Category: IGN

When you have the latest and greatest iPhone, then that means you can play just about any mobile game with ease—thanks to the smartphone’s sheer power and buttery smoothness. In fact, even if your iPhone is a few years old, you’ll still get a great experience gaming on-the-go.

And while there are millions of them on the Apple App Store and Apple Arcade, there’s a very useful list of the most popular games—divided by the most popular free games and paid games available for the iPhone in May 2023 (most of these titles are available as iPad games as well).

Jump to:

• Most Popular Free iPhone Games
• Most Popular Paid iPhone Games

From simple match-three games to powerful MMORPGs, we rounded up the top 10 from the top free and top paid games (20 games in total) to help you navigate the App Store easily. There are a lot of winners, below:

TL;DR – These are the Most Popular Apple iPhone games

Free iPhone Games

1. Monopoly Go! (Free)
2. Happy Hospital: ASMR Doctor (Free)
3. Royal Match (Free)
4. My Doge: Puzzle Game (Free)
5. Gardenscapes (Free)
6. Roblox (Free)
7. Subway Surfers (Free)
8. Impossible Date: Tricky Riddle (Free)
9. Honkai: Star Rail (Free)
10. Call of Duty: Mobile (Free)

Paid iPhone Games

1. Minecraft ($7)
2. Monopoly – Classic Board Game ($5)
3. Geometry Dash ($2)
4. Bloons TD 6 ($7)
5. Heads Up! ($2)
6. Papa’s Freezeria To Go! ($1)
7. Incredibox ($5)
8. Plague Inc. ($1)
9. Red’s First Flight ($1)
10. Stardew Valley ($5)

Most Popular Free Games

1. Monopoly Go!

Everyone’s favorite board game Monopoly is available to play on the Apple iPhone with Monopoly Go!. It features the same gameplay as the original, but faster, wilder, and more ruthless. Play with your friends and family from around the world, while the object of the game is to buy property, build houses and hotels, collect Monopoly Money, bankrupt everyone, and destroy their properties.

2. Happy Hospital: ASMR Doctor

Run your own hospital in Happy Hospital: ASMR Doctor, a medical simulation game. Set at Central Hospital, you can play as a doctor or nurse to help your patients recover from all sorts of ailments.

If you want a larger overview, you can also play hospital administrator to build, maintain, and manage your very own hospital and staff. The more patients you help, the more money you get to upgrade the medical center and make a better hospital.

3. Royal Match

Royal Match is a match-three puzzle game where you help King Robert restore his kingdom back to glory. The more you match, the more levels you complete, and the more you restore the kingdom. Meanwhile, you can unlock bonus levels and rooms to collect coins to stay alive.

4. My Doge: Puzzle Game

My Doge is a puzzle game where you help the Doge meme by drawing shields and barriers around it in one motion, so it will stay safe from attacking bees and other dangers. There are 100 levels full of puzzles and brain teasers to save the Doge.

5. Gardenscapes

Gardenscapes is a swap-and-match puzzle game with hundreds of different levels where you build the garden of your dreams with the help of Austin the butler. It features loads of gardens, fountains, mazes, and more that you have to restore, while you unlock characters and mysteries along the way. You can even connect the app with your Facebook account, so you can be neighbors with your friends.

6. Roblox

Immerse yourself in an entirely virtual experience in Roblox, a cross platform game that’s available on Apple iOS, Android, Windows, and Xbox. The app is opart-gaming and part-social media where you can play games, create your own game, or just chat with friends from all around the world with thousands of experiences—think of it as Club Penguin, but for Gen Z.

7. Subway Surfers

Set in Windy Chicago, Subway Surfer is an endless running game where you play as Jake, a graffiti artist, as he runs through subways and train yards to escape the inspector and his dog. You must dodge moving subways, poles, tunnel walls, barriers, and more to gain items and power-ups to increase your speed and upgrade your special abilities.

8. Impossible Date: Tricky Riddle

Why go on an actual date when you can play Impossible Date: Tricky Riddle on your iPhone? The mobile game is riddle-based where you solve puzzles and brain teasers to enhance romantic relationships. You can draw, erase, swipe, click, drag, and more actions to fix misunderstandings for couples who are on dates until they find true love.

