games for older ipods

I just started another post here https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4666795

Hopefully others will help us in the search for games for older ipods and add to the list! 🙂

1st gen iPod touch runs up to iPhone OS 3.1.3. So first, make sure you have updated the OS to the latest possible version. You can check on the iPod's Summary tab, when the iPod is connected and selected in the iTunes sidebar, under DEVICES.

After that, it's just a matter of finding a game works with 3.1.3. Use iTunes on your computer, instead of trying to use the App Store on the iPod's small screen.

The OS requirement is stated in the game description, where it says Requirements. This is how I would find games that work with 3.1.3, because the currently "featured" games are too new.

On the iTunes Store screen, select the App Store and the Games category. Toward the top, make sure you are filtering on iPhone apps (not iPad). At the bottom of the column along the right side of the screen, find MORE GAMES and select a type of game, such as Action.

Find the section that says All Action iPhone Apps, select to filter on Paid or Free, and click on See All. Where it says Sort By, select Release Date. The listing is now sorted by release date of the game, from newest to oldest. Since games that support 3.1.3 are more likely to be older, at the bottom of the listing, go to the LAST available page. You can start from there and work your way forward "in time." 🙂 Happy hunting...

Hi stlwinner.

Hope you've found some games to play. 🙂

I'm in the same predicament, however, I don't even know how to update to 3.1.3. Do you have a link I could go to? Couldn't find it on iTunes at all. Any instructions would be grateful, too.

I'd really appreciate any help you, or anyone can give.

Thanks! 🙂

This article explains the two methods to update iOS devices. However, before iOS 5, there was only one way (using iTunes), so that's how you would do it...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4623

Look toward the bottom to "drop down" the second part of the document, where is says Update your device using iTunes.

Thanks so much for the quick reply!

I tried this and it says my device is up-to-date....2.2.1

Any other advice? I feel like a kid in a candy store with no money. 🙂 Have the iPod...but can't use it.

🙂

Sorry about that... I forgot that early iPod touch OS upgrades (before iOS 4) carried a small fee ($4.95 in this case for upgrading the OS). Because of the way Apple did their "accounting" back then, they did not charge for the same iPhone upgrade, but said they were required to charge a nominal fee for iPod touch. Starting with iOS 4, there was no fee for both iPod touch and iPhone OS upgrades. Unfortunately, the 1st gen iPod touch (like the first gen iPhone) cannot run iOS 4.

This article has the details about how to do it, including the link to purchase the upgrade.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2052

Since it's version 3.1, you may need to follow the previously linked article to update from 3.1 to 3.1.3 (unless "3.1" means 3.1.3 is installed). That one is free...

Thanks again! 🙂 Will try this tonight when I get home from work.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Have you had any experience with the 1st gen and will this upgrade allow a few or a lot of apps/games? Just wondering. Not a big deal.

A~

I have a 1st gen iPhone (that I use with a "pre-paid" wireless account). 1st gen iPhone is basically like a 1st gen iPod touch, in terms of OS upgrade limitation (3.1.3) and apps it can run (I don't have a 1st gen iPod touch).

Try the approach I described in my first reply (to the original topic poster). You should find plenty of older apps (including games) that work with a 1st gen iPod touch that runs 3.1.3. In fact, you should try it now, even if the OS is only 2.2.1 currently. That way, you can try it with some free apps before paying the $4.95 to upgrade the OS to 3.1.3.

It worked!!! Upgraded to 3.1.3!!! I decided to just spend the $4.95.

Thank you so much for your help. I'm hooked on electronics but am leary in making changes/updating, etc. in fear I'll mess something up. Being my first Apple product, I was extra nervous. Very easy tho with your help!

Thanks again! Hope you're around in case I need any other advice. Take care!

A~

I have the same problem also. Just bought 2 ipod touch 1st generation for my daughters. The popular games such as Angry Birds, Where is my water, ut the rope, etc will not work...

I have the latest version OS 3.1.3 on them.

Really wish Apple would make finding apps more easy, by letting you refine the search by OS...

Here are some games, (kids) that do work:

123 Color HD

Mega Panda

Air Penguin

Scoops

Dizzy Bee

Doodle Jump Free

Yellow Fins

Lingu Pingu

Paint Sparkles

Hamster Ball

Birds'n'Blocks

Birds'n'Blocks 2

Bed Bugs Lite

These were all free, but i wouldn't mind buying apps if they either if they are good and work on the first generation ipod touch.

