Top 10 endless-running games for your iPhone and iPad
Don't forget to stretch
The App Store is home to a wide variety of gaming genres, but some categories are more popular than others. It's hard to browse Apple's digital shop for any length of time without stumbling across a bevy of tower defence titles, for example.
Endless-runners are no different - the App Store is packed to the rafters with them. So, which one should you spend your hard-earned cash on, then?
In short, it's difficult to recommend just one endless-running title - each offers something different or unique. We did find it easier, however, to recommend ten of the best examples of the genre. And so we have.
Get your dusty running shoes out of the cupboard and carry on reading.
Whale Trail (Universal)By ustwo - buy on iPhone and iPad
Pocket Gamer's own Jon Jordan labelled Whale Trail the game that the extremely popular Silver Award-winning Tiny Wings "wishes it could be".
You can see why it made our list.
Besides the game's obligatory Endless mode, this psychedelic perpetual flyer features a selection of bite-sized Challenge mode levels to play through.
Jetpack Joyride (Universal)By Halfbrick Studios - buy on iPhone and iPad
Foul-mouthed action hero Barry Steakfries has stolen an experimental machine gun jetpack and it's your job to help him overcome obstacles, hazards, and dangers; collect coins and tokens; and travel as far as possible without meeting his maker.
Jetpack Joyride features a ton of different missions for you to complete as you play, ranging from collecting a set amount of coins to travelling a requisite distance in a vehicle.
You can use the coins you collect to unlock power-ups and upgrades.
Canabalt (Universal)By Semi Secret Software - buy on iPhone and iPad
Canabalt is one of the simplest endless-running games that the App Store has to offer, but it's still mightily difficult. The game's ever-increasing pace guarantees that.
Canabalt's monochrome visuals ensure that distractions are few and far between, so the only thing you have to worry about is tapping your device's screen with a sweaty digit to spring over the numerous crevices that threaten to spoil your brisk run.
Simple.
Solipskier (Universal)By Mikengreg - buy on iPhone and iPad
Solipskier is more of an endless-skiing title than an endless-running title, but a small technicality won't stop this otherwise great game from racing onto our list.
Your aim couldn't be simpler: draw your own slopes on-screen using your finger, pull off some radical tricks, slalom through gates to greatly boost your score, and survive.
That last one is kind of imperative.
Temple Run (Universal)By Imangi Studios - buy on iPhone and iPad
If you ask me, you should only ever run if you're being chased.
Temple Run tasks you with swiping left and right on your touchscreen to turn corners, swiping upwards to jump over obstacles, swiping downwards to slide under hazards, and generally surviving the treacherous maze you're sprinting around.
Why the rush? It's probably something to do with the troop of menacing monkeys that you have on your tail.
Gravity Guy (iPhone and iPad)By Miniclip - buy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Gravity Guy, in case you haven't already guessed from the cropped screenshot above, allows you to switch gravity whenever you see fit.
Believe us when we tell you this skill is essential if you hope to survive the game's wacky maze-like sections, obstacles, and pitfalls.
Should you get bored of always running on your own, Gravity Guy even features a multiplayer mode for up to four keen joggers. Just don't trip each other up.
Monster Dash (Universal)By Halfbrick Studios - buy on iPhone and iPad
Monster Dash, the second title from Aussie studio Halfbrick to earn a place on this list, places you - once again - in the shoes of action hero Barry Steakfries.
There aren't any science labs, test tubes, scientists, or laser fields this time around, though. Instead, you randomly teleport between a variety of unique locations, each packed to the virtual rafters with zombies, mummies, vampires, and more.
Luckily, you have your trusty shotgun and a range of other weapons at your disposal, as well as a deadly motorcycle known only as the "Badass Hog".
Run Like Hell! Deluxe (iPhone)By Mass Creation - buy on iPhone
What do you do if you're being chased by a gang of hungry cannibals? Run, slide, and crawl like hell, of course.
This endless-runner sees you dash and climb across beaches, through jungles, and over ruins to avoid an almost inevitable dinner date.
There are five different Endless modes on offer in Run Like Hell! Deluxe, as well as a Story mode and a selection of mini-games.
Tiny Wings (iPhone)By Andreas Illiger - buy on iPhone
You objective in Tiny Wings isn't to avoid a variety of obstacles, overcome pesky hazards, or trounce creepy monsters. You just have to travel as far as you possibly can before the sun disappears out of the sky.
It's simple, really. Tap your iPhone's display to send your feathered protagonist into a momentum-building nosedive, then release your pinky to propel him into the air.
There are a bunch of different missions to complete as you play, and a range of Game Center achievements to unlock. Plenty to keep you busy, in other words.
Grim Joggers (Universal)By 10tons - buy on iPhone and iPad
Grim Joggers is a little different from most of the endless-running titles you'll have experienced. Instead of controlling one unlucky sprinter, you simultaneously command 15 of the blighters.
Fear not, though: there are enough explosives, spikes, robots, and other dangerous stumbling blocks to go around. There are even aliens.
Apple's Game Center invites you to earn 36 unlockable achievements and top a series of leaderboards.