9. Honkai: Star Rail

Aboard the Astral Express with The Nameless, a band of adventurers, you travel across the galaxy to find new civilizations, meet new friends, and have adventures on strange worlds in Honkai: Star Rail—a space fantasy RPG from game developers HoYoverse. Follow the Aeons, a race of godlike beings who can control reality, as they try to fight off an evil force called the Fragmentum.

10. Call of Duty: Mobile

A few years ago, Activision created a mobile version of their hit video game called Call of Duty: Mobile. This is the fourth season of the first-person shooter with various multiplayer modes, including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Battle Royale, and more. This is a cross-platform game for iOS and Android devices.

Most Popular Paid iPhone Games

1. Minecraft ($7)

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world and it’s available to play on Apple iPhone for just $7. It’s a sandbox game where players are free to create and explore the world to climb mountains, unearth caves, and mine precious ore to build homes, weapons, villages, and more.

You can also see our guide to how to play Minecraft for free.

2. Monopoly – Classic Board Game ($5)

Now play Monopoly with your Apple mobile device. This is the classic version of the board game with new graphics and fun animations in a fully immersive mobile experience. Roll the dice and travel around the board to buy up properties, build houses and hotels, collect Monopoly Money, and bankrupt friends and family.

You can even play as classic game pieces, including the scottie, cat, T-Rex, rubber duck, and others. And since this is the paid version at only $5, it’s ad-free with no interruptions or distracting pop-ups.

3. Geometry Dash ($2)

Geometry Dash is a rhythm-based platformer where players control shapes to jump from point-A to point-B with unique soundtracks for each level. The game even features a level editor where you can create and share your own levels. The app is just $2 and doesn’t include any in-app purchases, so unlocking new icons and characters is completely based on your skills throughout the game.

4. Bloons TD 6 ($7)

At $7, Bloons TD 6 is a top-down tower defense where players create defenses made up of hero monkeys, structures, towers, bridges, and traps to stop “Bloons,” balloon-like objects, from exiting each map. Players collect coins to upgrade their defenses.

5. Heads Up! ($2)

It’s the game “Who Am I?,” but for the digital age. Created by Ellen DeGeneres, Head Up! is charades with a twist. You place your iPhone (screen out) on your forehead, then a name or title appears on the display, your friends or family have to act out the clues, and then you have to guess the name of the character, movie title, animal, superhero, and more within 60 seconds. You can even play via Apple Facetime or Zoom. Not bad for just $2.

6. Papa’s Freezeria To Go! ($1)

Make the ultimate ice cream sundae with Papa’s Freezeria To Go!. At just $1, play as a worker at a beachfront ice cream shop, as more and more customers come in for a sweet treat during the hectic and hot summer season. Take ice cream orders and build and serve treats, while you earn points and tips for upgrades around the shop.

7. Incredibox ($5)

At $5, Incredibox is a part-game and part-music app where players can create their own music with impressive acapella audio, graffiti-and-drip-style graphics, and beatbox animations. Create the beats, effects, melodies, and voices in drag-and-drop mechanics to enhance your own tunes and sound. You can even save and download your masterpieces to share with your friends and family or just for yourself.

8. Plague Inc. ($1)

Why live through a pandemic in reality when you can play with one on your iPhone? At $1, Plague Inc. is a strategy game where you must end humanity with a deadly pathogen during a global plague. However, the people around the world are more adaptive than you think, so you have to create and evolve more and more deadly viruses to wipe away all of the people on Earth.

9. Red’s First Flight ($1)

Angry Birds are back, baby! Red’s First Flight is a remake of the classic mobile game from the late 2000s with new graphics, new levels, new features, and more. However, the goal remains the same: Launch Angry Birds to destroy greedy pigs and their structures to reclaim stolen eggs.

10. Stardew Valley ($5)

At $5, Stardew Valley is an open-world farm simulation game with elements of role-playing. Inherit a plot of land and a small house in Pelican Town from your grandfather, clear and farm the land with crops and livestock, and make money to expand and upgrade your own piece of the farmstead.

Meanwhile, Stardew Valley was the winner of Golden Joysticks’ Breakthrough Award in 2016 with more than 50 hours of gameplay and fun.

What to Look for in Apple iPhone Games

There are millions upon millions of apps and games on the Apple App Store, so it might be intimidating to start with just one to play. While the most popular game lists—either free or paid—are a good place to start, there are some other factors you should consider before you tap download. Here’s what to look for in Apple iPhone games.

