Apps for People Who Love Video Games

Image via Complex Original

Price: $2.99

Just look at that screenshot: Here’s a prime example of how far apps have come in a very short amount of time. Modern Combat 5: Blackout is a first-person shooter starring Caydan Phoenix, a Special Forces operative with Gilman Security. It’s your traditional counter-terrorism plot, but the graphics, play control, and diversity (of weapons and of scenery) put this app in a class of its own.

Price: Free

There are a few gaming news aggregators out there, but we still haven’t found one that’s as thorough and user friendly as Appy Gamer. It takes the content from a multitude of gaming websites—IGN, GameSpot, Polygon, and Joystiq, to name a few—and puts it all in one, easy-to-navigate spot that’s customizable to your particular gaming interests.

Price: $2.49

The gaming industry is currently on a survival horror kick, and Decay: The Mare could not have come at a better time. It’s a point-and-click adventure—finding items, using items, and solving puzzles related to those items—and it’s got some unbelievably tense atmosphere. It’s a four-part serial—two parts are available on Windows Store—so try the first episode and see what you think.

Price: Free

You know the frustration: You’re knee-deep in a level, and for some reason, you just can’t find the key, or solve the puzzle, that will take you to the next room. Or, you’re a perfectionist, and you can’t spot that last collectible for 100 percent completion. Machinima can be your salvation—it’s multiple walkthrough videos for all the latest games maximize your fun and minimize your frustration.

Price: Free

There have been scores of "endless runner" apps—touch the screen and the character goes up, let go and the character goes down. But Jetpack Joyride deserves special notice. Its variability—lots of different vehicles, lots of different jetpacks—makes this app stand above the rest of the crowd.

Price: Free

These days, gaming is an expensive hobby—$70 for a new release is a steep price to pay. So we’re always looking for deals, and there’s no worse feeling than missing a Flash Sale. Maybe you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe you didn’t know which website to visit. Whatever the case, Game Sale Watcher can help you out. It’s an aggregate site that compiles the lowest prices on the best games to ensure that your purchases come correct and your credit rating stays healthy.

Price: $6.99

This seemed inconceivable just a few years ago. When it was released, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the height of gaming innovation. And now, you can play it on your phone. This game was the first time that the GTA universe felt overwhelmingly massive. There was just so much for Carl to do and see and now you get to relive it all, or perhaps experience it for the first time. Grove Street for life.

Price: Free

Until Twitch creates its own app, we’ll make due with the fan-developed substitute, Gamestreams, which broadcasts Twitch streams and highlights the must-sees of the day. Never miss a Starcraft II Grandmaster match or a League of Legends showdown ever again. The only thing that’s as fun as playing games is watching the masters play them on a level of expertise that you couldn’t hope to attain.

Price: Free

Here’s an app to expand your mind. The concept of Flow Free is simple—connect all the lines to make a cohesive flow. But like all great puzzle games, it gets very addictive, very quickly. The addition of Bridges only adds to the game’s complexity, and ensures that we will pull our hair out for another hundred hours.

Price: Free

We miss the old school, arcade racers from the ’80s, and Asphalt 8: Airborne does its best to bring those glory days back. It takes the things that we love about racing games—the insane physics, the high speeds, and the dramatic crashes—and simplifies them to create pure fun. The multiple real-world locations, multiple real-world vehicles, and intense multiplayer action will keep you glued to your touch screen lap after lap.