Last updated on January 4th, 2026 at 02:54 am
XCOM®: Enemy Within – Strategy Game Review
XCOM®: Enemy Within is a Strategy/Action game from 2K, INC., first launched in 13th November 2014.
It’s rated 17+ and currently has 5,561+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes XCOM®: Enemy Within Stand Out
NOTE: Compatible with iPad 3, iPad mini 2, iPhone 5 and up. WILL NOT be able to run on earlier generations, despite being able to purchase them on those devices
XCOM®: Enemy Within is a standalone expansion to the 2012 strategy game of the year XCOM: Enemy Unknown and it's now available on iOS devices! Enemy Within features the core gameplay of Enemy Unknown plus more exciting content. Check out the new soldiers, abilities, enemies, maps, missions, and multiplayer mode for the fresh new strategy gaming experience!
• New Soldier Abilities: Build new base facilities to unlock unearthly new capabilities for XCOM’s soldiers. The Genetics Lab will allow soldiers to receive powerful genetic modifications, and the Cybernetics Lab allows soldiers to use devastating mechanized cybersuits in battle.
• New Weapons and Equipment: Give your operatives an extra tactical edge with new projects from your engineering team and the Foundry.
• New Enemy Threats: Adopt new tactics to counter the threats from two new alien types and a deadly new organization known as EXALT.
• New Strategic Resource: A valuable new alien resource, known as Meld, has been discovered. Secure it on the battlefield, research a new technology to unlock its power, and use it carefully back at base to unlock new upgrades and weaponry.
• New Story Elements: Investigate a terrifying threat in an abandoned fishing village, and defend the XCOM headquarters from alien attack in a series of new plot-driven missions.
• New Multiplayer maps, units, and abilities: Create your custom squad from a wider array of options and dominate your opponent in intense, one-on-one, turn-based matches.
NOTE: XCOM: Enemy Within is a graphically rich game with advanced features. To OPTIMIZE your playing experience, you may want to turn off other apps before playing.
The content of this videogame is fictional and is not intended to represent or depict an actual record of the events, persons, locations, or entities in the game’s setting. The makers and publishers of this videogame do not in any way endorse, condone or encourage engaging in any conduct depicted in this videogame.
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End User License Agreement: http://www.take2games.com/eula/index.html
This Strategy game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, XCOM®: Enemy Within is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 27th October 2017
Recent improvements include:
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Addresses a crash on iPhone 8 devices
Download & Availability
XCOM®: Enemy Within is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get XCOM®: Enemy Within on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
The most entertaining game we have played in a grip! Worth the free download. You heard.
Absolutely legendary strategy game.
We absolutely love this Xcom and Xcom 2! In depth strategy and tactics. This is hands down the best turn based strategy game available on iOS.
We had it for xbox 360 and we can take it mobile.
We were able to complete the entire storyline without a single issue. Played great on our IPhone 15.
Such a great game! We have been playing this series since Terror from the Deep. We own this on both PC and now our IPad. We are grateful they added it to this platform so we can take it wherever we go. Fantastic game!!!!!!! And so inexpensive.
We have loved this game, since the very first version, many years ago! Our Favorite game of all time.A+.
Used to play this on our old desktop when it first came out then bought a copy for our iPhone when it first came out but an iOS update broke it. Every time we see a movie where a squad is moving in reminds us of this came. Decided to buy this again to play on our wifes iPad and having a blast.
This is a fantastic game and Ive owned it for years. Our only complaint is that recently Ive had trouble with achievement tracking, such as for completing the game without purchasing squad size upgrades.
We fell in love with this game on our PS3. Now we have it on 2 iPads, XBOX 360, and 2 PCs. We have XCOM 2 on the Switch. Dare we say this game is the greatest.
X com needs controller operations.
Gameplay with touchscreen is very well done. Wish there were more games like this for ipad.
We have had this game for a long time and we dont see why it shouldnt have backbone controller support. Thank you.
Now they just have to go back to the rest of the Xcom franchise that have been stranded on PC. Remake them all and bring them all into the current generation and adapt them to all of the current consoles. We would be happy to pay for that package of awesomeness.
You guys should add controller support.