First of all, if you have a very old iPhone, you should check if it’s compatible with the mobile game. Most games require your iPhone to run, at least, iOS 8 or higher—which is compatible with the Apple iPhone 4S or higher. This iPhone model was released in October 2011, so any iPhone release beforehand will not be compatible with these games.

You should also be aware of how much space you have on your iPhone. The file size for mobile games can go from a few hundred megabytes all the way up to about 20GB, so if you don’t have enough space on your smartphone, then it won’t be able to download completely on your hardware. If that’s the case, you should consider deleting a few apps to free up some space, get a new iPhone with a larger storage capacity, or think about downloading a new game altogether.

Then, you should consider the price. While there are a lot of free games available, free doesn’t necessarily mean completely free. A lot of these free games offer in-app purchases for upgrades. For example, in the game Royal Match, you have a limited number of lives to play, once you lose a life, you have to wait 30 minutes to regain it. However, if you pay, you can unlock the app to get more lives.

Unfortunately, the same thing can be said for a paid game too. Just because you have to pay for an app at first, it doesn’t mean there aren’t additional in-app purchases available. But, if a mobile game is on the pricey side, then it’s likely that the unlocked version will download to your iPhone.

Additionally, you can also get a subscription to Apple Arcade for $5/mo. to unlock all of the iOS games available with no in-app purchases to play on iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Apple TV. If you’re an avid mobile gamer, then this is the way to go.

The final thing you should look out for in an Apple iPhone game is if it looks fun to play. If a game looks like a lot of fun or a challenge, then tap download and immerse yourself in a whole new universe and experience.

Upcoming iPhone Games

Wondering what new iPhone games are coming down the pipeline? Take a look at our guide to all of the biggest upcoming iPhone games to see what’s coming in 2023.

Playing video games is an expensive hobby. Whether you’re purchasing a brand-new console or buying the latest releases, keeping your digital library padded with the latest games can be costly. Luckily, that’s beginning to change. More and more publishers have started embracing the free-to-play model in recent years, allowing players to leap into some good Nintendo Switch games without paying a cent.

We’ve dug through some of the best free-to-play titles available on Nintendo Switch and compiled a list so you can enjoy some great games without putting too much stress on your wallet. From battle royales and fighting games to management sims and platformers, let’s run through fourteen of the best free-to-play titles available on the console.

You can also check out our guide to the best Nintendo Switch deals for discounts on games.

Fortnite

Arguably the biggest free-to-play game available right now, Fortnite has grown from an ambitious multiplayer shooter to a cultural behemoth. The game’s objective is simple: defeat 99 other players in a free-for-all battle and be the last one standing. You drop into a massive world and must quickly track down some equipment, finding guns, building structures and eliminating other players as you go. Meanwhile, the boundaries of the map will begin to constrict, funnelling you into a central arena where you’ll fight to be crowned the winner.

On paper, Fortnite’s a fairly standard battle royale shooter, but over the years its reach has stretched far outside of the genre. Whether it’s new game modes, crossover cameos, in-game concerts, movie screenings or an ever-expanding story with interactive events, Fortnite is now a multi-media sensation. All of Fortnite’s multiplayer modes are free-to-play, with microtransactions limited to cosmetics and a seasonal battle pass.

Read our review of Fornite or check out more games like Fotnite.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Blending the colourful mascot platformer and the battle royale genre, Mediatonic’s Fall Guys first launched in 2020. It has since gone free-to-play, opening its doors to new players wanting to experience its unique brand of multiplayer platformer mayhem. You can enjoy all of Fall Guys’ multiplayer modes for free, with paid content limited to an in-game cosmetic store and a premium seasonal battle pass with unique unlocks.

For those new to Fall Guys, the game sees 100 players step into the shoes of clumsy bean-shaped competitors as they battle against each other in a high-stakes game show spread across a series of increasingly difficult rounds. Think of it as Human: Fall Flat meets Takeshi’s Castle. The last player standing is the winner, taking home valuable points they can exchange for new costumes, emotes, and more. Fall Guys has grown exponentially in the years since its debut, with the game moving through multiple seasons and adding a variety of new stages.

Read our review of Fall Guys.

Rocket League

A chaotic mix of arcade racing and soccer, Rocket League has been a fixture of the free-to-play scene since it shifted to the model back in 2020. Pitting up to 8 players against each other as they attempt to launch a giant soccer ball into their opponent’s goal using small race cars, Rocket League is simple to pick up but tricky to master. Players will have to work efficiently as a team to defend against their opposition and score stylish goals.

