Looking for RPGs to play on your iPhone?
Mobile games have become bigger every year, and it is amazing how iPhones can now handle most popular genres nowadays. For several years, it used to be just the popular classic ports that they re-released on mobile.
The role-playing games (RPG) genre, in particular, is one of the purely classic RPG ports, but right now, we already have a substantial amount of RPGs that are already in the app store and upcoming RPGs that look as good as console or PC visuals already.
We consolidated a list of RPGs that you can play on your iPhone, and if you recently pre-ordered or bought an iPhone 14, then check out some of these games.
15. Galaxy of Pen and Paper
Galaxy of Pen and Paper is the third game in the Pen and Paper series. If you are a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, then this game is a great game to play on your iPhone. It takes the DnD concept, puts it into a pixel art world, and creates a science fiction-themed narrative.
The game is set in 1999 as a group of players creates their D&D session, and thus, you can create your party and game master. You can visit other planets, fight aliens, and follow a humorous but engaging story until the end. The combat is turn-based, and as an RPG, you can customize your party to fit the needs of your party.
Once you are done with this game, we highly recommend playing Knights of Pen and Paper and Knights of Pen and Paper 2 as they are great games from the same developers.
14. Onmyoji
Onmyoji is a Japanese-themed turn-based RPG where demons from Japanese folklore are co-existing with humans.
As a free game, there is definitely a gacha system, which means you can collect and evolve different shikigami. There are almost one hundred shikigami available for players to collect, and each of them has its own unique abilities. Build your ultimate team to fight in PvE, and if you want more challenges, you can also battle against other players in a PvP match.
Fun fact: the main selling point of the game is that many famous Japanese voice actors have actually voiced the characters in the game such as Kaito Ishikawa and Yukana.
13. Vampire’s Fall: Origins
Vampire-themed games are far in between, and sometimes it is a hit and miss depending on the genre. However, Vampire’s Fall: Origins is a great RPG to have on your iPhone.
It is a 2D open-world RPG with an immersive storyline and lore. You can choose from different bloodlines such as Nosferatu, Ranjeni, Magistrav, or Equides. Select your skills and abilities to create your playstyle. The combat is turn-based, which is rather fun and does not get boring even after playing for hours.
The game boasts to have at least 25 hours of content by just doing the main questline and some sidequests, while it may take up more than 50 hours if you want to complete the side quests too. This does not include playing other bloodlines for added replayability.
12. Eternium
Eternium is a game you must have if you love classic Diablo games. It is a free game, and you can certainly enjoy it without paying anything as you will not encounter any paywall on your playthrough.
You can play one of the three classes: Mage, Warrior, or Bounty Hunter. Each class has its distinctive abilities, which means you can create your build as you progress and level up in the game. The game has a set story, which is divided into four acts, although you can do randomly-generated dungeons if you prefer testing your skills and might, and grind for better loot.
11. Grimvalor
Grimvalor has a unique take on creating a dark fantasy game for iOS considering it is a side-scroller action-adventure with a touch of platformer and RPG, which works well and plays best on mobile phones such as an iPhone.
It is a fast-paced game where enemies confront you as you traverse each mission, and you would be able to dodge and weave their attacks, which you can also counter once you find an opening. It is surely challenging, but the controls are surprisingly good and snappy for an iPhone game. As you progress in the game, you will unlock more abilities, and you can increase your character attributes to create your build and playstyle.
Grimvalor is fun to play, and yes, it can be challenging at times, but the rewards are truly satisfying if you win the boss battles.
10. 9th Dawn III
9th Dawn III is an amazing RPG for those who love dungeon crawling, where you can explore various locations such as crypts, villages, and many more.
If you love getting loot, this game will satisfy it as it has so many unique items that you can find, and you can go fishing, cook food, and customize your equipment. There are multiple abilities and spells that you can unlock, and you can even recruit monsters to be your allies while you play the game.
Surprisingly, it has a card game mini-game, which is rather rare nowadays, but it is a welcome addition, nonetheless.
9. Another Eden
Another Eden is a free-to-play RPG from the creator of Chrono Trigger, Masato Kato, who wrote the script and story for one of the best RPGs of all time.
There are two reasons why you must play this game. One of the reasons is its story as it is very rare to see a great story in a free-to-play game. Another one is its soundtrack which is composed by Shunsuke Tsuchiya and Mariam Abounnasr, and some of the tracks are also composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, who also worked with Masato Kato previously. Both story and soundtrack are amazingly well-done by the staff who works on great classic RPGs.
