Let’s face it, no matter how ‘lit’ your group chat is, there are plenty of times when no one seems to have anything to say or do. Though Live Stickers can put some life into your chats, the one thing that truly defeats boredom is gaming. So, if you’re looking for some fun iMessage games to play with your friends, here are the 18 best iMessage games (free and paid) you can play right now. Right from brain teasers that challenge your knowledge to arcade games that bring back childhood nostalgia, we’ve included several exciting games to strike your fancy. Without any ado, let’s check them out!
1. Township
An amazing mix of city-building and farming, Township lets you build your dream town where everyone can have a life full of happiness. The entire gameplay is set around harvesting crops, processing them at your modern facilities, and selling your goods at a handsome price to earn plenty of money and develop your town.
To enhance the lifestyle, you can open top-notch restaurants, and cinemas, and also build community buildings where people can get together and celebrate. Not to mention, you can also adorn your town with famous landmarks like Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty. Putting it simply, if you’re a fan of simulation games, Township is one of the best-rated iMessage games you can find today.
2. Gardenspaces
Gardenscapes is a unique puzzle iMessage game where you are tasked to solve the match-3 puzzles to restore a garden. With hundreds of match-3 puzzles, the game has got the numbers to keep you engrossed for hours of fun. Additionally, it also features plenty of secrets that you would love to unravel.
Gaming aside, Gardenscapes has a lovely pet that’s always there to cheer you up. In addition, there is also an in-game social network where you can interact with other players.
3. Bubble Witch 3 Saga
The makers of the ultra-popular Candy Crush Saga offer a magical bubble shooter game for iMessage that will instantly grab your attention. The game revolves around the witch, Stella who needs your help to defeat Wilbur, who’s full of magical mischief. You have to match the bubbles along the unique aiming line and solve the puzzles to release the owls, free the ghosts, and rescue the Fairy Queen.
This iMessage game is loaded with several exciting game modes and cute characters. You have to rebuild Stella’s house and visit your friends to grab some tempting rewards. You can play it alone or compete with your friends to get the highest score. There are special boosters to get you past tricky levels and a leaderboard to show your success.
4. Pictoword
Want to enhance your vocabulary while playing some fun-filled word games with your friends? You must give the iMessage game Pictoword a try. It has a ton of brain games with varying levels of difficulty that both kids and adults would enjoy taking on. If you don’t want the game to tease your brain, you can select Easy Mode. And if you wish to try out a few complex games, there is a Hard Mode for you as well.
The game offers single and multiplayer modes so you can choose the right mode based on your convenience. Do you know the best part? Pictoword is one of the top offline iMessage games you can enjoy anywhere, anytime. It’s a big plus if you don’t want your gaming to come to a halt.
5. Sudoku.com- Number Game
Whether you want to take on mind-bending puzzles or wish to train your brain by playing challenging number games, Sudoku.com has got you covered. What gives it an edge over many other sudoku games is a massive collection of puzzles that you can play for hours with your buddy. Brain training aside, it can also help you bust stress and relax.
Sudoku.com provides puzzles for both advanced players and beginners. Plus, it also offers the much-needed hints to rescue you when you need assistance to crack difficult problems. Even better, you can complete daily challenges to earn many rewards and participate in seasonable events to showcase your prowess. With neat progress tracking, you can remain updated about where you stand.
6. Let’s Puck It
This one is a fascinating turn-based game of air hockey. This iMessage game lets you choose from a roster of bets or enter your custom bets. Bear in mind that you will have to accept the punishment if you happen to lose. So, be very cautious before throwing any bets at your opponent.
Plan each move wisely so that you can knock out your rival. As the speed increases on each volley, you will need to be in charge to win every round. Your ultimate goal is to win as many rounds as you can by unleashing all the bag of tricks. Oh yes, also do not miss out on the special boosters as they can help you climb the leaderboard.