With a huge community, Rocket League is arguably one of the most popular multiplayer titles in the gaming space right now. It’s also updated frequently, with developer Psyonix adding new seasons, events, game modes and cosmetics regularly. All of Rocket League’s multiplayer modes are free, with players able to purchase cosmetic items from an in-game store.

Read our review of Rocket League.

Apex Legends

After developing Titanfall and its sequel, Respawn Entertainment entered the free-to-play battle royale space with Apex Legends. Set in the same universe as Titanfall, Apex Legends adapted the genre with a twist, creating a battle royale mixed with a team-based hero shooter.

After picking a hero from a large roster, players assemble into squads of three, using their unique abilities to defeat rival teams and attempt to be the last squad standing. Since launch, the game has been updated frequently, adding new seasons and game modes. All of Apex Legends’ multiplayer modes are entirely free and heroes can be unlocked through currency earned while playing. As for its microtransactions, players can purchase cosmetics and pay to unlock heroes instantly.

Read our review of Apex Legends.

Overwatch 2

Blizzard’s second iteration of its revered multiplayer, team-based hero shooter, Overwatch 2 welcomed a wealth of new players when it launched in late 2022. Focusing on 5v5 battles, players choose a hero and fight against the opposing team, using their character’s abilities to back up squadmates and win the game.

Overwatch 2 is a constantly evolving experience, with Blizzard adding new events and updating the game frequently. All of Overwatch 2’s multiplayer modes are free-to-play, while its heroes can be unlocked by playing matches (alternatively, they can all be unlocked with a one-time fee via the Hero Pack). Microtransactions are limited to unlocking cosmetics and purchasing a seasonal battle pass.

Read our review of Overwatch 2.

Warframe

One of the longest-running entries on the list, Warframe first released in 2013. In the decade since, it has become a staple on consoles, offering users a free-to-play sci-fi action RPG with a lengthy main campaign, fast-paced third-person combat, fully integrated co-op, extensive customization and deep exploration.

For those looking for a game to sink countless hours into, Warframe is a solid bet. With frequent updates, it’s always evolving, offering a constant stream of new things to do, planets to visit and missions to undertake. Warframe is entirely free to play, with microtransactions limited to cosmetics.

Read our review of Warframe.

Fallout Shelter

Initially released as a tie-in with Fallout 4, Fallout Shelter is a management sim that puts players in the role of a vault overseer. The prestigious position gives them the ability to create, manage and ultimately run one of the franchise’s iconic vaults, keeping its dwellers fed, housed and happy. Along the way, they’ll have to create facilities, gather resources, fight enemies and send dwellers on missions into the wasteland.

Fallout Shelter is fully playable for free, with microtransactions limited to purchasing loot crates containing new dwellers, pets, weapons, resources and bottles of Nuka-Cola Quantum, which speed up activities.

Read our review of Fallout Shelter.

Super Kirby Clash

Bringing Nintendo’s adorable mascot back for another adventure, Super Kirby Clash is a team-based brawler where up to 4 players take on various bosses as Kirby and his allies. Playable with both friends and AI partners, the game features four distinct classes with their own unique abilities.

Although Nintendo marketed Super Kirby Clash as a “free-to-start” game, implying that players would eventually hit a paywall, the campaign is fully available for free. Microtransactions are limited to the in-game currency of Gem Apples, which allow you to purchase upgrades, stickers and support items. However, Gem Apples can also be acquired by playing the game, meaning you don’t have to buy them to reach Super Kirby Clash’s credits.

Pokemon Quest

Reimagining the iconic pocket monster franchise as a loot-focused action-adventure game, Pokemon Quest is a unique take on one of Nintendo’s most seminal properties. The game transports players to Tumblecube Island; a new realm filled with cube-shaped Pokemon known as Pokexel. Your task is to explore the island, defeat wild Pokexel, train new Pokexel and manage your home base.

Pokemon Quest’s core content is entirely free-to-play, with microtransactions limited to upgrades that speed up progression.

Read our review of Pokemon Quest or check out our guide to the best Pokemon games.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades

A free-to-play dungeon-crawler set in The Elder Scrolls universe, The Elder Scrolls: Blades has players step into the shoes of one of the last surviving members of The Blades as they rebuild their town and take on various quests. Ditching the open-world format of other Elder Scrolls games, Blades is a linear action RPG where players raid dungeons for loot and experience. They can then use the resources they find to rebuild their hometown, creating a personal settlement that houses new NPCs and additional quests.

