There’s just something about the iPad that makes playing cozy games feel ultra satisfying. You might be surprised to find how many genuinely great FREE games there are in the iOs App Store. (Many of these are also free on Google Play, if you’re looking for tablet options).
Whether you’re into cozy simulation games where you can tap tap tap away to your heart’s content, adventure RPGs with epic combat, or immersive narrative stories to enjoy like a good book before bed, the App Store is brimming with high-quality, free iPad games.
It’s important for us to note: many of these free games do offer in-app purchases. Play responsibly. If you end up addicted to Genshin Impact or Infinity Nikki, you might end up spending some real world coin for more characters, aesthetic skins or in-game currency. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
However, all of these games offer hours of high-quality content that won’t cost you a thing. It’s ultimately up to you how you end up playing!
So pour a cup of tea, curl up on the couch, and discover your next favorite free iPad game to binge this weekend.
Free Simulation & Cozy Life Management Games
Hay Day
A charming farming simulation game where players cultivate crops, raise animals, and trade goods with neighbors. Its vibrant, cartoon-style graphics and intuitive touch controls make it easy to follow & super addicting. If you were familiar with Farmville on Facebook, this one is a similar nostalgic feel. The gameplay loop involves managing and expanding your farm, participating in seasonal events, and interacting with a global community who can buy from your farm stand, help you out with chores and more!
Good Pizza, Great Pizza
Step into the shoes of a pizzeria owner in this casual simulation game where you prepare pizzas to meet customer orders, upgrade your shop, and compete against rival pizzerias. The game features a charming, hand-drawn art style and a day-to-day gameplay loop that balances time management and achievements you’ll love to unlock.
Good Coffee, Great Coffee
From the creators of Good Pizza, Great Pizza, this cozy café simulation lets you brew coffee, decorate your shop, and interact with a variety of customers. “Prepare delicious drinks, experiment with new flavors, decorate your shop, and manage cafe costs to become the best barista in town!” However, some users complain about the ad experience in the free version, so keep that in mind.
Kinder World
A plant-based game focused on promoting your mental wellbeing, players can nurture houseplants through acts of kindness and mindfulness exercises. Its soothing art style and gentle gameplay loop are designed for quick, stress-relieving sessions, perfect for your after-work wind down sessions or sunday reset routine.
Adorable Home
This home simulation game allows players to decorate their living space, care for pets, and build a life with their partner over time! It’s LGBTQ friendly and discusses real-world, mature conversations that can feel very cathartic. It features a minimalist, pastel art style, the game offers a slow-paced, idle gameplay loop that won’t stress you out.
The Sims FreePlay
A mobile version of the OG classic life simulation game The Sims, allowing players to create and manage virtual people and their homes. With its iconic isometric art style and real-time gameplay loop, you can build houses, pursue careers, and form relationships all in a simple touch screen experience, making it relaxing instead of stressful and clunky (looking at you Sims 4).
Design Home: House Makeover (EA)
An interior design simulation game from EA (Creators of The Sims) where players decorate rooms using real-life furniture and décor items! If you’re interested in interior design, you’ll love this because it’s as close to the real world as you can get. The game features realistic 3D graphics and a gameplay loop centered around design challenges.
Cats & Soup
A cozy, idle game where players manage a forest kitchen run by…cats?! With its whimsical art style and relaxing gameplay loop, it’s a perfect game for unwinding, or just popping in for 5-10 minutes a day in your downtime. We highly recommend playing in bed with your cat, and asking their recommendations for the best soup.
Free Adventure & Exploration RPGs
Sky: Children of the Light
An award-winning social adventure game where players explore a beautifully animated kingdom across seven realms. The game features exploration, social interaction, and cooperative gameplay, with a peaceful, atmospheric art style.
