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There's no doubt that gaming has become a staple of nowadays pop culture, permeating very well into almost any other aspect of out everyday lives. The most popualr video games peek at us from books, clothes, and other mundane paraphernalia around every corner. And while mobile games are generally not as popular as the cross-platform phenomenons of the industry, there's a hefty amount of excellent time-sinkers available on the App Store.

What's better than a great smartphone game to sink some time in? Well, a great free smartphone game to sink some time in! If you're donning an iOS device, here are a couple of triple-A mobile games to play in 2018!

Fortnite Battle Royale

The battle royale genre is at the peak of its popularity right now, and Fortnite is easily the most popular one out there. True, it didn't kickstart the genre, but it surely sent it to unfathomable heights. The free-to-play game is a huge time-sinker that is just as addictive as its flagship desktop version and would easily make you lose a couple of hours into intense PVP multiplayer where you strive to become the last man standing. Truly, a must-try game that somehow works quite well with the all-touch control setup of a smartphone.

Thanks to the latest update to Season 7, Fortnite will now natively run at 60fps on your iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, or iPad Pro, meeting one of the unwritten laws of gaming.

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PUBG

PUBG is also on iOS now, just like its biggest rival - Fortnite. While PUBG was the first battle royale game to really put the novel genre on the roadmap, it has been lagging a bit behind Fortnite as far as overall popularity goes. While the two games are super-similar in terms of core gameplay, PUBG lacks the building aspect of Fortnite which makes it better or worse depending on who you ask. Of course, once you look past that, the differences are that much more easier to spot: for example, PUBG has better gunplay and more realistic drab graphics, which are a stark contrast to Fortnite's cartoony style. Needless to say, with PUBG being completely free on mobile, it's worth checking out both games.

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South Park: Phone Destroyer

The first official South Park game on mobiles is a mix between a real-time strategy and a collectible-card game, which brings out the best of both genres in a humor-infused gem that brings a fresh new take on the South Park universe. Similarly to the PC/console games in the South Park franchise (The Stick of Truth and the Fractured But Whole), you will play as the New Kid or "Douchebag", as Eric Cartman loves to refer to the protagonist of the games. The gameplay, albeit unique of its own, has the same premise as multiple other CCG games and requires you to deplete the enemy's health pool in order to emerge victorious in the unforgiving PVP multiplayer battles.

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Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Even if you're not a Potterhead, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is very likely to strike you as an excellent game. The reason for that is rather simple - even if it wasn't set in J. K. Rowling's universe, the game would have made for a mighty fine and relaxing mobile title. Of course, this is only solidified by the rich and ever-so-vibrant wizarding world around you, which is bustling with all kinds of references to Harry Potter's gang and the newer Fantastic Beasts franchise. Also, you get to explore Hogwarts from yet another point of view, which is certainly a very redeeming aspect of the game in the eyes of Potterheads.

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Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

The classic Nintendo 64 title has recently graced mobile devices, and for gamers that live and breathe Nintendo, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a must-have. Just like in the original game, you take on the role of campsite manager and spend time with your favorite anthropomorphic pals. Definitely a great time-waster!

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The Sims Mobile

EA and Maxis' good ol' classic, The Sims, has just recently received its proper treatment to mobile devices with The Sims Mobile, a game that doesn't necessarily feel like a cash grab but features more of the core elements that made The Sims, well... The Sims. Just like on the flagship PC version of the game, The Sims Mobile allows you to engage into various activities with the Sim of your choosing, but you should know that the building aspects that made the original game such a fun title are quite limited in the mobile game. Still, a popular new title that fans of the franchise should be playing.

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Dungeon Hunter 5

If hack'n'slash action RPGs are your thing, then you should be playing Dungeon Hunter 5, no second opinion about it. With a few disclaimers in tow, the game can be also considered an MMO title that allows players to partake in asynchronous PVP battles, where other human players try to overtake your own dungeon's defenses and loot all of your gold. Your dungeon also includes an AI-controlled version of your own character, so if you've developed your base and character well enough, you might just fend off other players and protect your gold.

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Standoff 2

Probably the most popular multiplayer FPS franchise of all time, Counter Strike, will likely never arrive on mobile devices, but thankfully for all of us, game developers inspired by the classic shooter have taken it to themselves to come up with not-too-shabby clones. Standoff 2 is a superb shooter that successfully encapsulates the feel of Counter Strike Global Offensive in an easily-digestible mobile package, available on just about any contemporary iOS device.

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Full of Stars

The future is both fascinating and depressing - while it's probably certain that humanity will reach out to the stars and expand beyond the Solar system at some point, we wouldn't live to see that. In Full of Stars, however, you will be able to role-play with humanity's last Noah's ark, a ship carrying a precious cargo - the last seeds of humanity left in the universe. As earth is no more, you will have to find us a new home in this compelling story-driven adventure.

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Iron Blade

Gameloft's epic hack'n'slash RPG is a great representative of the genre which, of course, has you fighting against hordes of fantasy baddies in medieval Europe. Seriously, where are developers fighting so many goons for you to transfer into XP points? Boggles the mind. Anyway, Iron Blade will have you forge your own weapons, master various powerful skills, and, generally, have a great time.

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BlackBox

Puzzle games are usually quite addictive, but BlackBox pushes the boundaries of these even further. It will force you to really push your mind to solve the puzzles by exploring your device and its on-board sensors, forcing you to tilt and rotate it in different ways. To say that you will have to think outside of the box, we will be grossly underestimating the game. Your best bet is to go check it out and see for yourself what the fuss is all about.

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The Battle of Polytopia

Ever played any of Sid Meier's fantastic Civilization games? If yes, then The Battle of Polytopia will feel just at home. This 4X game (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) will have you explore procedurally generated worlds, battle tribes, and expand your empire to new heights. Every playthrough is different thanks to the procedurally-generated maps with various terrains, which makes the game that much more interesting.

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Paper.io 2

The latest installment in a long series of many addictive fast-paced io-style games is Paper.io, where you play as a colorful square that has to expand its, hm, "domain" by circling around the paper world and claiming the real estate space for yourself. The game is a fast-paced multiplayer one, so other will try to foil your attempts of growing your paper kingdom too large. Overall, a rather addictive multiplayer jig that will keep you entertained for a while!

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Crowd City

There's a reason why io-styled games are usually so addictive. They provide tons of entertainment with the usually super-short but very competitive PVP multiplayer battles that usually revolve around a simplistic gameplay mechanic. In the case of Crowd City, it is all about leadership - you have to use your character to recruit as many of the passersby as possible before your opponents do the same. The person with the largest crowd following them is the unanimous winner!

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Swing Star

If you're still yearning for an acceptable Spiderman game on mobile, you can scratch this itch by giving Swing Star a try. It's a game that has you swing around the levels by trying to conserve your momentum and reaching the final checkpoint before falling down to your untimely death in the abyss.

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@kirill, thread stuck. Nice going!