7. Trivia Crack
If you are looking for a simple and exciting trivia game to kill your time, then Trivia Crack is the way to go. It’s one of those games that will truly test your knowledge across various topics like history, science, and pop culture. You’ll take turns to answer multiple-choice questions from six different categories. If you can’t decide which category to go for, you can select “Everything” and see questions from across different categories.
As far as the gameplay is concerned, you only get 10 seconds to answer the questions. Also, the title is updated constantly with new questions, and you can also create your questions in the factory. To sum up, you won’t ever get bored with this iMessage game.
8. Mr Putt- Mini Golf
Mr. Putt is arguably one of the most loved mini-golf games that you can play on your iPhone in an iMessage conversation. It has sleek graphics, fluid controls, and many twists that make it a compelling game to play in your free time. The game is absolutely free to download and play, with no in-app purchases.
As soon as you open the game, you get an option to take your shot and pot your ball. Once you are done, the person you are playing with will get a chance to take shots. Whoever pots the ball in the least amount of turns wins the game. Mr. Putt provides four locations to play mini-golf, including Blaze, Retro, Nebula, and Frost. While all four locations are great, Blaze and Frost are my favorite. It’s one of the best free iMessage games that deserves your attention in 2024.
9. Fruit Ninja
Fruit Ninja is a highly addictive iMessage game that puts your fruit-slicing skills to the acid test. There is a classic mode where you can challenge yourself and see how long you can keep slicing fruits. If you want to take it even further, the arcade mode, where you need to give your best to achieve a high score, is for you. However, if you just wish to sharpen your skills and also master a few killer tricks, the zen mode is what you should go for.
Fruit Ninja boasts a variety of blades and dojos so that you can choose your favorite weapon for triggering a juicy storm. This fun iMessage game offers daily challenge events to let you put your slicing repertoire on full display. You can compete with your friends in local multiplayer to slice your way to the top and be the ultimate ninja.
10. Solitaire
Solitaire is a vintage card game that you would enjoy playing with your friends in iMessage. The game provides daily challenges that you can solve to earn a ton of crowns and trophies. Moreover, you can also earn points every time you play to level up and win new titles. However, what brings plenty of fun into play is the winning deal feature that offers you a chance to play a deal where you know there is at least one winning trick.
Not good at card games? No worries! Solitaire has an interesting feature called “Show Me How To Win” that can help you improve and also master all the tricks. The leaderboards let you know how well you stack up against other players. Notably, you get unlimited hints and the flexibility to make as many undos as you need. As for customization, this iMessage card game lets you tweak settings so that you can fine-tune scoring, adjust hands to draw, and even change the background.
11. 8 Ball Pool
Here comes a popular pool game for iPhone and iPad that will impress you with its addictive gameplay and neat customization options. This iMessage game is based on real 3D pool games that can help you become the master of pool. The gameplay revolves around potting balls, grabbing as many coins as you can, and then using them to enter higher-ranked games with bigger stakes.
The level system not only keeps you engrossed in the game but also ensures you are always up against a lot of challenges. With various challenges, several trophies, and exclusive cues, the gameplay never seems to lose its charm. To sum up, 8 Ball Pool is one of the best-rated iMessage games in 2024, and therefore you shouldn’t give it a miss.
12. Game Pigeon
Game Pigeon is one of the best iMessage games to download in 2024 as it contains a wide range of classic games such as 8 ball pool, mini-golf, basketball, cup pong, dots and boxes, word hunt, and more. With so many cool iMessage games waiting for your attention, you can choose the one that can light up your time – without having to jump from one app to the other.
Besides games, you can customize your avatar and even add accessories like glasses and hats. Some of the cosmetic upgrades and goodies are locked behind the premium version. The best thing about this Game Pigeon is that it offers many free iMessage games under one roof, which would cost you money if you download them separately. So, make sure to check it out.