Pokémon GO
The iconic augmented reality game that was arguably the last time the entire world was healed and enjoying time together IRL, encourages players to explore the real world to catch Pokémon. With its blend of GPS-based exploration and creature collection, the game offers a unique, active gameplay loop and is a great way to get outside and walk around your neighborhood as part of your daily routine!
Genshin Impact
One of our personal favorites, this open-world action RPG offers a vast (and absolutely breathtaking) world to explore, elemental combat, and a rich storyline with rich updates about every 6 weeks. Its anime-inspired art style and deep gameplay systems have drawn comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it truly offers a unique experience.
Infinity Nikki
The fifth installment in the Nikki series, this game combines dress-up mechanics with open-world exploration, and a gacha mechanic similar to Genshin Impact where you gamble with in-game currency (either earned through real world purchases or simply playing the geam). Players collect outfits that grant abilities to navigate the game’s beautiful, expansive world plus adventure around with a cute little companion!
Star Stable Online
An MMORPG centered around horse riding and adventure on the island of Jorvik. Players care for horses, complete quests, and explore a magical world. The game features a colorful, 3D art style and fantasy storyline.
Dreamy Room
A narrative-lite puzzle game where players unpack boxes to decorate rooms (similar to the very popular Unpacking) uncovering the story of a life through personal belongings. Its minimalist art style and reflective gameplay loop offer a meditative experience.
Free Narrative & Visual Novel Games
Life is Strange
An episodic adventure game from gaming powerhouse Square Enix that follows the story of Max, a photography student who discovers she can rewind time. The game features a realistic art style and a choice-driven narrative that offers an engaging twist. The first episode is free, with the option to purchase additional content after finishing this intro storyline.
An Elmwood Trail
A text-based role-playing mystery game where players engage in a thrilling criminal investigation, making choices that influence the story’s outcome. Its minimalist interface focuses on narrative and decision-making with an engaging plot.
Love & Deepspace
A sci-fi romance simulation game where players build relationships with (let’s face it, super hot) virtual characters through immersive storytelling and interactions. The game features high-quality 3D graphics and a narrative-driven gameplay loop with gacha mechanics as well.
Disney’s Twisted Wonderland
A narrative-driven RPG that combines adventure and rhythm game elements, set in a school populated by characters inspired by Disney villains. The game features anime-style art and a story-rich gameplay loop.
Free RPG & Strategy Games
A hybrid of city-building and RPG elements, where players build a kingdom inhabited by cookie characters and engage in battles. The game features a colorful, cartoonish art style where you can gamble for new cookies with special powers and abilities, as well as traditional resource management and turn-based combat.
Disney Pixel RPG
This retro-style role-playing game with pixel art graphics has flown a bit under the radar, but is such a great nostalgic iPad game! It offers dungeon exploration, character progression, and turn-based combat. It also has a gacha element, where you can spend in-game currency to roll for your favorite Disney characters like Donald Duck, Tinkerbell, Baymax and tons more!
Honkai: Star Rail
A turn-based RPG from the creators of Genshin Impact, featuring a sci-fi setting, strategic combat, and a rich narrative. The game boasts high-quality anime-style graphics and a gameplay loop involving exploration and character development. There are tons of limited events and lots of content to get through, and is a super easy in-bed RPG, because the combat is turn-based you can just tap away and watch all the amazing graphics go!
Let us know if you’ve played any of these games in the comments, and what one is your favorite!
Happy gaming 🎮
21 Free iPad Games:
- Hayday
- Good Pizza, Great Pizza
- Good Coffee, Great Coffee
- Kinder World
- Adorable Home
- Sky Children of the Light
- Pokemon Go
- Genshin Impact
- Infinity Nikki
- Dreamy Room
- Life is Strange
- An Elmwood Trail
- Star Stable Online
- Love & Deepspace
- The Sims Freeplay
- Cookie Run Kingdom
- Pixel RPG
- Design Home House Makeover (EA)
- Cats & Soup
- Honkai Star Rail
- Disney’s Twisted Wonderland