We paid for this game before COVID and here we are April 2023 and this is hand down still best best iOS game Ive ever played. If you ask us its better than on Xbox and pc. Call us crazy, but it feel perfect on our phone. Yo be fair we didnt play the second one yet but we liked this one more anyway. So, if youve never played this game or thought about getting it. Do yourself a favor we dont even write reviews, but after picking it back up Its just as tight as the first time we played it. Im buying the second one just to support them for doing such a good job on this one.
This is a great game. The 5 stars are much deserved. The only complaint we have is that for us it is too difficult. We wish they had some type of special troops and extra money for those of us that are struggling to learn and play the game.
Yeah yeah we know Im 8 years late with this review. Im just here to say, this remains to this day one of the best PC-style games on iOS. Also, it mostly does works on our big fancy new iPad Pro. It looks pretty good too! Theres a couple drawbacks, but if youre reading this youve probably played the game on PC already and are looking for a mobile hit of sweet sweet XCOM, so Im sure your brain will fill in the sound effects. Because there wont be any. Sound worked perfectly well the first play session but then never came back on. Also, save scummers of the world, this is our time to shine because the game will sometimes freeze during in-game cutscenes (we suspect another sound issue). Reloading a save will get you through. The one bug that does really kill the game is the Sectopod jump animation (or sound!). So you just need to kill those before they get a chance to jump. Easy peasy! Anyways we got to the traditional endpoint of the game, where by long and sacred tradition you cant go through the final door of the final level because you missed an alien cowering we the dark 6 rooms and three miles ago. So, once again, an exact replica of the PC experience! 5 stars.
We have had this game for a long time and we dont see why it shouldnt have backbone controller support. Thank you.
You get all the dlc and original game optimized for the phone for a low price. Totally worth it.
We play XCOM 2 on switch so we got this to experience what enemy within feels like we love the game (much better cosmetics lol) tho multiplayer is dead so we know the devs probs dont care but please make a player vs bot multiplayer mode.
We enjoy xcom enemy Within but the only detail we would like fixed is the rag doll it looks like they have no bones half the time.
IPad 8th gen iOS 14.6, game just started crashing at least once every mission or two, other than that still give it five stars.
1: Cosmetics make everyone look like they have a uni-butt. 2: Only the women salute properly; all the men poke themselves in the eye. 3: Grapple bug randomly sends teammates into another dimension. That said: we LOVE this game.
We really enjoy this game. Graphics are good and so is the game play.
Take-away This game is great, complex, has randomized elements, and can be as challenging as you desire. If you are in doubt, you should try it. As it is a long game, it is a good value. General thoughts This game is something we have been looking for for years. Really fun, tough choices and there will be losses and casualties. Some times the mobility and line of sight for shooting are difficult to get just right, but thankfully autosave can bring you back to the beginning of the turn. Long hours and a lot of fun with this game. There a features that spice up the replay ability of this game. The finality of troops getting flanked and taken out is a gutting experience you can avoid on easier difficulty but is part of the excitement on replay. (Sgt. Watanabe has been killed (;)) Only real complaint is that some mechanics are not explained well in-game, like how MEC troops upgrade at a slower pace than human troops, or what the yellow enemy symbol means. Luckily online resources have all possible questions covered in full. We guess also that the RGN for dealing damage is set at the beginning of the turn, so if you have a 90% chance to hit someone you expertly flanked and it missed, loading a save wont yield a different result. Gripes (these are insignificant) As this is a port of the game, we know there wont be any updates or changes, so no use in griping but: II wish customizing was a little more extensive (gender, nationality, ability). Also it is annoying that it is nearly impossible to sneak up on enemies without ghost features, which means they get free movement and puts your troops on disadvantage. Also, the economy is a joke. Building a fighter ship cost almost as much as a singular laser weapon and a fraction of a plasma weapon. And financial support from countries as the world is being over taken to fund a dozen or so soldiers requires suspension of disbelief in extreme. Oh well.
We didnt jump into the XCOM swing when it first came out, but now Im hooked. Fun tactical game that is unforgiving and no micro transactions. Easily a great way to spend 5 bucks. Ill buy the second game just because of how good this was.
Please, update the game version for iPhone XR display. Its not very comfortable to play with a small resolution. But this game is great.
Perfect console to phone game but crash needs to be fixed iPhone X.