There will be tons of grinding in this game so you can get the best equipment for your party, but it does not have your typical idle battle feature that other RPGs have. Nevertheless, we highly recommend you to try this game out, it has tons of immersive dialogues and storytelling in this game.
8. Star Traders: Frontiers
Star Traders: Frontiers is a successful Kickstarter back in 2017, which became an Early Access title on Steam until 2018. In 2019, Trese Brothers, the developers, ported the game and released it on iOS.
You play as a starship captain where you can explore procedurally-generated galactic maps, which gives the game an endless feeling of exploration. You can choose which type of captain with the selection of up to 33 jobs such as being a smuggler, explorer, or even a space pirate. As a captain, you can assemble your crew and customize them as you wish, such as assigning them talents so they can be more unique.
The game also has a great way of creating a seemingly alive galaxy, as side quests may come up as rumors or jobs depending on the captain’s reputation from different factions, and doing one job from a faction may get a hit on your reputation from the rival faction, so it adds a level of immersion.
7. Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Another turn-based RPG that you may want to try is Battle Chasers: Nightwar. It has appealing visuals and it is always nice to see a steampunk-themed RPG that is well-made as it always has unique concepts for its character design and lore.
The game has linear progress in its story, which is similar to a classic RPG, however, entering a dungeon changes the exploration quite a bit to a more dungeon-crawling type of gameplay like Diablo.
Similar to other RPGs, if you want to get the best equipment for your party, you will have to grind to get them. However, if you manage to complete a challenging dungeon, you will be rewarded greatly. Some of the dungeons you will encounter are randomly-generated dungeons, which are always fun to explore.
6. Langrisser Mobile
Langrisser Mobile is one of the best strategy RPGs you can play on your iPhone.
It plays similarly to Fire Emblem games, as there is a weapon triangle, where each weapon has its strengths and weaknesses, and it can truly change the outcome of a battle. As a free game, there are tons of events that you will enjoy, which you will find enjoyable. The game has a gacha system, but it is more forgiving compared to other games.
5. Stardew Valley
Want to build a farm? Stardew Valley has you covered, and it is a farming simulation RPG that you will always come back to as it is a timeless gem.
You can raise crops, whether it is seasonal or not. You can raise animals like chickens and cows so you have additional income, or you can dig for treasures as well, although you may encounter monsters. Overall, it is a fun management role-playing game that you can play and enjoy at any time.
Finally, you can actually court characters in Stardew Valley, and if you are successful, you can start a family.
4. Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is one of those games that surprised many gamers with how well it ran on mobile despite being a large game with beautiful visuals, but it works on most iPhones as well. It also won several awards in 2020 as it is truly a great free-to-play RPG.
What I like about the game is the story is not yet finished, and most likely, it will never be finished for a long time. It has a gacha system with a pity system in place to make sure players will get 5-star heroes just for playing and rolling their luck. I honestly do not mind it as even non 5-star characters are already good enough. The combat system is fast-paced, and the elemental attributes of characters play a huge role to maximize your damage output.
If you want to do raids, you can ask your friends to play with you as it will make things easier or more fun, to be honest.
3. Cat Quest/Cat Quest II
Cat Quest and Cat Quest II are 2D open-world action RPGs that focus on cats so cat lovers will definitely enjoy the humor of this game, which is plenty. Plus, the visuals are relaxing, cute, and very appealing to play with, and it adds to the immersion and replayability of the game.
The first game has so much content with 60 side quests, and several caves and dungeons to explore to get great items. The second game enhances that with more features such as co-op gameplay, new weapons, new stories, and many more. Plus, you can play as a dog in the second game as well, which is a nice addition to the sequel
Overall, both games are fun, and we highly recommend you get both, but if not, Cat Quest II has more and better content out of the two.
2. Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII is the pioneer of what a JRPG should be, and thus, it also influenced several RPGs that we know today.
The game was first released in 1997, and it still holds up if you play it on your iPhone. Although there is already a remake, the original Final Fantasy VII will let you play the whole story from start to finish without waiting for years to get a new follow-up on the reimagining of Final Fantasy VII: Remake.
We highly recommend you play this or any classic Final Fantasy ports as they are all great games that will certainly leave a mark on your gaming memories.
1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
Whether you are a fan of Star Wars or not, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II are two games you need to play on your iPhone as they are two of the greatest RPGs that you can play on the platform.
Both games’ stories occur before the Original Star Wars trilogy, which means the Sith have reigned the galaxy as they hunt the remaining Jedi padawans and masters. In these games, you can create your character and you will be able to explore Star Wars locations. Of course, in a typical RPG manner, you can increase your character stats, which builds your playstyle.
We recommend you get both games as they are interconnected, but you can enjoy them individually
