Stakk Money Ent.: The Best Games to Show Off Your iPhone 5’s Big Screen

The iPhone 5 is here! The taller screen gives users more room for Maps, Mail and many other key iOS apps. But perhaps coolest of all, the additional screen real estate is already being put to good use by iOS game developers large and small.

The new screen is just a half-inch bigger, but that small amount of extra space makes a huge difference when it comes to making a handheld gaming experience not feel cramped. We’ve compiled a list of the iPhone 5-ready games that best show off the new phone’s extra space:

Jetpack Joyride (IGN Review)

Jetpack Joyride isn’t a graphical powerhouse, but it’s still a perfect example of just how handy a extra half-inch of screen space can be. Objects fly at hero Barry Steakfries from right-to-left. One hit, and it’s game over. So with a longer screen, gamers have extra time to dodge out of the way. The iPhone 5 should make it easier for gamers to live longer and set higher scores.

Asphalt 7: Heat (IGN Review)

Gameloft has updated several of its games to support the iPhone 5 and Asphalt 7 is probably the best of the bunch. The fast-paced arcade racer features dozens of single player events and online multiplayer for just $0.99. And of course, like all recent Gameloft releases, the game looks absolutely gorgeous. Even moreso on the new iPhone’s bigger screen.

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy (More Info)

Namco’s impressive aerial dogfighter looks and plays even better on the iPhone 5. In addition to the bigger viewing area, the game also takes advantage of the phone’s new A6 processor to speed up load times and improve some graphical effects. The iPhone 5 patch also squashed a few lingering bugs.

SpellTower (Trailer)

SpellTower might not be flashy, but Zach Gage’s fresh take on the word-making genre took the mobile gaming world by storm when it launched late last year. The game’s iPhone 5 update is unique because it actually adds fresh content. iPhone 5 owners can now access “iPad Puzzle Mode” – a mode previously only available to (you guessed it) iPad owners. It features a larger 8x14 play grid instead of the 8x12 grid previously featured on the iPhone version of the title.

Tiny Tower (Full Wiki Guide)

Like Jetpack Joyride, Tiny Tower won’t wow anyone with its cute pixel art graphics. But it’s a game that really helps gamers appreciate the iPhone 5’s slightly larger screen. Tiny Tower is a game all about developing your tower into a mega-structure 100 (or more) stories tall. A bigger screen means more employees and more floors are visible on-screen at once, reducing that always-annoying need to scroll through unwanted floors until you find what you’re looking for.

Plenty more iPhone 5-optimized titles are available, including Horn, Lili, Temple Run, Agent Dash and virtually every title from Pangea Software.

Over the next several weeks, newly-launched games will be a mix of titles that are iPhone 5 ready and titles that feature black bars due to running in the old iPhone 4 & 4S screen size. These titles are confirmed to support the new 4-inch screen at launch:

Real Racing 3 (More Info)