Best FPS Games For iPads

It used to be that PC and console gamers used to turn their noses up at the sight of mobile titles. While there's still a fair amount of snobbery regarding mobile games, the truth is they've gotten a lot better. There are even some great AAA mobile games these days.

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That being said, finding good games for Apple's iPad, especially first-person shooters, isn't easy. Navigating the App Store is a lot like the Wild West, and it can be hard to find anything that isn't ad-riddled free-to-play bloatware or a Call of Duty knock-off. The games here have all been chosen based on how fun they are to play and how well-received they've been, but we've ignored the minefield that is App Store reviews. Included is a mix of free and paid games while trying to avoid entries that feel like clones of each other.

1 Call of Duty: Mobile

Still The King

Love it or hate it, Call of Duty has been the most popular FPS franchise ever since the original Modern Warfare was released back in 2007. When Call of Duty: Mobile was announced in 2019, fans were skeptical that a mobile release could recapture that COD magic, but the game turned out to be surprisingly good. Years of updates have only made it better.

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By  Joey Criscitello

In a lot of ways, the game feels like a callback to classic Call of Duty before the franchise became obsessed with Battle Royale modes and battle passes. It features a handful of classic multiplayer modes, and older fans of the franchise will recognize many of its iconic maps from classic COD games. The game looks great, especially on newer iPads, and the touchscreen controls are serviceable (it's recommended to use a controller though). The only thing it's missing is a good single-player Call of Duty campaign, but then again, those aren't even guaranteed with the franchise's PC and console releases these days.

2 Gunfire Reborn

A Console-Grade Indie Roguelite

Not everyone wants to play a competitive FPS on their iPad, which is a bit of a problem when the App Store is awash with Call of Duty clones. Thankfully, there are a handful of paid FPS games that tackle other genres. Gunfire Reborn is one of these, an excellent FPS/roguelite mash-up that allows for single-player as well as 4-player co-op.

Players can tell straight away from the game's quality that this is a paid game that was also released on PC and consoles. There's a host of heroes to unlock, each with unique abilities and skill trees, as well as dozens of guns and magical scrolls to find. The low-poly art might seem simple, but the Chinese-flavored art gives the game a lot of character. The roguelite structure and procedurally generated levels mean Gunfire Reborn has a ton of replay value to boot. For those who still haven't got the hang of touchscreen controls, the game actively supports Xbox and PlayStation controllers too.

3 Critical Ops

For Counter-Strike Fans

Just because a game copies an established formula doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. Critical Ops might be a Counter-Strike clone, but it's a really good one. It's a skill-based, tactical 5v5 shooter that's one of the best FPS games fans can only play on mobile. It includes classic game modes like Defuse, Team Deathmatch, and Gun Game, and rewards strategy and teamwork over twitch reflexes.

The developers have worked hard to build a community around the game, and Critical Ops even has its own esports scene. That means players can expect everything that usually comes with an esports title - optimized performance and controls, ranked matchmaking, and regular competitions and tournaments. Fans of Counter-Strike will love it, and it's entirely possible to spend dozens of hours playing without spending a penny.

4 Modern Combat 5

A Free COD Campaign

Before there was Call of Duty: Mobile the best place to get an FPS fix on an iPad was Modern Combat 5. While it's a little dated by today's standards, the title remains one of the best mobile games of all time and, thanks to frequent updates, is still available to play on newer hardware.

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These days, the best thing about Modern Combat 5 is arguably its single-player campaign. It tells a frantic, country-hopping story that does a decent job of evoking Call of Duty campaigns of old, and the controls feel as good today as they did ten years ago. The multiplayer mode is still a blast, but it has fallen behind newer competition like Call of Duty: Mobile. Despite recent updates, technical hitches on newer iPads also spoil the multiplayer a bit. Still, Modern Combat 5 is worth downloading just for the free campaign.

5 Dead Trigger 2

A Classic Zombie Shooter

It says a lot about the FPS market on the iPad that so many of the best examples are so old. Dead Trigger 2 is another golden oldie that's just as fun now as it was upon release. Thanks to visual updates, the game still looks great on the iPad, and the FPS controls are about as good as one can find on a touchscreen. There are a lot of free-to-play zombie games to choose from on iOS, but Dead Trigger 2 remains one of the best.

The game has expanded a lot, adding features like base building and extra missions, but the core gameplay has remained largely the same: run through linear levels, shoot zombies, and then upgrade one's arsenal using several different currencies. These levels are tied together via a continent-hopping story that's surprisingly good, even if it's been left unfinished. The moment-to-moment zombie killing feels great, and enemy types and level designs are varied enough to stop fatigue from setting in too quickly. However, there are some drawbacks. As an old-school free-to-play game, Dead Trigger 2 features slightly too many ads and breaks up gameplay with irritating countdowns between levels. Furthermore, there are difficulty spikes that require either excessive grinding or splashing out real-world money.

6 DOOM

An Improved Port

It's a running joke that, at this point, Doom has been ported to everything with a screen, and that includes the iPad. In 2019, to celebrate Doom's 25th birthday, Bethesda announced a rerelease of the original game for a host of modern devices. Doom fans were excited until they got their hands on the iPad version. It's safe to say that it wasn't a great way to play one of the best Doom games.

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The game looked great and ran well, as should a 25-year-old title on modern hardware, but the controls were bad. Thankfully, they've been fixed in updates, and Doom on iPad is a ton of fun. Doom is one of the most important games ever made, and returning to it today feels like an interactive history lesson in game design. Some younger gamers might find it a little difficult, but it has aged extraordinarily well, with its level design in particular still being a highlight.

7 Shadowgun Legends

Great Character Customization

Shadowgun Legends is basically Destiny 2 for iPad. It's an FPS/RPG hybrid with over 200 missions to play either solo or co-op, with a heavy focus on character customization. There are over 600 weapons and 1,000 armor pieces to collect, each of which can have a drastic effect on the gamer's playstyle. For a free-to-play looter shooter, there's a surprising amount of depth to designing the optimal build for each weapon type.

On the iPad in particular, the game looks excellent and, at a glance, is easy to mistake for its clear inspiration, Destiny 2. The story is good, if a bit generic for a sci-fi shooter, and is plenty of fun to play through either solo or with friends. For FPS fans who prefer PVE content to PVP, Shadowgun Legends is about as good as it gets on the iPad. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for its PVP modes. Too many unlocks for the PVP mode are locked behind paywalls, and the game has a serious hacker problem.

8 Resident Evil Village

Technically Impressive

Calling Resident Evil Village an FPS might be a bit of a stretch for some - it's more of a horror game with FPS elements. However, it's so technically impressive that it had to be included. Resident Evil Village on the iPad isn't some crummy, watered-down port. It's the same game fans loved from console and PC, ported over thanks to the power of Apple's M1 (and newer) chips.

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Everything fans loved about one of the best Resident Evil games is here. The visual fidelity is amazing, and while buggy at launch, these days the game runs well, particularly on higher-end iPads. It's a true AAA experience, with a couple of caveats. Resident Evil Village is only available on iPads equipped with the M1 chip or newer, and, realistically, it needs a controller to be played properly. It's the kind of game that gives fans hope that one day the iPad might be able to give the likes of the Steam Deck a run for its money.

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