This game is truly a great on iOS. Tons of depth, great controls. We sometimes spend up to an hour on a single mission, so there is a LOT of hours of gameplay in this one. Dont be afraid to start on easy until you are comfortable with the mechanics.
There are a lot of 1 star reviews because the people who got this game dont like strategy but people who do like strategy we definitely recommend it.
Hello developer! Please update your game to fit on iphone x, xs, xr, 11, 11pro fullscreen.The game is awsome.Good graphics.give u 5 stars.
Expect the game to freeze semi regularly. Expect to not be able to to load saved games. Be aware that you will spend more time waiting for the sequential animations to complete than you will playing the game.
If you love xcom just get this on mobile. This runs surprisingly well.. In fact, this runs better on our iPhone base then back when we used to play this on the PS3 which is baffling. Remember all the drastic frame rate drops every time a character moves? Dont see it here. This game runs flawlessly and load times are insanely quick. 10/10 for us.
We love this game and it great to have mobile.
Had our iPad for quite sometime now, Xcom is the best game and best bang for your buck you will get for ipad, no joke. Game runs super smooth on our REGULAR iPad..you don't need a pro.. Xcom offers a full campaign mode with zero micro transaction, unlike other shovel wear mobile and tablet games and that along, for us makes it top tier! Its a blast to play,we highly recommend it.
Our favorite thing is when you get AI allies in the fight, it adds immersion and role play. Will there be any XCOM 2 chosen? Or AI friendlys updates like when they assault a resistance ally base.
Excellent strategy game with high risk/reward situations that will keep you engaged. The learning curve is steep but fair.
As someone who played the original X-Com and almost every iteration of the game since, we have to say this one is amazing. The fact that it is a mobile game is even more remarkable. The game play and content are top notch. The only thing that lets you know your on a phone is the screen size and the lack of a mouse. Now said lack of mouse has caused some combatant movement that we did not intend, and a undo option would be great, but that is really our only critique. (You can overcome the problem with slowing down and being extra careful with screen touches.) All in all, this is a great game and well worth the money.
Only one thing we are on a we phone XR and the game play screen is smaller than our screen any way to get that bigger.
We played this on our 2015 iPad Air 2 and had very few issues. If we left it in the background for awhile it would need to reboot and we had a few crashes if other large apps were running in the background, but we think thats because our iPad is old. Its not the full PC experience but it is 100 times better than most games on iPad.
Awesome game please update the game for bigger screen,we bout this game special for playing on iphone max,but need screen resolution.
Its XCOM. On your phone. Its a perfect little time killer throughout the day, as the game picks right back up where you left it as long as you dont completely terminate the app. Our one and only gripe about this port is the camera. Please, for the love of the Council, add more camera options. The current sensitivity gives us Tinder flashbacks with all the swiping thats required to move it in any meaningful way. We want to be able to drag the camera at a speed and distance that matches our fingers movement. And Id like an option that allows us to keep the camera zoomed out when we switch soldiers or end ones turn. Constantly zooming the camera out before moving soldiers is bothersome. These little improvements would greatly increase what is already a stellar experience.
Great value. Works on our iPhone 11 with no issues.
One of the best strategy games we have played we have the game on PlayStation as well.
If you played the original, or XCom 2 for the PC this will not disappoint. The story line for this is between XCom and XCom 2. If you have never played an XCom game before start here. The story in the game is very engaging.
This game is 100% worth the price. This is a must have game on iOS It is perfect for the iPad. This is our first review ever in 9 years so this must mean a lot.
This is a great port of the desktop version.
The game keeps taking us out of the app every time Im playing a online multiplayer game and keeps counting our games as a loss please fix this.
We bought this game practically the day it was released. We dont know if yall have been optimizing this over the years or what .. But loading (which was one of our only downsides) is practically nonexistent. Everything is so flawless. Love it.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.4.0
- Size: 3,355.52 MB
- iOS: 9.0 or later
- Languages: EN, FR, DE, IT, JA, KO, PL, RU, ES
- Content Advisory: Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes, Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References, Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes, Frequent/Intense Realistic Violence, Frequent/Intense Profanity or Crude Humor
- Developer: 2K, INC.
Last updated: 27th October 2017 | Genre: Strategy, Action | Developer: 2K, INC.