10 Best iPhone Strategy Games (2024)

As mobile games get more and more diverse, it can be hard to pick which ones you want to play. For those with the time, the strategy genre of games can be a great way to unwind while also flexing your brain.

No matter if you like leading armies on the global scale, or you want to stack blocks in the right order, there's definitely a strategy game for you in Apple's PlayStore. Whether you have some extra time on the train, or you just enjoy the extra convenience of mobile gaming, here are the best iPhone strategy games out there.

10 Monopoly Go

Straight To Jail

The board game where you make deals and enemies in equal amounts; Monopoly is a game everyone has heard of by this point, and for good reason. It's the classic game everyone is used to, but with some twists. Mr. Monopoly himself acts as the avatar to the game and there are various different maps to play through.

As you do, you gain experience to unlock new things. Plus, you also have a minigame where you can gain cards to help you on your journey to owning the most property. It's a fun new take, and one that should result in fewer arguments.

9 Risk

High Risk High Reward

Strategy on a grand scale. No one who has been a fan of strategy games on tabletop or digital hasn't heard of Risk. The iPhone version is not a boiled-down version either. It's still brightly colored and just as intense on mobile platforms.

There are also various customization and map options to make each real-time event that much more exciting. It's not just history-based either; you can also play challenges against zombies or even alien invaders. There's also the opportunity to play against other players worldwide as an added benefit.

8 Grand War: Rome

It Wasn't Built In A Day

If you're a history fan, or just love a war-based strategy game, then Grand War: Rome is probably right up your alley. You aren't stuck with just the generic and wide-stroked 'Rome' in this game, though.

You can take control of various nations from Samnium to Carthage and wage war on your nation-state's foes. There are plenty of troops to choose from, and even some hero-units in the form of historic figures and generals. It's surprisingly well-thought-out for a mobile game.

7 Tetris

A Blast From The Past

As much a strategy game as it is puzzle game. Tetris is a game that is impressively simple, but once you begin, you'll get hooked. While it comes from classic roots, this isn't the game from arcade cabinets of yore.

It comes with over 100 different levels, each with new challenges that will test your Tetris mastery. It may not be the flashiest or most dramatic game, but it's an easy one to pick up anywhere you have some extra time, and it is surprisingly difficult at times.

6 Plants Vs. Zombies 2

They Will Attack Your Houze

Zombie games are a classic genre, but add a strategy element to it, and some plants that want nothing more than to defend you, and you have a game unlike any other. It's cute, it's funny, and it's surprisingly tense at times.

Plants Vs. Zombies 2 is a sequel that takes everything that was fun from the first installment and improves on it. New zombies, new plants, new challenges, and even more hijinks; there's plenty to keep you entertained, and there's no right way to fill your garden. It's as cathartic as it is suspenseful.

5 Clash Of Clans

Don't Forget The Hog Rider

Build your clan from the ground up, and then... well, clash of course. A big name in mobile games, Clash of Clans is lighthearted in art style, but just as serious as any strategy game should be. Unlock and upgrade units to not only attack rival bases, but help reinforce your own.

There's plenty of freedom and entertainment found in such a simple game. But, nothing is as devastating as logging back on to find out your base was raided by a stronger force. It's fun, but make sure you have the time to keep up with it.

Close Encounters

The turn-based strategy game series that brought interstellar war to Earth, now on mobile. XCOM 2 shows a world changed by the ongoing alien government takeover, and it isn't a pretty one. Fighting a guerrilla war is hard enough, but the hybrid alien humans and a technological disadvantage don't help.

It's a refreshing new look at the turn-based strategy genre that knows what tropes to keep and what new advances to push for. If you want the ability to sit there and pour over each decision in combat, then this is a good game for you.

3 Plague Inc.

Wash Your Hands

Plague Inc. is a game that's been around on phones for some years now, but it's still just as fun. Pick a disease: from vial infection, fungal, nanobites, or anything in between, and then try to spread it across the globe.

It isn't as easy as it sounds. Doctors will try to stop you, and the world has random events that will impede or aid your disease. It's a game that feels unique, but also somewhat grim in a sense. There's a fun amount of randomness you can combine with your tech trees and strategy, which keeps things interesting for some time.

2 Catan Universe

The Board Game Classic

A tabletop strategy game that has entertained generations. It only makes sense for Catan to be available for iPhones as well. Not only does this bundle of a game include the classic board game in digital form, it also includes the card game, and a new DLC expansion to the original game.

Catan, no matter what form you want to play it, is a game that looks simple but is surprisingly difficult to master. You can play custom matches online with friends from around the world, or against masterful Catan AI bots. It's a fun take on a game that's been around for a long while now.

1 Civilization 6

Time Will Tell

A huge name in the strategy genre of games. Sid Meier's Civilization series has brought the power and struggle of running a country to all types of players, but now you can have that same excitement on mobile platforms as well with Civilization 6.

It's a simplified format compared to the PC and console versions, but that doesn't mean watered down or lackluster. The strains and strategy of building a society from the ground up is still present and just as fun as ever. It's turn-based strategy on a global scale.