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The 25 most important iPhone and iPad apps on the road to 25 billion downloads

Milestones

The 25 most important iPhone and iPad apps on the road to 25 billion downloads
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iOS

Last week, the App Store passed 25 billion downloads.

Which means that the owners of the 300 million-odd iOS devices worldwide together raided Apple's 500,000-strong catalogue of apps more than 25 billion times in less than four years. No small achievement, I'm sure you'll agree.

Games, of course, played a huge role in hitting that target. I mean, Disney puzzler Where's My Water? was the 25 billionth download, after all. To celebrate gaming's contribution to this milestone, we sought to pick out 25 huge games that helped along the way.

Big sellers, critical successes, award-winning indie games, trendsetters, and fan favourites. 25 games that were absolutely instrumental in this app explosion.

Angry Birds
By Rovio - buy on iPhone

The undisputed king of the App Store, perched atop the all-time Top Paid list. Played by famous people, mentioned in popular culture, Rovio's physics-based fowl chucker even has its own line of plush toys. Nothing screams breakout success like cuddly versions of your characters.

Flight Control
By Firemint - buy on iPhone

The perfect example of the simple and addictive gameplay that iOS devices can offer. By 'just' encouraging you to draw a line on your phone, Flight Control has sold over 4 million copies, and single-handedly invented a genre. It's now available on most devices you can play games on.

Rolando
By ngmoco - buy on iPhone

Rolando was the first iOS game to receive Pocket Gamer's highly coveted Platinum Award, and its implementation of a number of the iPhone's headline features (including the multi-touch screen and the accelerometer) set the tone for the games that followed. One of the key players in making people realise the iPhone was a viable gaming device.

Infinity Blade
By Chair Entertainment - buy on iPhone and iPad

There are dozens of reasons Infinity Blade should be on this list, not least because it's such a brilliant game in its own right. In addition, it's tailored to the hardware, absolutely gorgeous, and proof that major developers see iOS as a valid creative space. The $23 million it's made for its creator (hitherto) and its 2011 Apple Design Award win aren't to be sniffed at, either.

Doodle Jump
By Lima Sky - buy on iPhone

Before Angry Birds came along and stole its thunder, Doodle Jump held the record for fastest-selling iOS title, shifting 25,000 units every day for four months. This addictive platformer has also received not one, but two references in The Big Bang Theory.

Fieldrunners
By Subatomic Studios - buy on iPhone

Fieldrunners turned the tower defence genre into a cartoon art form and earned itself a shower of accolades in the process. Perhaps the most glittering of these was its position on TIME's ten best games list of 2008, alongside such classics as GTA IV, Braid, and LittleBigPlanet.

Where's My Water?
By Disney - buy on iPhone and iPad Where's My Water

It's difficult to argue against Where's My Water?'s inclusion here on merit alone, especially when you consider that lead croc Swampy is the first Disney character created specifically for a game. The fact that the free version of the House of Mouse's aquatic puzzler was the 25 billionth app downloaded on Apple's digital store cements its position.

FarmVille
By Zynga - download free on iPhone and iPad

Zynga's controversial and world-conquering farm sim is as talked about as it is downloaded. It sits at the forefront of the freemium movement, raking in cash and changing the way we pay for and experience games.

Words With Friends
By Zynga - buy on iPhone and iPad

Celebrity endorsements are one thing, but Words With Friends became infamous when Alec Baldwin got thrown off a plane for refusing to stop playing it. Essentially an online version of Scrabble, the game demonstrates how portability, connectivity, and quick bite-sized gameplay can form the backbone of a brilliant iOS experience.

Real Racing
By Firemint - buy on iPhone

Alongside Doodle Jump, Real Racing won Apple's prestigious Design Award in 2010. As its name suggests, it brought a more realistic style of racing to iOS, and won plaudits for gameplay and graphics, as well as design.

Edge
By Mobigame - buy on iPhone and iPad

Nominated for three awards at the Independent Games Festival, Edge is a cunning, gorgeous puzzler with a unique style that set it apart from a lot of its competition. Its mix of cerebral puzzling and angular platforming still stand out today. Mobigame's infamous legal battle with Tim Langdell over the term 'edge' also earned this puzzler a place in gaming history.