Alongside the main campaign, Blades also features online PvP and an endless dungeon mode, allowing players to traverse a randomly generated, never ending level for experience and other rewards.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades’ three modes are playable for free. However, it’s worth taking into account that the game has been heavily criticized for its intrusive microtransactions, which slow progression by forcing you to wait out long in-game timers that are only sped up via purchasable currency.

Read our review of The Elder Scrolls: Blades.

Brawlhalla

Focusing on a tournament between fierce warriors, Brawlhalla is a free platform fighting game that allows you to test your might against AI opponents or other online players. Selecting from a huge roster of legendary heroes spanning the ages, you’ll be able to battle in both free-for-all and team-based combat across several modes.

All of Brawlhalla’s maps are free-to-play from the jump and you can purchase new fighters with currency earnt playing the game. As for the microtransactions, they’re focused on cosmetic items and instantly unlocking new fighters.

Just Dance (2023)

It’s worth noting up front that the free version of Just Dance 2023 only includes two songs: “Sweet But Psycho” by Ava Max and “Dynamite” by BTS. The rest of the game’s tracks are unlocked by paying for its full version.

However, both songs are enough to get a taste of the latest iteration of Ubisoft’s annual motion-based dancing franchise. For those who haven’t jumped in before, Just Dance teaches players to dance to their favorite tracks, challenging them to follow a set routine and stay in time with the music. If they can keep up with the song, they’ll earn points, allowing them to set high scores and challenge their friends.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Considered by Konami to be the definitive video game adaptation of the iconic trading card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a free-to-play version of Yu-Gi-Oh! with up-to-date rules and cards. Alongside a multiplayer mode that allows players to pit their deck against online opponents, Master Duel also has a solo mode, offering those new to the game the opportunity to learn the basics.

Master Duel’s base game is entirely free, with microtransactions limited to purchasing new card packs.

Sky: Children of the Light

Coming from the creators of 2012’s Journey, Sky: Children of The Light is an online, open-world social adventure that has players explore a desolate landscape. Much like Journey, the game is about connecting with others, as players meet, interact and befriend each other without saying a word.

Along the way, they’ll solve puzzles and begin to piece together the mystery of Children of the Light’s world and their place in it. The campaign is entirely free-to-play, with in-game microtransactions limited to cosmetics.

Read our review of Sky: Childeren of the Light

Looking for more free games? Check out our guide to the best free PS5 games or dive into how to play Minecraft for free.

Since their inception, video games have acted as portals to other worlds. Unlike books and films, they allow us to not just be immersed in another land but to truly explore one. It’s that core fantasy that has seen the concept of the open world flourish; what better way is there to create a sense of discovering a new world than to build one with as much depth and as few borders as possible? That goal has seen the open world advance from a form of environment design to a whole diverse genre in its own right.

Where linear game design delivers slices of another reality, the open world aims to simulate on a grander level. It combines geography, architecture, populations, and events to create a living city, region, or kingdom. The thing that truly separates open worlds from linear games, though, is freedom. For some developers this means offering a wide range of activities, buffet-style, to ensure you’re always free to play what you want. For others it’s providing the tools so that you can freely explore a world how you want.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, are emblematic of that play-how-you-want philosophy. Their core mechanics are built around the authentic sense of adventure that organic, freeform discovery can bring. This is why, outside of the main quest, you’re offered very little direction. Its map is devoid of activity icons. Instead, the architecture of Tears of the Kingdom’s world is designed to draw your attention and encourage you to uncover its untold secrets.

Since there are few pre-plotted objectives, the unknown journey towards your chosen goal is as important as the destination itself. That’s why the very topography of Hyrule, from its steep mountains to its floating islands, is designed to provide navigation challenges that require genuine effort and planning to conquer. You may need to plot an exhausting climb, risk a dangerous drop, paraglide an awkward route, or combine more unusual techniques to reach a point of interest. It’s through all this that a genuine sense of accomplishment is achieved, which in turn makes the discoveries on the other side of those challenges all the more spectacular, regardless of if that’s valuable treasure or a priceless vista.

