Best action games for tablets
Action games ranked honestly — the control problem is real, but these titles either solved it, worked around it, or don't need precision.
Action games are the hardest genre to recommend on tablets. The control problem is real — a touchscreen can't match a physical controller for precision in fast-paced games, and holding a tablet while trying to hit action inputs is awkward in a way that doesn't affect slower genres.
The games ranked here either solved that problem by supporting external controllers flawlessly, or they have gameplay that works around touch limitations.
What we looked for
- •Can you play comfortably with touch, or does the game need a controller?
- •Does the larger screen add something — better visibility, more detail?
- •Were the touch controls designed for this game, or bolted on?
Hades
Hades plays perfectly at 60fps on an iPad. While Supergiant did rebuild the touch UI, the real reason it's here is its flawless controller support. Plug an Xbox or PlayStation controller in, prop the tablet up, and it's a completely uncompromised console experience.
View details →Dead Cells
The benchmark for how to adapt action games to touchscreens. Playdigious redesigned the controls from the ground up for mobile. While it's still better with a physical controller, the touch interface is shockingly usable for a game this fast, and the 120Hz support on Pro models makes dodging incredibly responsive.
View details →Sayonara Wild Hearts
This is how you do a touch-native action game. It's a pop-album rhythm runner where the swipe and tap controls were authored specifically for touch, not ported from buttons. It looks gorgeous on a big screen and runs flawlessly on older tablets.
View details →GRIS
An action-platformer that doesn't require twitch reflexes. The inputs are simple enough that touch controls never get in the way. The reason you play GRIS on a tablet instead of a phone is the art: it's a stunning watercolor world with tiny background details that are completely lost on a smaller display.
View details →Vampire Survivors
The bullet-hell roguelike phenomenon is perfect for tablets because you only need one thumb to steer — the game handles all the attacking automatically. The tablet version supports 4-player couch co-op, which means you can lay the tablet flat on a table and have four people playing at once.
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