We're only a few days away from a major solar eclipse in the USA, and I suspect tons of people will be spending quite a bit of time this weekend either driving to the path of the eclipse on the 21st or waiting for it to actually happen on the day. Few things go better with sitting in a car (provided you're not the one driving) or waiting in general than iOS gaming, so if you're looking for something new and exciting to play be sure to check out our hot games list and our recent top reviews. You'll find enough great games there to last you through even the longest road trip. As usual, there's tons of other stuff going on in the world of iOS games this week.

Six Ages
King of Dragon Pass is an ancient PC game that was ported to mobile back in 2011 that we absolutely loved in our review. It's an unbelievably in-depth game featuring gameplay that feels like a blend of a Civilization game and a Choose Your Own Adventure book. (For more on KoDP, check out this retrospective article from 2015.) Anyway, a spiritual successor was announced three years ago, and since then the developers have gone dark, until this week. Six Ages is now feature complete, which at minimum means an alpha version is ready to go. Fingers crossed for a speedy beta test and release, as we've been waiting for this game forever.


Sonic Mania was released this week for the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, and while I highly recommend picking up the game on any of those platforms if you own one, we dug into the history that made the game possible. Sonic Mania is effectively a fan made game which initially kicked off with a protoype of Sonic CD running on an iPhone all the way back in 2009. The story of that prototype is amazing, particularly when you consider that there's now a real-deal official Sonic title made by the same developer who hacked together a really good mobile Sonic CD port so many years ago. Sure, in its current state, Sonic Mania is only tangentially related to mobile gaming but given the roots of its inception, it seems hard to believe it won't eventually come to the App Store.


We've mentioned Miracle Merchant in the past, but this week we found out the amusing backstory of the game. Stepping back a bit, if you missed Miracle Merchant the first time around, take a look at our review. It's a solitaire-style card game where you're brewing potions by combining four cards. The premise is unbelievably simple, but the amount of depth that is found in the mechanic is incredible. As it turns out, the game started its life as a pitch to Nickelodeon. Instead of brewing potions, you built burgers inside of the Spongebob universe. I'm super curious if the game would have done better or worse with Spongebob branding, but it's always fun to hear these sorts of origin stories.

pigeon wings
Speaking of amusing backstories, Pigeon Wings is another game we really liked, but this week we found out via a postmortem of sorts that the game was built by two people on entirely different sides of the world. The Imgur album is fascinating, digging into how the two developers collaborated online and which tools/methods they used to do it. Also, if you're into early concept stuff, there's a whole heap of that in there too.


Two really awesome games are on sale this weekend: Crashlands and Guild of Dungeoneering. Crashlands is an open world crafting game that even people who don't typically like that type of game managed to enjoy due to several really great quality of life improvements that we go over in our review. To accompany the mobile sale, the Steam version dropped permanently to $9.99. Guild of Dungeoneering is a dungeon building game that hinges on a card mechanic to assemble different areas of your dungeon. It has a totally original soundtrack, so make sure you play with the sound on. For more, read our review.


Square Enix is undoubtedly best known for the Final Fantasy series of games, but they've released all sorts of odd things on the App Store over the years. The most recent game from them that's had us raising our eyebrows is Meshi Quest: Five Star Kitchen. It's a restaurant simulator game which has over 200 different recipes that can be completed for eager customers. Gameplay is similar to Cook, Serve, Delicious! and other quick order kitchen simulation games. It's worth checking out, if for no reason other than to be like, "Huh, so this is from the guys who made Final Fantasy XV, eh?"


We've been closely following classic 32-bit games that aren't getting updated ahead of iOS 11, and PopCap just confirmed that Solitaire Blitz, Peggle Classic, and the original paid version of Plants vs. Zombies are being removed from the App Store. It's sad to see them go, as Plants vs. Zombies was a very big deal when it first launched on iOS years ago. Meanwhile, we're putting together eulogy posts for some of our favorite games. This week we dug into Dungeon Raid, which still is among the best puzzle games on the App Store.

That's about it for this week, for much, much more news like this and all sorts of iOS game reviews be sure to visit TouchArcade. We work around the clock covering the world of iOS gaming. Oh, and one last thing, if you care at all about Hearthstone esports, don't forget to pick a champion for the upcoming Hearthstone Global Games. It could be good for a few free packs.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...