Mobile applications have changed the game in 2020, but some have fared far better than others. These are the mobile games that cleaned house on the Apple Store this year.
This year has been a great year for apps, with many growing industries making use of them to connect with their audience and make it easier to use their services. Food delivery app DoorDash has grown to over 20 million users in 2020 with its market valuation exceeding $16-billion.
In video conferencing, Zoom went from an app no-one had heard of to the most downloaded app of the year. Even the iGaming industry is getting involved with some of the top New Jersey casinos coming out with their own apps, such as the Borgata Casino that has been performing well.
With all that as a backdrop, it comes an as little surprise that traditional gaming apps have also fared particularly well in 2020 with so many people spending more of their time at home and needing some distraction to while away the time.
While battle royale games appear to be dropping off in popularity a bit, titles that include strong forms of social interaction have been having a great time.
iPhone Game of the Year: Genshin Impact
Open-world action role-playing game Genshin Impact took the world by storm in 2020, following its release on PC, console, and mobile in September this year. It takes place in the fantasy world of Teyvat, which is divided into seven unique nations that shape the narrative of the game.
This game is notable for its instant success with fans but also because it could change the attitude towards monetisation in free-to-play games forever. This is because Genshin Impact is the first-ever “traditional” video game title to use each game’s mechanics to allow the monetisation of players obtaining new characters, weapons, and other vital in-game resources.
Early reports indicate the game is on course to bring in over $400-million in revenue in 2020 on mobile platforms alone.
Top Free iPhone Game: Among Us
This is an interesting one because Among Us was initially released two years ago in 2018. However, its popularity has absolutely sky-rocketed this year. Its rise has been so dramatic, in fact, that the company behind the game binned plans to release a sequel so they could focus on updating and bettering the original.
Among Us is a very simple game. There are 10 players, two are bad, known as imposters, and only the baddies know who each other are. The other eight have to repair the spaceship before the two imposters murder everyone. The genius is in the simplicity and the core gameplay loop is driven by the interaction between the players rather than the actual game itself.
This game’s surprising rise in popularity years after release is due to its ability to allow friends, family, and even strangers to interact, joke around, and bond while they are all stuck at home, possibly in different parts of the world. Don’t expect his one to drop off the charts any time soon.
Graphically, it is certainly nothing to write home about and it won’t come anywhere close to using the new iPhone to its full potential, but the social elements more than makeup for it.
Top paid iPhone Game: Minecraft
Continuing on the theme of games retaining prominence long after release, Minecraft was Apple’s top paid game for iPhone this year. The original game was released in 2011 and has been one of the most popular games in the world continuously for nine straight years.
It’s return to the tippy-top of the chart is for similar reasons as Among Us, although the gameplay is far different. Minecraft is a sandbox video game in which players can do just about whatever they want.
Friends and family can get together to build something amazing, go on an adventure together, or just mine down into the world to collect resources while coming up with their next big plan. It is a much more chilled out experience than Among Us and is perfect for spending stress-free, quality time with loved ones, hence its renewed popularity in 2020.
