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The 25 best premium iOS and Android games of 2016

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The 25 best premium iOS and Android games of 2016

You gets what you pays for

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Mobile gaming in 2016 was all about freemium games, wasn't it? No one releases premium games any more.

Actually, that's nonsense. In fact, some of the very best games launched over the past 12 months have asked you to slap your money down up front.

And we're not just talking about a small handful of games, either. We've assembled a generous list of 25 top premium games from the last year, and there were plenty more that you could make a case for.

Which you should do, down there in the comments. Which premium games did you most enjoy in 2016?

Click Here To View The List »

1
Deus Ex GO

Publisher: Square Enix Montreal
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Puzzle, Stealth
Find out more about Deus Ex GO
Deus Ex GO

It may be the third in the GO series, but Deus Ex GO remains a sophisticated puzzler with elements of turn-based strategy and stealth sneaked into the mix.

2
Reigns

Publisher: Devolver Digital
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Card/board game
Find out more about Reigns
Reigns

Who knew that making binary narrative decisions through a card-flipping interface could be so filled with possibilities? Reigns was the crossover hit of 2016.

3
Banner Saga 2

Publisher: Stoic Studio
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: RPG, Strategy
Find out more about Banner Saga 2
Banner Saga 2

We didn't think our emotions could stand a second slice of gloomy Nordic adventuring. We were wrong - Banner Saga 2's beautiful graphics, tense turn-based battles and involving plot had us wrapped around its giant finger.

4
SteamWorld Heist

Publisher: Image & Form
Available on: iOS + 3DS + PS Vita
Genre: Adventure, Platform, Puzzle
Find out more about SteamWorld Heist
SteamWorld Heist

SteamWorld Heist is a bit like a more thoughtful, zoomed-in, steampunk Worms - but with a healthy slice of XCOM's squad and cover dynamics for good measure. Yeah, it's pretty great.

5
Invisible, Inc.

Publisher: Klei Entertainment
Available on: iOS + Steam
Genre: Stealth, Strategy
Find out more about Invisible, Inc.
Invisible, Inc.

Isometric stealth strategy by way of William Gibson. Sounds great, eh? Add in Klei's typically distinctive stylised graphics, and you're looking at one of the classiest mobile games of 2016.

6
Severed

Developer: DrinkBox Studios
Available on: iOS + PS Vita
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fighting
Find out more about Severed
Severed

Severed was great on PS Vita, but it somehow makes even more sense on mobile. It must be the touch-driven interface, which drives the first person dungeon crawling and swipey combat without compromise.

7
Samarost 3

Available on: iOS
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Samarost 3
Samarost 3

A lot of nasty words were thrown around in 2016, so it was particularly blissful to play Samarost 3 - a charming point-and-click adventure that features no dialogue at all.

8
Punch Club

Developer: Lazy Bear Games
Publisher: tinyBuild Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Simulation, Sports, Strategy
Find out more about Punch Club
Punch Club

Perhaps surprisingly, Punch Club is a game that doesn't want you to punch people at all. It wants you to train up a poor schmo to do the punching for you, through a range of entertaining diversions and mini-games. Smart.

9
Crashlands

Developer: Butterscotch Shenanigans
Publisher: Butterscotch Shenanigans
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG
Find out more about Crashlands
Crashlands

Crashlands positively vibrates with energy and humour and sheer stuff to do. It's a survival game that's more focused on the wonder of the unknown rather than on having to drag yourself through another day in a hostile world.

10
Legend of the Skyfish

Publisher: Crescent Moon Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action, Adult, Adventure, Puzzle
Find out more about Legend of the Skyfish
Legend of the Skyfish

Nintendo's Zelda gets stripped apart and put back together as a highly structured mobile puzzle game. Okay, so that's a little simplistic. But it's also a little bit true - and a large part of why we love Legend of the Skyfish.

11
Warbits

Developer: Risky Lab
Available on: iOS
Genre: Multiplayer, Strategy
Find out more about Warbits
Warbits

Warbits, in all its Advance Wars-aping ways, is like a logical next step for Clash of Clans players seeking something with a little more tactical depth. It's turn-based strategy at its most accessible.

12
Sorcery! Part 4

Publisher: Inkle Studios
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Sorcery! Part 4
Sorcery! Part 4

This may be the last part of the Sorcery! saga, but inkle sure went out with a bang. This is one of the best gamebooks on mobile, whether you've been following the series or not.

