Apple is arguably the biggest name in smartphones, and Nintendo is one of the biggest names in gaming. And while several properties have crossed between the tech giants, iOS updates have made it possible to sync your Joy-Con and Switch Pro controllers with your iPhone.
With new control options for all your mobile gaming needs, the possibilities feel endless. Below, we’ve got a list of titles from several genres we’re excited to test out with our Joy-Con.
Updated December 9, 2022 by Gabrielle Castania: It’s been a few months now since iPhones received Joy-Con Bluetooth support, and the games that’ve gotten those capabilities have been a blast! However, there are still a few more quintessential mobile games that we’re itching to play with our Joy-Con.
13 Call Of Duty Mobile
With Call of Duty being almost synonymous with the FPS genre, it’s no surprise the team at Activision took the battle on the go. With one of the biggest launches of any mobile game, Call of Duty Mobile has remained popular ever since.
Drop into one of several game modes and equip yourself with the tools to take out your foes, and you might find yourself with a desire for better controls. The Joy-Con make for the perfect solution, giving you better movement and accuracy in your gameplay.
12 Monument Valley 2
The first Monument Valley released in 2014 with avibrant art style and captivating puzzles, so the sequel released in November 2017 to much excitement. The game sees you uncovering the secrets of The Sacred Geometry through puzzle-solving, adventuring, and the power of motherhood.
The tender story of the game comes out in its meditative puzzles, which are interesting and fun to play as they are, but the addition of a joystick could prove to be a benefit. Sacred Geometry is hard enough, so why not give it Joy-Con capabilities for easier control?
11 Fire Emblem Heroes
A tactical fantasy RPG with staying power, the Fire Emblem games have been wowing fans with strategic team-based titles for three decades now. In February 2017, the series hit mobile for the first time with Fire Emblem Heroes, a gacha-style crossover that's remained one of Nintendo's highest-grossing mobile games to date.
While some players might have an easier time with a touchscreen, longtime fans find familiar comfort in using joysticks and buttons to wage war between Askr and Embla. Rife with Norse mythology references and engaging in its freemium nature, Fire Emblem Heroes is a great way to bring your favorite series on the go.
10 Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
The world won’t forget the popularity found by the Animal Crossing series at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic with the accidentally well-timed launch of New Horizons for the Switch. But fans have been bringing their cute little friends on the go with them for years, including but not limited to doing so in Pocket Camp.
While the game is fun, moving your villager can sometimes be frustrating. Using the Joy-Con to run around your campsite will be just as satisfying as it is when you do it on the big screen.
9 Mario Kart Tour
Easy to drop into for a round or two if you’ve got an odd couple minutes, Mario Kart Tour is a great go-to for kart racing. The maps are interesting, the characters are varied, and the memes are a-plenty.
And besides, you’ve almost certainly played a Mario Kart game before — they're mainstays on Nintendo consoles. While Mario Kart Tour isn’t entirely different from the console games, it’s a simple way to keep occupied on the go. You’ll have infinitely more control the Joy-Con, so congratulations on all your future victories in iOS 16.
8 Stardew Valley
Born of a one-man company in an effort to patch problems he had with modern Harvest Moon titles, Stardew Valley has had a whirlwind lifespan. Starting as a cute little indie darling and rapidly expanding across platforms, expansions, and nations, the game very quickly became a sensation.
Your favorite small-town sweethearts and the quirky friends you meet in the Valley have been available on iPhone since 2018, but with such tiny details, you might want a bit more precision. The game got its Switch port in 2017, meaning veteran players will already be comfortable with the controls.
7 Brawlhalla
Pretty much anyone who owns Joy-Con will have played fighting games with them before, with Smash Bros Ultimate being one of the Switch’s best-selling titles, so the familiar comfort of cartoon violence will feel natural in Brawlhalla.
Like any fighting game, the goal of Brawlhalla is to kick the crap out of your enemies and send them flying from the battlefield. And if you’re aiming for nimble steps, precision jumps, and attacks that land, the Joy-Con can really only help.
6 Apex Legends
A renowned battle royale game that’s kept the attention of Titanfall fans since its release in 2019, Apex Legends sees you take control of one of the Legend characters and team up with your squad to best everyone else in combat.
And fine movements like the ones your Legends will need to execute if they’d like to stay standing are typically easier with a controller. With the game out on home consoles, Joy-Con compatibility being added to controller support for mobile would only feel natural.
5 Pokemon Unite
While it didn’t take the world by storm like Pokemon Go, Pokemon fans rejoiced when Pokemon Unite launched in 2021. It sees you run around scoring points for your team by fending off and catching wild Pokemon. And wouldn’t sprinting just be so much easier with a joystick?
The Pokemon franchise has already had massive success using Joy-Con for controls. If games from the series have already been optimized for Joy-Con use, then if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
4 Among Us
It’s kinda sus if you’re not familiar with the mobile gaming titan that is Among Us. Launched in 2018 to limited fanfare, it got a massive boost in popularity that gave it staying power. While it’s no longer a Twitch streaming mainstay, it’s not lost its popularity with mobile gamers.
Your goal is either to kill your crewmates if you’re an impostor, or sniffing out said impostor and staying alive if not given the role of saboteur. The additional control of a joystick when you’re running around the game’s maps could spell the difference between life and ejection.
3 Minecraft
Between it being one of the earliest titles for PC gaming videos on sites like YouTube and Switch, we’ve probably all played Minecraft at some point. Made public in 2009 and coming to mobile in 2011, this sandbox block-building game has enjoyed a long life so far.
Whether you’re a builder, a collector, or something in between, we all need to be able to run around the map, grab our resources, and stay alive. A little more control of your pixelated player with a Joy-Con could only enhance your playtime.
2 Genshin Impact
Any gatcha gamer has most likely spent some time in the massively popular Genshin Impact, a game that sees you assemble a team and run across Teyvat to kick ass, take names, and level up along the way.
MiHoYo’s popular hit is reportedly coming to Switch, though, implying Joy-Con support, and games like it are often easier with a controller. There's no set release date for the Switch port yet, but with innate DualShock support for PlayStation, Joy-Con support is sure to come.
1 Fortnite
Battle royale games are just as popular now as they ever have been, and the vice-grip Fortnite has had on the genre hasn't yet waned. And with Epic Games reporting roughly 400 million users, a good chunk are bound to be mobile gamers.
Since the game is free to download, you shouldn’t have any problem getting into a match. Mobile is a great way to bring your favorite games on the go, but with so much to worry about when playing Fortnite, you will surely have a bit more luck earning that #1 Victory Royale with the Joy-Con.