Nintendo generated Breath of the Wild’s now-signature exploration style by engineering a detailed simulation of the physical world. Gravity, wind, fire, and propulsive forces can all be harnessed to launch Link to places that initially seem impossible to reach, and each new discovery makes Hyrule even more vast and unknowable. Tears of the Kingdom takes this one step forward with its new crafting abilities, Fuse and Ultrahand, which allow you to make a variety of improvised weapons and contraptions. It’s an impressive system that continually broadens the game’s horizons with each new find. For instance, experimenting with Ultrahand may see you craft an airship. That’s a fantastic achievement in its own right, but that airship can now be used to explore distant mountaintops, or employed as part of a new tactic to parachute into Bokoblin camps. It’s a domino effect; each new discovery opens up new ways to play, which in turn enhances Tears of the Kingdom’s sense of freedom.

Development of Breath of the Wild, and in turn Tears of the Kingdom, was partially inspired by the advancements of open world games in the West. We can see that most clearly in Hyrule’s map-revealing towers and Link’s ability to climb almost any surface, two mechanics that directly build upon the trademarks of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series. But the more important inspiration, cited by Nintendo itself, is Skyrim. Bethesda’s spirit of adventure can be found in the way that Zelda employs enemy camps, unmarked secrets, and distant landmarks that beg to be explored. Nintendo’s interpretation of these ideas have since triggered industry trends; in Elden Ring we explore a world with a similar approach to rewarding curiosity and risk-taking, while Death Stranding is an entire game dedicated to making challenging traversal the main event.

But while Breath of the Wild was clearly a turning point for the industry, its approach to open worlds is not perfect for all people. Its lack of direction and seemingly infinite options can be limiting rather than inspiring, and overwhelmed players have a tendency to stick to main objectives and just a handful of simple, reliable techniques. For these players direction and guidance can be beneficial, which is where the more traditional play what you want design of open worlds comes in.

This strain of open world arose during the early 2000s as the success of Grand Theft Auto 3 ushered in a tidal wave of so-called ‘GTA clones’, and by the release of Assassin’s Creed 2 in 2009 the genre’s modern form had fully emerged. It’s characterised by a map populated by dozens (or sometimes even hundreds) of icons, each of which represents one of a variety of activity types ranging from main missions to momentary distractions. These are typically evenly spread across a number of regions. Clearing a region may involve playing through a couple of dungeons, solving several puzzles, collecting a few resources, and defeating the local world boss, in addition to the main and side quests. This arrangement effectively makes the map a question: what are you in the mood for right now? A detailed main quest, or something more bite-size?

This design, often referred to (sometimes derogatorily) as the ‘Ubisoft formula’, is the foundation of dozens of games, including smash hits such as Batman: Arkham City, Ghost of Tsushima, and the Horizon series. And it’s obvious why this design is so popular: it directs you to the world’s most interesting and exciting activities, something invaluable to those who need guidance, time-poor players, and people looking to achieve 100% completion.

The arrangement provides a more authored experience; where many of the greatest moments in Zelda are rooted in the journey across Hyrule and the things you discover (often by accident) along the way, the greatest hits in more traditionally-designed open worlds come from fantastic mission or activity design. Ghosts of Tsushima’s duels, Horizon’s mech battles, and Arkham City’s stealth infiltrations are all among the genre’s highpoints, but these are moments created for you, rather than by you.

The more directed an open world is, though, the more important it is to preserve a sense of adventure. With too many icons the world effectively becomes an awkward menu in which you need to walk between game modes. Its sense of place is lost, and the purpose of it being an open world in the first place dissolves. Assassin’s Creed Unity is the poster child for this mistake, its map rendered incomprehensible thanks to a clutter of symbols highlighting everything from main missions to the most insignificant treasure chest. As proven by the likes of The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, a good open world map knows when to signpost, when to hint, and when to say nothing at all.

Perhaps the reason why Rockstar Games is considered among the open world’s most important custodians, then, is that its games find a way to blend discovery and direction together. The world of Red Dead Redemption 2, the studio’s most recent and accomplished open world, is full of authored moments. The serial killer, the voice of the devil, and the vampire are just a few well-known examples of bizarre characters and questlines that you’ll find during your travels through the American frontier. But, crucially, these activities are not marked on your map until you stumble across them. Infact, Rockstar is reluctant to add icons to its maps at all, using them sparingly to mark significant quest givers and previously-discovered locations. And so bumping into one of Red Dead’s many unusual strangers feels like a genuine discovery, and the quests that spin out of those meetings feels like a true adventure rather than a pre-planned activity.

