First of all, it’s important to say that I do think the iPad Air 5 will work great for most people and that it can also impact sales of the 11-inch Pro model, but if you compare the Air version with the Pro carefully, you’ll see that there are some important differences for users that want and need it all. Not only that, but if you pick up the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the miniLED display, the screen will be brighter, more colorful, and, of course, bigger. Since iPadOS 15 removed the 5GB of RAM barrier for apps to use in video editing software, iPad Pro users can go beyond with their projects.
Last but not least, there are two things I think are also worth mentioning: 5G mmWave support on the iPad Pro, bringing the true power of 5G to Apple’s tablet, and better cameras.
Geek Test: Gaming On The iPad Air (2022)
Gaming on the go took on a new perspective when tablets entered the fold because while mobile phones offered portable convenience, display size and resolution proved to be an issue. Apple’s tablets changed the game, offering a larger display and portability, and proved that unlike PCs, hardware prowess wasn’t all that mattered. With a Liquid Retina display, the visuals are crisp and sharp, and this is a device that can easily serve as a journal or sketchbook with its Apple Pencil 2nd Gen compatibility. As mobile games come into their own and stellar titles become available on the platform, a tablet’s ability to cater to gamers becomes a crucial consideration for many users.
iPad Air
Apps from the App Store can transform iPad Air into anything from a math classroom to an animation studio.
The Best iPad Games for 2022
Though there are only a few iPad-exclusive titles, games that work on both devices greatly benefit from the tablet’s expanded screen real estate. The iPad has a rich video game library that lets you race fast cars, slay monsters, or go on an emotional journey. If you just got a new iPad (Air, mini, or Pro), and are ready to game, check out our list of can’t-miss titles that will keep you entertained at home or on a long trip. The new game continues the series’ ability to combine the mechanics of a smooth, endless runner with the breathtaking visuals of skiing.
Among Us 4.0 $0.00 at Apple App Store See It (Opens in a new window) Despite first launching in 2018, Among Us truly took over the world in 2020 as the perfect, paranoid, quarantine pastime. Asphalt 9: Legends $0.00 at Apple App Store See It (Opens in a new window) With their shiny cars and blistering sense of speed, nothing shows off new graphics tech like a racing game.
Fortunately, this new Apple Arcade release strips the money grabs, leaving you with all the action-packed, side-scrolling, gothic adventuring you’d expect from the seasoned vampire killers. Civilization VI $0.00 at Apple.com See It (Opens in a new window) The popular turn-based 4x strategy series released a new iteration in 2016, and this time a mobile version came along with it.
Control a nation of people, gather resources, fight your enemies, and build a new empire in Civilization VI. Don’t Starve $4.99 at Apple.com See It (Opens in a new window) Survival games are pretty popular these days, especially ones with random environments, permanent death, and other roguelike elements. Don’t Starve stands above the rest with its deep hunting and crafting systems as well as its sad but lovely gothic hand-drawn visuals. With Euclidean Skies, you to do it again with more levels, enhanced graphics, and an augmented reality mode that lets the game interact with your surroundings.
You may not see Cloud or Sephiroth, but you’ll feel their presence as you and your party travel through future-fantasy landscapes brimming with crystals. There’s an entire cottage industry of teenagers screaming at this game on YouTube, but that can’t compare with checking out the nightmare for yourself. You control the events of the story by rearranging panels of a comic book in order to ensure that your character gets away from those pursuing them. Even if you’ve never built a deck or played a single session of WoW, Hearthstone will draw you in with its complex but approachable card battling system and not-horrible use of in-app purchases.
As you watch its hundreds of video interviews with a murder suspect, the game only stops the moment you decide to walk away. You’ll be shocked how satisfying this slick series of strategy board games feels as figures move across flat surfaces to take out their targets.
It feels just like a true Lara Croft game, with her having to climb up mountain cliffs and maneuver around chasms. Instead of adapting a movie license, this game conveys the pure nostalgic joy of Lego itself as you play through its coming-of-age narrative.
Instead of running and jumping, players take on the role of a sentient pile of fuzz named Leo with the power to inflate and deflate himself on command. Looping levels force Leo to carefully control his momentum and size to solve puzzles and escape danger. Mini Metro $3.99 at Apple.com See It (Opens in a new window) The minimalist puzzle strategy game asks you to construct a rail transit network for a series of rapidly growing cities. Stranded out in the middle of an unknown part of space, you must manage your spaceship and gather resources in order to survive.
Only by interacting with alien species can you set your character on a specific path that ultimately determines the game’s ending. Tiny tactical skirmishes require you to not only kill and avoid monsters, but also escape with enough supplies to make it through the next encounter. Oxenfree $0.00 at iTunes See It (Opens in a new window) Guide a group of teenagers through a supernatural adventure on a mysterious island. An interesting game mechanic in Oxenfree is that there are no cutscenes; all dialogue takes place during gameplay, so you can continue adventuring at all times. Shinsekai: Into the Depths (only on Apple Arcade) is a moody Metroidvania where you’ll battle undersea creatures, find secrets with sonar, and keep your oxygen from running out beneath the waves. Navigate through dungeons, solve puzzles, and defeat monsters, all with the the touch-screen controls that allow you to attack and use magic.
at Apple App Store See It (Opens in a new window) You’d think that cryptids would be easier to find now, since everyone carries cameras all the time. In Sneaky Sasquatch (only on Apple Arcade), you put yourself in Bigfoot’s big shoes as you wear disguises, steal yummy picnic food, and just chill in the woods.
What makes Spaceteam so wonderful is how it turns your phone into a gateway for incredible, in-person socializing, as you and your friends connect over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to become crew members on a spaceship.
Stardew Valley $7.99 at Apple.com See It (Opens in a new window) If you’re an old-school Nintendo fan, you might remember a farming simulator game called Harvest Moon.
You control five different characters as they explore the town, pick up items, and investigate the secrets around a dead body. This side story uses the card game Gwent as the gameplay glue for a rich, role-playing experience full of the same great writing you expect from this mythology.
TouchTone’s devious data puzzles eventually become so difficult you’ll feel like an actual black hat after solving them. Twilight Struggle $6.99 at Apple.com See It (Opens in a new window) This board game-turned-video game allows you to take control of either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Using cards and dice, players navigate historical events, and in the process may end up changing the course of history.
The goal of Twilight Struggle is to gain influence over various country and fight for control, while also avoiding all-out nuclear war. Warbits $4.99 at Apple.com See It (Opens in a new window) This Editors’ Choice title allows you to take control of an army and use turn-based strategy to defeat the opponent. Influenced by the classic Advance Wars tactics games, each unit in Warbits has its own strength and weaknesses, as well as unique power ups.
The game includes a campaign, challenge mode, and online play, all wrapped within cute graphics and quirky dialogue. This melancholic puzzle adventure tasks you with rearranging cards into useful structures for traveling around a world of dreams and memories.
Since methodically paced tactical games are a perfect fit on iOS, the iPad version of Enemy Unknown was fantastic as well.
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