iOS - iPhone / iPadBest Adventure Games

The Gardens Between is a lovely time with a neat puzzle mechanic that takes place in a breathtaking world, packing an impressive amount of effort, creativity, and TLC into an experience that sadly won’t last more than a couple of hours.

Though the gameplay isn’t particularly inspired, Darkestville Castle is a winner thanks to its prank-prone principal character, delightful cartoon environments, and witty humour.

Based on true events and inspired by actual refugees, Bury me, my Love is not just one outstandingly written story of hope and tears, it is many.

STAY is a game that requires dedication, both to its digital protagonist and its puzzle solving, and features the kind of narrative that’s best digested via discussion with others who’ve played it. Eccentricities aside, it provides the kind of fodder that transcends the superficial and is recommended for anybody willing to face a slice of real-world drama.

The Shapeshifting Detective is a unique game that provides a solid mystery with a creative twist on the usual means of information gathering.

The best game yet in the series, The Room Three is the first to really qualify as a full-fledged puzzle-adventure game, with varied areas to explore, an assortment of new challenges to overcome, and a continuation of the intriguing storyline established in earlier games.

Buy this game. It’s fun, it’s cute, and believe me: it’ll work your brain more than any “brain-training” game might say it can. Just don't expect the puzzles to meld into the story.

Another entertaining game for those who can’t get enough of the wacky blue plush rabbit, Harvey’s New Eyes simplifies the Edna & Harvey experience but is slightly less fun to play as a result.

The 20-plus hour commitment to The Pillars of the Earth is well worth it to enjoy this interactive towering tale, faithfully adapted to near-perfection by Daedalic. For patient gamers, this is not a narrative adventure that should be missed.

Gorogoa is a clever, well-balanced tile-based puzzler that shines through its visual illusions. If you’re seeking an innovative game with unique brain-teasers and gorgeous graphics, this game is for you.

Sometimes awkward but sometimes brilliant, Life Is Strange brings a fresh new perspective to episodic, choice-driven storytelling.

Although The House of Da Vinci is slightly marred by persnickety mechanics and the occasionally frustrating puzzle, exploring the mind of a genius by reverse engineering his inventions will pull you into a gorgeous Renaissance world and keep you challenged throughout.

With enough updates finally addressing the most serious technical problems at launch (though some still remain), the clever second entry is a funny and much more substantial cartoon romp through Victorian London.

This Monty Python-inspired puzzler has a great sense of humor, generally fun puzzles, and a clever collage presentation. If you’re a fan of absurdist send-ups of religion, Four Last Things should be number one on your list of games to play next.

The Frostrune is an enjoyable adventure game for both experienced and inexperienced players, with challenging puzzles and an atmospheric setting from a rarely-explored culture.

Some may find Demetrios‘s outlook offputting, but if you like your humour on the snarky side you’ll find a surprisingly substantial adventure here.

While shorter than the last instalment, and the easiest of the three to boot, the final chapter of The Journey Down brings closure to series veterans and, more importantly, makes the entire trilogy required gaming for adventure fans in general.

Though still an enjoyable adventure with high production values, The Last Wind Monk marks something of a tonal shift in the series. Part of what made The Inner World so appealing was its charm, and the sequel ends up leaving a little of that behind in favor of a darker story full of challenging puzzles.

Full Throttle is another cherished page from the annals of genre history restored for a brand new audience. Though the remake will have limited appeal to those familiar with the highly polished original, the game belongs in the library of every adventure gamer, and it’s as enjoyable now as it was two decades ago.

The Witness is highly unconventional but will enchant players who come ready to surrender their imagination to its unusual charms and challenging puzzles.

An incredible game that takes all the best parts of how classic adventures used to be made and then adds so much more to ensure it stands up to today’s standards. Thimbleweed Park is a gem that will be remembered for at least another 30 years.

A disappointing present-day storyline infringes upon the dark historical tale of Yesterday Origins, but outstanding production quality, nonstop quests, and a few spirited acts go a long way towards saving the day.

With an art style as beautiful as the princess you’re aiming to save, Little Briar Rose is a fun but familiar jaunt through a comfortable, old fairy tale.

Technobabylon is a beautiful, compelling game that fans of the cyberpunk genre will devour, as long as you don’t mind a bit of story confusion along the way.