By blurring the boundary between freedom and precise scripting, Rockstar achieves its trademark atmosphere; worlds that feel both cinematic and authentic. But that authenticity comes from more than just freedom; it’s built on simulation. There’s a constant two-way conversation between the world and the player. When snow falls you need to dress appropriately to fend off the cold. Wade through water and you’ll need to clean your weapons to restore their effectiveness. Act with kindness or cruelty and the population will respond accordingly. Even the impression of your boots in the mud conveys a sense of believable reality. This is a genuine world, and even your footprints leave a mark on it.

While Rockstar’s apparently infinite budget means its graphics technology can make a world that looks photorealistic and thus increasingly believable, studios across the world have long recognised that visual grunt alone can’t make an open-world feel alive. The land has to react to your presence. This understanding can be traced all the way back through Rockstar’s gameography; the very core of Grand Theft Auto is based on the reactivity of the police. Commit crimes, get chased. The police wanted system has since been replicated by dozens of games, from The Getaway to Cyberpunk 2077, but it’s also the first link in an evolutionary chain that leads to Shadow of Mordor’s incredible Nemesis System.

In Monolith’s otherwise fairly traditional open world, seemingly inconsequential enemy orcs left to die in a ditch can return to hound you across the campaign. They return for grudge matches over and over again, each time looking more haggard and mutilated than the last. In the sequel, Shadow of War, orcs are able to learn from their combat mistakes and fight you in increasingly sophisticated ways. They rise through the ranks of Sauron’s army, becoming an ever more powerful threat with each encounter. Behind the scenes, this system is simply an NPC tracking database, but within the lands of Middle-earth these lines of code are a living, breathing rogues gallery of unforgettable foes. It creates life in a manner unlike any other game, and that life is rooted in the simulation layer of its open world design.

You cannot escape the Nemesis System in Shadow of Mordor, much like how you cannot rid the city of GTA’s police or avoid the natural forces that govern Tears of the Kingdom’s world. And so while the philosophy that powers open worlds is freedom, these games are just as much about what’s beyond a player’s control as they are the opportunities granted to them. That players in Breath of the Wild are not free from the limits of their own exhaustion while climbing a mountain dictates not only their journey, but also the way they’re free to explore. Tears of the Kingdom refines that concept even further; your limited stamina and the pull of gravity may shackle you to the ground, but Ultrahand – and the amazing skyborne vehicles it can create – will be the thing that helps you break free of the earth and reach that distant mountaintop.

Like Tears of the Kingdom, the next revolutionary open world will once again redefine freedom. I can’t wait to see the possibilities it unlocks.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.

We already knew that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom includes a pretty major improvement to Breath of the Wild’s cooking systme in the form of recipe cards. But there are some brand new recipes to cook up too, including everyone’s favorite lazy dinner night dish: pizza.

Warning: Minor spoilers for a Tears of the Kingdom sidequest follow the image. Read on at your own risk!

Incredibly, Tears of the Kingdom’s pizza is actually not that easy to make. It consists of wheat, tomato, and cheese, but one ingredient proves particularly difficult: the cheese. Officially, there’s no cheese available in Hyrule when you start the game. You have to head to Hateno Village and complete a questline in order to make it, after which you can buy it and bake some pizza-y goodness any time you like.

What’s even funnier is the content of this sidequest. Essentially, the story is that the mayor of Hateno’s grandfather figured out how to make cheese years ago, but concluded that the people weren’t ready for it. So everyone just somehow forgot cheese existed, and now a woman in Hateno is trying to recreate it and needs your help to effectively invent cheese for the second time ever. Incredible.

Pizza isn’t the only food item you’ll be cooking up in Tears of the Kingdom, even if it might rank among the silliest ones. There are tons of other recipes you can discover, and we have a full guide on the way to help you sort them out.

You can also dive into the rest of our guides content for Tears of the Kingdom, including:

• Don’t miss our big checklist of things to do first here
• Our massive Tears of the Kingdom Map has the locations of every Shrine, Tower, and Korok Seed.
• If you are looking for a Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough, we’ve got that, complete with Side Adventures.
• Every Shrine location and guide can be found here.
• We’ve amassed all of the cheats and secrets we’ve discovered in TOTK as well.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.