40 Best iOS Games Of All Time

17. Ticket to Ride

Release date: May 18, 2011

Developer: Days of Wonder

Publisher: Days of Wonder

I think we’re at the point where we can safely say two things. One is that physical board games haven’t just made a comeback, they’re arguably in their golden age. The variety, creativity and quality in the board game industry is truly staggering. The other conclusion that goes along with that is that iOS translations of some of these modern board games can be pretty darn good in their own right.

Ticket to Ride is one that made a superb transition from table to touchscreen. In case you’ve never played it in physical form, it places players in the roles of 19th century railroad czars, attempting to win the transportation wars of the time. Like Splendor, another popular tabletop game you can also play on iOS devices, there are a limited number of simple options to take during each turn, but every choice is crucial.

One of the best parts of Ticket to Ride is that the outcome of games is often in doubt until the very end, increasing the likelihood that you’ll stay engaged the whole time. The iOS version lacks local multiplayer, but both solo play against AI bots and online multiplayer are a lot of fun. The graphics and audio are both excellent tone-setters too.

In its review, 148apps wondered if Ticket to Ride might not actually be better on iOS than as a board game because “you don’t have to fiddle with losing all of those plastic trains, or storing that big box somewhere.” We’re not willing to go that far, but you really can’t lose either way with this one.

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