Hope this helps somebody, will add more as I find them...

Thank you sooo much!!

Hello! I have a special place in my heart for the older devices... Hopefully the stars will show up on everyone's computers, the stars next to the apps mean those will work with the 1st generation devices (Along with the 2nd generation devices) the ones with out the stars will work with the 2nd generation devices only, but all apps on the list should work with the 2nd generations. There are still very many more apps that will work in the AppStore, it just takes some hunting! Don't look on the featured app page, all of those will be too new. Search for generic things, and I found that sorting by release date gives me the best luck! Good luck!

B.I.T.S Pinball free

Yellow fins

ICEE Racing

Glow Doodle Snake

High tide

Downhill bowling lite

Doodle buddy

Doodle army 2:Mini Militia

Doodle jump

Doodle jump: HOP

Jelly car 1-3

Rail maze

Parachute ninja

3d pixel racing lite

Tetris

Tic tac glow

Top tic tac toe

Word search free

Air penguin free

Angry birds free

3d mini golf challenge

FAIL BOX

flow free

Spy mouse

GTI EDITION 35

Fishbowl racer

Bubble mania

Bomb factory 2

Fancy pants adventures

Junkyard

Top gear: stunt school revolution

Epic fail for iPhone

Gravity guy free!

Ski on neon free

NCIS

Tiki golf HD FREE

Beetle mania

Baseball superstars 2011

Angry Gran

Ping pong-insanely addictive!

Ishoot 2 lite

Paper toss 2.0

I-helicopter

Pandora

Johnny English reborn

Sonic and SEGA ALL-STARS Racing

Textfree

Eden

World explorer - made for mine craft

Top gear - where's stig?

RC Plane

Car park in rush hour free

Rush hour free

Applets

Text free

Alpine crawler wild

Top gear: stunt school

Touch pets cats

Tiny chef

Cloud browse

Tic tac toe

Rolercoaster extreme

Fun with a dollar

Type n talk

Tap tap revenge 3

Titanic: hidden exploration lite

Stress relief: smash edition

God finger

Smash up derby

Text free unlimited

Mars explorer

Ibowl

Finger basketball

Alpine crawler world

Vw touareg challenge

SaveMyPc

Flip book lite

Gt racing: motor academy

PAC-MAN Lite

Scoops

How cast

Flit it! Lite

Driver

California gold rush

Glow hockey 2 free

Traffic rush

Jungle crash land

Lego photo

Ferrari GT: Evolution

Nightstand

Computer music:make music now, volume 1

Furballs! Lite

AOL radio

20q Mind Reader free

Sheep stacker lite

Toobz free

Tower bloxx deluxe FREE

Parachute panic HD Lite

Real racing GTI

Rat on the run

Cows in space

Touch pets dogs

Crazy smashing computer

iZen Garden lite

Bubble snap

Doodle ships

Lite bike free

Pug mop screen

A mood pad

Water slide extreme

Paper toss

BMW Z4 lite

Volkswagen polo

Volkswagen scirocco

Stunt car racing 99 tracks free

Christmas countdown w/music

Harbor master free

Drop four in a row

SculptMaster 3D FREE

Fortune cookies

Ibash cars lite

JumiMouse

Dude, your car! Free

FaceGoo lite

Optical illusions

Ipedometer lite

Crash test free

Scary prank

Garfield daily

Pinball HD lite

Photochop

Super scratchers

Police siren (free)

UNO FREE

MADDEN NFL 12

Money oragami LITE

Americas funniest home videos

Torpedo run

Ifixit

Speedtest

Dogs spot the difference

Air cooled classics magazine

Polish word of the day

Walkie talkie standard

Guitar tuner

Bingo!

Chinese checkers lite

Checkers FS5

Free checkers game

Teeny checkers free

Game of life classic

Mahjong!!!

Coin flip free

Coin flip- the difficult decision maker

Film Set- Sound and clapper board

Keynote remote

Spider solitaire

Hi!

First off, thank you soooo much for compiling this list. I recently decided to resuscitate my first generation iphone for my 5-year-old-daughter to play with because she keeps stealing my ipad mini. 🙂

But, like most people, I had a devil of a time trying to figure out which apps would work and which ones wouldn't. Once I'm done, I will definitely contribute to this thread my own findings.

I don't see any stars on the above list though. Can anybody give me a list of specifically 3.1.3 (7E18) apps that work?

Thanks in advance!

This is 2017, how do we get any of these games ?