lite
- Block Blast！
- Among Us!
- My Perfect Hotel
- Royal Match
AFK Journey for iPhone | Image credits: Apple
Top paid iPhone games
- Minecraft: Play with Friends
- Heads Up!
- Geometry Dash
- Papa’s Freezeria To Go!
- Bloons TD 6
- Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Plague Inc.
- MONOPOLY: The Board Game
- Stardew Valley
- Red’s First Flight
Top paid iPad games
- Minecraft: Play with Friends
- Geometry Dash
- Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Stardew Valley
- Bloons TD 6
- Papa’s Paleteria To Go!
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Poppy Playtime Chapter 1
- MONOPOLY: The Board Game
- Ultimate Custom Night
In related news, Apple also revealed 2024’s most downloaded iPhone and iPad apps on the App Store in the US, so if you’re not really a gamer, you might be interested in checking out some of these very popular free iOS apps.Top free iPhone apps
- Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire
- Threads
- TikTok
- ChatGPT
- WhatsApp Messenger
- CapCut – Video Editor
- YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream
- Gmail – Email by Google
Top free iPad apps
- YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream
- Netflix
- Max: Stream HBO, TV, & Movies
- Calculator – Pad Edition
- Disney+
- Google Chrome
- Peacock TV: Stream TV & Movies
- Amazon Prime Video
- TikTok
- Goodnotes 6
Moises for iPad | Image credits: Apple
Top paid iPhone apps
- Shadowrocket
- HotSchedules
- Procreate Pocket
- 75 Hard
- AnkiMobile Flashcards
- AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch
- Paprika Recipe Manager 3
- TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome
- Goblin Tools
- Forest: Focus for Productivity
Top paid iPad apps
- Procreate
- Procreate Dreams
- Shadowrocket
- forScore
- Nomad Sculpt
- ToonSquid
- Bluebeam Revu for iPad
- AnkiMobile Flashcards
- Teach Your Monster to Read
- Endless Paper
Kino for iPhone | Image credits: Apple
iPad App of the Year: Moises (Moises Systems)
Mac App of the Year: Adobe Lightroom (Adobe)
Apple Visio Pro App of the Year: What If…? An Immersive Story (Marvel Studios, ILM Immersive, and Disney+)
Apple Watch App of the Year: Lumy (Raja V.)
Apple TV App of the Year: F1 TV (Formula One Digital Media Limited)
iPhone Game of the Year: AFK Journey (Farlight Games)
iPad Game of the Year: Squad Busters (Supercell)
Mac Game of the Year: Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Panic)
Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey (Puddle)
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Balatro+ (Playstack)
Cultural Impact Winners
- Oko (AYES BV)
- EF Hello (Signum International AG)
- DailyArt (Zuzanna Stanska)
- NYT Games (The New York Times Company)
- The Wreck (The Pixel Hunt)
- Do You Really Want to Know 2 (Gamtropy Co.)