13. Cobi Arrows
If you are more into arcade-style iMessage games, you might want to check out Cobi Arrows. It’s a simple game in which each player gets thirty seconds to fire arrows at a target. The game has good mechanics, but there is definitely a learning curve to get a hang of aiming.
If you are good at aiming and have sharp reflexes, then you will fall in love with this iMessage game. It’s available for free to download from the App Store, but you can also choose to splurge money in the game’s in-app purchases to unlock a couple of new game modes.
14. Qiktionary- The 4-letter Game
We already have some word games on the list, but Qiktionary is a little different. This iMessage word game requires you to solve a hidden 4-letter word by typing in letters yourself. The game also offers hints to ease the word puzzle at hand. The first five hints are free, then you have to pay for the next five hints.
You can take as many turns as you want, but you have to type a word. You can’t type random letters as the game won’t accept them. It’s going to be a little challenging unless you have a strong vocabulary, but you’ll have a lot of fun playing it.
15. Minion Rush
When you have the most exciting endless running iMessage game at your disposal, you don’t need to look anywhere else to kickstart an adventurous run. This Gameloft offering is all about dodging traps, exploring different locations, and competing to be the world’s best minion secret agent. Better still, the family-friendly action game also provides several intriguing missions so that you will always have new challenges to take on.
By completing special missions, you can unlock several stories and prizes. Using different running skills and innovative acrobatics, you will discover each location’s hidden secret area. Since Gameloft keeps adding all-new adventures regularly, there shouldn’t be any room for boredom. On top of all, you can design your minion with crazy costumes to make it stand out.
16. Tic Tac Toe
If you are in search of an evergreen iMessage game that you can play with your friends or siblings for hours without any learning curve, look no further than Tic Tac Toe. It’s one of my go-to picks, and I guess your story won’t be different after a few rounds of play.
The game has a lightweight and clean interface. You can challenge your friends and take advantage of iOS stickers to add more fun. Though it’s available for free, you will need to spend some bucks to unlock extra perks like a Dog vs Cat board design, burger vs pizza design, US elections design, and more.
17. Episode- Choose Your Story
Episode is a fascinating role-playing iMessage game where you can play the role of the protagonist in your favorite story. It boasts over 150, 000 interactive stories full of love, romance, drama, and adventure. You can customize your character to your heart’s liking, develop relationships, and change fate through your choices.
Bear in mind that every decision you make has an impact on the ending of the story. If you want to showcase your creativity, Episode also offers you the freedom to write and publish your own stories on its platform.
18. Truth Truth Lie
You must have heard or even played this game with your friends or family. Truth Truth Lie is a super fun iMessage game to play even with a single partner. As a player, you get to make three statements about yourself, and the other person has to guess which one of them is false.
The best part about this iMessage game is that you can play this even as a group. This classic icebreaker game also lets you record a video of yourself if you don’t feel like typing texts. While Truth Truth Lie is available for you, you will have to go for in-app purchases to unlock goodies like a bag of coins, a stack of coins, and loose change.
How to Play Games in iMessage?
Getting started with iMessage games is really simple. Just follow the steps below and you will be good to go.
- Start a new conversation in iMessage. Now, tap the App icon located below the text box.
- You will see a collection of apps, games, and stickers you can try. You can then tap on or search for the game you like and hit the ‘Get’ button to install it as you would do with any other iOS app.
- After downloading a game or app of your choice, you can then start using it by tapping on its icon shown below the message box.
- You can also scroll through a list of installed games to select the one you want to play with your friend in iMessage.
Note: To play the game, the other person also needs to have the game installed on their iPhone.
Well, that wraps up my list of the top 18 iMessage games you should play on iPhone and iPad in 2024. With several engaging games at your beck and call, you can now make your iMessage conversations more fun and engaging. Which is your favorite iMessage game to kill time? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Also, if you know of any other iMessage games that deserve a mention, let me know their names as well.
Anshuman Jain
Sagnik Das Gupta