Fruit Ninja
By Halfbrick Studio - buy on iPhone

The simplest expression of the touchscreen experience, and a cathartic chance to get revenge on oranges. Second only to Angry Birds in terms of sales, Fruit Ninja is a true iOS blockbuster, and one that shows just how accessible gaming can be.

Plants vs Zombies
By PopCap - buy on iPhone

PopCap sold more than 300,000 copies of Plants vs Zombies in its first nine days on the App Store. Why? Well, the game's blend of cutesy cartoons and super violence produced one of the most addictive and engrossing experiences known to man. And plant.

Beat Sneak Bandit
By Simogo Games - buy on iPhone and iPad

A beautifully executed rhythm-action / platformer mash-up, and proof that innovation and excellence still exist in the App Store. Beat Sneak Bandit picked up the 2012 IGF award for Best Mobile Game in spite of the fact it's been out for less than a month.

Temple Run
By Imangi Studios - buy on iPhone and iPad

Built by a team comprising only three people, Temple Run only reached the lofty heights of the App Store after it became a free-to-play game. It subsequently became a Top Grossing app, due to the sheer volume of in-app purchases players shelled out for. A variation on the endless-runner theme, its elegant simplicity has already led to a rash of copycats.

Tiny Wings
By Andreas Illiger - buy on iPhone

Apple EU's 2011 Game of the Year, Tiny Wings is an exercise in minimalism that could only be achieved on iOS. You control a bird by tapping on the screen, becoming hideously addicted in the process. 69p gaming at its very best.

Paper Toss
By Backflip Studios - download free on iPhone

Paper Toss is one of the most downloaded free iOS game of all time, pulling in millions of punters with its easy to pick up paper-flicking mechanic. Its easily understandable core and addictive, repetitive gameplay helped build a template that still works today.

Tiny Tower
By Nimblebit - download free on iPhone and iPad

Apple US's 2011 iPhone Game of the Year, Tiny Tower has been downloaded more than eight million times since its release last year. Build your tower, attract some residents, and slowly but surely become horribly addicted.

Dead Space
By EA - buy on iPhone

A creepy survival-horror title that was awarded Apple's iPad Game of the Year trophy in 2011 in the US, Dead Space showed how big console franchises can be successfully and innovatively ported to mobile platforms. Tough, scary, and a worthy addition to the Dead Space canon.

Contre Jour
By Chillingo - buy on iPhone

In the EU, Contre Jour was given the accolade of best iPad game in 2011. A beautiful, beguiling touchscreen puzzle adventure, Contre Jour shows just how much artistic freedom the iPad and iPhone can offer developers.

World of Goo
By 2D Boy - buy on iPhone and iPad

While World of Goo might not have been an iOS exclusive, its much-vaunted goo-building mechanics were the perfect fit for the iPhone's and iPad's touchscreen, and its IGF award nominations were thoroughly deserved.

Super QuickHook
By RocketCat Games - buy on iPhone

Super QuickHook might not be the most well-known title on this list, but its retro graphics and gameplay, allied to its bite-sized levels, proved to be well ahead of the curve.

FIFA 2010
By EA - buy on iPhone

No gaming console can really call itself a gaming console until it's got a version of EA's multi-million selling football title. Apple's devices got in on the action in 2009, and while the game wasn't perfect, it netted more than a few fans.

Helsing's Fire
By Chillingo - buy on iPhone and iPad

Winner of the 2011 IGF Best Mobile Game award, Helsing's Fire is an ingenious puzzler that casts you as the titular vampire slayer. While it didn't enjoy the commercial success of some of the games on this list, it's just as important in terms of style and gameplay.

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor
By Tiger Style - buy on iPhone

Awarded the 2010 IGF Mobile Game of the Year prize, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor is a cunning puzzler that casts you as an arachnid in the titular mansion. Exactly the sort of niche title that the App Store can provide a platform for.

Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.