Her Story’s searchable video database is a unique and compelling way of telling its interactive story, making it worth the fairly short trip to the police station.

The Little Acre is a great debut effort with impressive production values for an indie studio, but sadly it’s over far too soon.

In Grim Fandango Remastered, one of the best games of all time has been resurrected for modern audiences. It’s still a classic, and it absolutely belongs on every gamer’s (digital) shelf.

While its rhyming gimmick and simple design will be hit-or-miss for some, those who take the plunge into Milkmaid of the Milky Way will get a quirky, enjoyable game worth the low-risk time investment it requires.

This iteration of Batman gives fans a first-hand opportunity to dive deeper into the complex life and mind of Bruce Wayne, the duality of his own identity, and the struggle of responsibility in saving a city overcome with corruption and villainy.

Almost everything in this choose-your-own-adventure game is wonderfully executed, and indie style shines in every facet of the game. Players looking for a calming, delightful experience will surely find Burly Men at Sea the perfect port of call.

A masterly remastering of the LucasArts classic. If you haven’t yet contended with Earth’s vilest extremity, it’s time to finally embrace the Day of the Tentacle.

Jesse and his group of friends revere the legendary Order of the Stone; four adventurers who slayed an Ender Dragon. The Order are the very best at what they do: Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect. While at EnderCon, Jesse and his friends discover that something is wrong… something dreadful. Terror is unleashed, and they must set out on a journey to find The Order of the Stone if they are to save their world from oblivion.

Bursting with charm and vibrant life, the beautiful worlds of Samorost 3 are beguiling, so long as you don’t worry too much about logic or plot and just go with the flow.

Shardlight manages to build its quirky post-apocalyptic world into something that will leave a lasting impression, though the same can’t be said for the story it tells.

Alex is a bright, rebellious teenaged girl who brings her new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight beach party on a decommissioned military island. But the night takes a horrifying turn when you unwittingly open a ghostly rift spawned from the island’s cryptic past. How you deal with these events, your peers, and the ominous creatures you’ve unleashed is up to you.

Eminently playable, cheekily characterised and delectably artistic, The Serpent’s Curse rekindles the romance of the much-loved Broken Sword series.

An epic tale that reunites some much-loved characters and recreates the magic of good, old-fashioned point-and-click adventuring in a hyper-attractive world, the Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a must-play for fans of the genre.

Even with a few rough edges, Dead Synchronicity stands as a modern adventure classic, telling a dark, sad and brutal tale that will leave you wanting more, but equally satisfied.

Although far from a traditional adventure, Valiant Hearts has a strong setting and story that exposes the worst aspects of war and the best of human relationships.

With Broken Age’s release the Double Fine Adventure comes to an end, and the result is a standout game that delivers on its promises. Play it.

The Perils of Man is a well-constructed, compelling adventure full of mechanical contraptions, scientific hubris, impending disaster, and singular courage.

The Last Door opens up another suspenseful, extremely retro-styled exploration of Victorian England and the occult with a second season even better than the first.

The Bulb Boy’s brief but brilliant battle to reclaim his home from the hideous monsters of the night underscores the proverbial victory of light over darkness, and quality over quantity.

Indigo Prophecy brings a unique vision to the genre, combining high quality production and innovative features with generally solid gameplay. Though the inclusion of repetitive mini-games is anything but evolutionary, this game is well worth a look for those who can handle some reflex action in their adventures.

Telltale start the new Walking Dead season with a bang, delivering a tense and gripping episode that thrusts a familiar face into new desperation and dangers.

An impressive first entry from Indie developer Lydia Kovalenko, Panmorphia straddles the divide between traditional and casual adventure, providing a leisurely, dream-like journey through a puzzle-dazzled world.

Although it wastes most of its narrative potential, for anyone who just wants to play a game chock-full of fun and unusual puzzles while exploring a charming and nostalgia-inducing environment, A Short Tale provides plenty of entertainment for a few hours.

The Trace is a brief and easy but fun exploration-filled murder mystery that will have you engaged from beginning to end.

Whilst a lack of gameplay variety and a slightly lacklustre ending limit its appeal, Contradiction manages to provide solid FMV production values and an interesting mystery to solve.

Bursting at the seams with challenging puzzles and thought-provoking science fiction, The Talos Principle is a philosophically-minded first-person puzzler that’s well worth your time.