The best iPad Pro games will take full advantage of your big screen tablet

Even the best video game consoles don’t offer the same combination of freedom and power as the iPad. In addition to the massive library of available titles (many of which you can download in just a few minutes), you get a big, beautiful screen with excellent touch controls and the ability to play anywhere, at any time. The best iPad Pro games leverage all these advantages, letting players enjoy awesome games on the go, at a fraction of the price that console and PC titles cost.

The nearly unlimited library of games comes with a caveat, though; it’s hard to hack through all the rough to find the diamonds. If you’re gaming on an iPad Pro, you’ll want to check out graphically-impressive titles that maximize your screen’s real estate and take advantage of the Retina display. If you’re looking for suggestions, you’ve come to the right place — here are our picks for the best games to play on your iPad Pro.

Monument Valley 2 ($5)

The first Monument Valley blew players away with its MC Escher-style optical illusion puzzles, all of which were set against gorgeous, colorful backgrounds. Excellent sound design and smooth, mind-twisting animations provided the perfect vehicle for a brief 10-level story that followed a silent princess through a series of ever-evolving geometric worlds. The sequel, released in June, brings back the puzzle-based gameplay and adds several new elements, like a new playable character and tools like light and water that you’ll use to navigate the game’s 14 levels. Art design is more varied this time around, too, and the graphics are better than ever — perfect for showing off your iPad Pro.

Read our full Monument Valley 2 review

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iOS

Infinity Blade III ($7)

The Infinity Blade series has been heralded as one of the most visually-impressive franchises available on mobile devices, rendering epic battle scenes with surprising clarity and the kinds of effects you wouldn’t expect to see on a tablet or smartphone. Infinity Blade 3 carries on that tradition, returning to the series’ tried-and-true fighting formula, which sees players swipe their screen at opportune moments to block, parry, and slice opponents that are often massive and intimidating. A basic, yet engaging, RPG-style system keeps the game relatively fresh, and a decent variety of enemies means you’ll need to learn how to counter lots of different attacks. Plus, you can reforge gear via the blacksmith to improve its power level.

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iOS

Oceanhorn ($5)

If you want to play a Legend of Zelda game on the fly, you’ll have to shell out $300 or so for a Nintendo Switch. Luckily, there are similar games out there, and Oceanhorn is among the best. Players control a young man who sets out to find his father, who has been lost after heading to find the Oceanhorn, a mystical beast that resides in the sea. Gameplay is quite similar to the Zelda games — namely, The Wind Waker — as you’ll complete small puzzles to receive loot, collect hearts to replenish lost HP, and drop bombs to uncover hidden paths. Combat is simple yet enjoyable — and not a chore, which is all too common on touchscreen devices — and exploration is absolutely exhilarating, especially while sailing.

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iOS

Crypt of the Necrodancer ($5)

Fans of roguelike games and rhythm games alike will go bananas for Crypt of the Necrodancer, a creative dungeon crawler in which players — and enemies — move to the beat of the music, turning each encounter into a tactical dance, of sorts. Finding different weapons, tools, and upgrades can help you survive, but ultimately, you’ll need to learn the movement and attack patterns for each of the game’s foes, while mastering some subtle tricks along the way. Boss fights and randomly-generated levels spice up the action and make sure you don’t get too comfortable, and the four themed zones are broken up into floors, each with music that moves at different speeds. You’ll need to make critical decisions in real time, making this a heart-pounding experience.

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iOS

Warbits ($5)

For many gamers, Advance Wars — released back in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance — was a seminal title, bringing turn-based tactics to the mobile realm in an accessible and fun way. Warbits takes that formula and retreads it, adding some nice graphical touches and online play in the process. Learning how each unit works is more enjoyable than frustrating, and the levels ramp up in difficulty to a satisfying degree. This is a premium game — with a pay-once price tag — that looks great on the big screen. It’s a game that needs time and effort, and unlike some strategy games, it’s not all about who has the biggest army. Show some love for a game that hasn’t gone down the freemium road, when it so easily could have.

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iOS