13
Day of the Tentacle Remastered

Publisher: Double Fine
Available on: iOS + PS Vita
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Day of the Tentacle Remastered
Day of the Tentacle Remastered

DotT has always been viewed as one of the finest point-and-click adventure games ever. Now, with updated visuals and a mobile-friendly UI, a new generation can revel in its genius.

14
Chameleon Run

Publisher: Noodlecake Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Platform
Find out more about Chameleon Run
Chameleon Run

We definitely detected a bit of endless runner fatigue in 2016, but Chameleon Run wasn't having any of it. This is a bold, colourful, and exhilarating take on a well worn genre.

15
The Bug Butcher

Publisher: Awfully Nice Studios
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Shooter
Find out more about The Bug Butcher
The Bug Butcher

Left, right, shoot. It was good enough for gamers in the days of Space Invaders, and it's certainly good enough for us today when the results are as strong as The Bug Butcher.

16
Burly Men At Sea

Publisher: Brain&Brain
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Burly Men At Sea
Burly Men At Sea

Burly Men at Sea is like one of those children's books or films that adults can get as much - if not more - satisfaction from. Its story is both beautifully drawn and surprisingly replayable, with characters that will stick with you for ages.

17
Dungelot: Shattered Lands

Publisher: Red Winter Software
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Hardcore, Puzzle, RPG
Find out more about Dungelot: Shattered Lands
Dungelot: Shattered Lands

You couldn't move for roguelike dungeon crawlers in 2016, but Dungelot: Shattered Lands stood out for its balanced Minesweeper mechanics and fine polish.

18
Space Marshals 2

Publisher: Pixelbite Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action
Find out more about Space Marshals 2
Space Marshals 2

In the year that a sci-fi western dominated our TV screens, Space Marshals 2 arrived with its own mix of spurs and spaceships. No mindless twin stick shooter, it memorably folds in alternate paths and stealth elements.

19
Football Manager Touch 2017

Publisher: Sports Interactive
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Football Manager Touch 2017
Football Manager Touch 2017

We're three iterations in to the FM Touch series, yet we still can't quite believe we have the complete Football Manager experience here on our tablets. Football Manager Touch 2017 is just that, with a shiny new 3D engine making it the best yet.

20
Vulture Island

Publisher: Donut Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Platform, Puzzle
Find out more about Vulture Island
Vulture Island

The maker of the wonderful Traps 'n' Gemstones returns with another ambitious platformer - but this time the source of inspiration seems to be Mario and Alex Kidd rather than Metroid and Castlevania. It still feels like a grand old adventure, though.

21
Badland 2

Publisher: Frogmind Games
Available on: iOS
Genre: Casual
Find out more about Badland 2
Badland 2

Badland 2 was technically launched on iOS right at the end of 2015, but that meant that it missed all the end-of-year awards buzz. This year's Android release (albeit in free form) sealed a place on the 2016 list for this beautiful, beguiling tappy flier.

22
Heroes of Loot 2

Publisher: OrangePixel
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Action, Shooter
Find out more about Heroes of Loot 2
Heroes of Loot 2

OrangePixel here took a slightly different approach to the first Heroes of Loot, with less of a twin-stick shooter flavour and more of a dungeon crawling vibe. It works really well, too.

23
Lost in Harmony

Developer: DigixArt
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Music/Rhythm
Find out more about Lost in Harmony
Lost in Harmony

Lost in Harmony is probably the best rhythm action auto-runner of the year. It may also be the only one, but we'll have to check on that. Not the least of its achievements is a genuinely moving story.

24
Super Powerboy

Publisher: Pixel Blast Ltd
Available on: iOS + Apple TV
Genre: Action, Platform
Find out more about Super Powerboy
Super Powerboy

Together with Chameleon Run, Super Powerboy did its bit for the overpopulated endless runner genre. It's an exceptionally pretty, unusually expansive take on tappy-screened platforming.

25
Circa Infinity

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Platform
Find out more about Circa Infinity
Circa Infinity

Every year needs a mobile game that feels like some kind of fever dream, and this year that game is Circa Infinity. Revel in its chaotic, brain-warping concentric circle platforming.

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Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.