Best App Games for Long Car Trip

August 05, 2019

Summer means travel, and if you have kids, they will want something to do on the ride. Unlike us parents, who had to ride without the convenience of an iPhone, today’s kids likely have one and will need the entertainment on the way to Grandma’s or Disney. We decided to look for some games that would work well on the iPhone on these long rides. There were some criteria we used to find the games:

Internet free play
Free or relatively inexpensive
No or few in-app purchases
Has to pull me in
No repetition
Does not need fast reaction
No small tapping areas
Easy to turn off and restart

white iphone with apps

Sound impossible? Not really. Just be sure you have your iPhone 7 plus battery case on the back of your iPhone. Apps eat batteries – the thinnest iPhone 7 plus battery case will help minimize that. Some of these may be a bit dated, but the games are still fun.

80 Days – Take the classic Jules Verne novel, and throw in some Steampunk. There is lots of reading, so be ready. There is a $4.99 fee for the app.

Tower Madness – The standby tower defense game. This game you are defending sheep against aliens. Attackers take the shortest route to the tower. You can manipulate them to a certain path. You can buy addons, naturally, and a miniscule $2.99 fee.

Scrabble – You can play against a companion or the computer. There are dictionaries and the highest score possible after you play. The iPhone version is free. The iPad version is almost 10 dollars.

Hearts – One of the standards on the PC, this game is perfect for the iPhone. It has a back button for mistakes (ahem – mistakes only). There are ads if WiFi is connected, but they are minor. This is a free one because of the ads.

Dots – Make squares; make those colored dots go away. You can chain squares as well. Dots 2, the sequel, has a questing system. Free.

Super Stickman Golf 2 – This is for the golfer on the ride. Play 9-hole courses with water hazards, pink goo on your ball and the classic sand trap. You can use powerups over water and boost to clear the sand. Use the turtle shell helmet – trust us on this one. Free with in-app purchases.

2048 – Another puzzle game for the mathematically minded. Add numbers up to 2048. You can also go higher to 4096 or 8192 should you choose. Free on iTunes. You get banner ads with WiFi.

Plants vs. Zombies 2 – You control plants to keep zombies from getting into your house. It is a bit repetitive, but those with skill can win and win easily. Free on iTunes.

iphone apps

There are likely more to choose from, but these eight will certainly help you get going. Don’t forget to have the best iPhone 7 plus battery case to keep your passengers happy for the entire ride. The only thing worse than “Are we there yet?” is “My battery is dead. Are we there yet?”