Banner Saga in IOS

Roleplaying

Walkthrough, Guilds, Tips on this special game

Our Expert Score

98/100

The Banner Saga is a triumph of storytelling and tactical design. It feels like playing through a living Viking tapestry, where every thread can be cut by a single poor decision. The combat systemβ€”where health and damage are tied to the same 'Strength' statβ€”is brilliant because it forces you to weigh the risk of every attack. Do you chip away at an enemy's armor or go for the kill?

But the real weight of the game is in the caravan management. Watching your supplies dwindle while a literal darkness chases you creates a sense of dread that few games achieve. The characters are nuanced, the world-building is peerless, and the hand-drawn art is some of the finest ever put into a video game. It is a somber, beautiful, and unforgettable experience.

Dinsun reviewed on: Fri Feb 27 2026

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

Version 1.06Mon May 01 2017

This app has been updated by Apple to display the AppleΒ Watch app icon.

We've re-balanced the final chapter of the game. The final Bellower battle has been tuned to be more fair on Normal difficulty settings, and there are more opportunities for obtaining supplies and items in Chapter 6.

Banner Saga 1 has been updated to the latest version of the engine technology, and quite a bit of cleanup has happened under the hood. A few of the improvements seen in Banner Saga 2 have been incorporated into this build.

Added adjustable 'UI Scale' to help readability on smaller devices - go to device's Settings App and use the UI Scale slider.

Upgrade '+' sign shows up on hero icons in heroes tent when appropriate

Extended tooltips in battle

-on stat banner, buffs, and items.

-on hazards such as slag-and-burn, coals, etc...

Match Resolution:

-Consequences tab shows injured units

-Achievements tab shows new achievements

-Items tab shows newly acquired items

News Ticker on Start Screen

Injured units to not heal during travel, only when Resting in camp/village

Injured units' STR penalty now equals the number of days of injury remaining

Nid now starts at rank 2 when she joins the caravan

Increased loot drop chance for winning the second wave of a battles.

Varl that join the caravan after the Godstone in chapter 3 now have supplies.

Fix issue in Ludin/Vedrfell tutorial getting stuck if ludin has been upgraded

Fix issue preventing class achievements from unlocking

Fix typos

Fix issue causing some resume saves to get stuck when loading

Fix Backbiter Veteran enemy incorrectly using Dagr's appearance

Fix issue with Nid having a negative amount of stat points to spend

Fix Number of Varl in caravan does not increase despite varl choosing to join Iver when leaving Einartoft... now adds 23 varl to caravan

Fix Ubin's caravan does not add fighters or varl to your caravan when joining... now adds 15 fighters, 5 varl, and 40 supplies (rather than 30 supplies)

Added a slider setting for scaling the UI larger or smaller.

Disable the Quit Game button in options for the iOS builds.

Fixed an issue with the battle HUD elements so they scale up/down with other UI.

Added message for when players have iCloud disabled.

Fix for scaling of subtitles.

Update minimum iOS version to 9.0

Fix for Backbiter champion using Dagr's appearance.

Add 'Buy TBS 2' function to start page.

Changed the link for rating the app.

Fix bad quotation marks in Polish text.

Reduce max memory used by heraldry.

Set anim compression values to those used in saga 2. Should fix a bunch of memory-related crashes.


Embark on your own epic journey in Banner Saga, the critically acclaimed tactical RPG where your strategic choices directly affect your personal story and the world around you.

Leave your home and strike out on a desperate journey to save your people. Lead your caravan across stunning environments and into war with enemy clans and vicious Drudge soldiers. Build relationships and make choices that will shape the future of your clan as you scramble to survive in this beautiful, bleak world.

Banner Saga Features:

- A unique fantasy realm inspired by Norse mythology – explore a grim world shaped by the legends of the Vikings. Uncover ancient lore and battle tooth and nail to carve out a new bastion in a world abandoned by the gods.

- Beautiful 2D rotoscope animation - immerse yourself in beautifully hand drawn combat sequences and animations, accompanied by an evocative score from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory.

- Real choices with real consequences – every decision you make on the trail, in conversation and during combat has a meaningful effect on the outcome as your unique story unfolds.

- Over 25 playable characters with unique personalities – form relationships in and out of combat with a variety of characters from 7 different classes, each with unique abilities and upgrade options to fit your play style.

- Strategic combat with permanent repercussions – choose your warriors, form your strategy and strike. Adapt to a dynamic battlefield where your tactics determine who lives and who dies. Victory, defeat and even the permanent loss of a character depends on the choices you make.

- Winner of the Geekie Award for best Indie Video Game, 2014, Independent Games Festival Finalist for Excellence in Visual Art and Honorable mentions for Design and Audio.

Only your choices can guide your caravan through the harsh winter, past mystical enemies and brutal Viking clans. When the trail is uncertain, can you take the lead?

Download Banner Saga and begin your journey today.

NOTE: Banner Saga does NOT run on iPhone 4. iPhone 4S and more modern devices recommended.


Requires iOSΒ 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPodΒ touch.

Embark on your own epic journey in Banner Saga, the critically acclaimed tactical RPG where your strategic choices directly affect your personal story and the world around you.

Leave your home and strike out on a desperate journey to save your people. Lead your caravan across stunning environments and into war with enemy clans and vicious Drudge soldiers. Build relationships and make choices that will shape the future of your clan as you scramble to survive in this beautiful, bleak world.

Banner Saga Features:

- A unique fantasy realm inspired by Norse mythology – explore a grim world shaped by the legends of the Vikings. Uncover ancient lore and battle tooth and nail to carve out a new bastion in a world abandoned by the gods.

- Beautiful 2D rotoscope animation - immerse yourself in beautifully hand drawn combat sequences and animations, accompanied by an evocative score from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory.

- Real choices with real consequences – every decision you make on the trail, in conversation and during combat has a meaningful effect on the outcome as your unique story unfolds.

- Over 25 playable characters with unique personalities – form relationships in and out of combat with a variety of characters from 7 different classes, each with unique abilities and upgrade options to fit your play style.

- Strategic combat with permanent repercussions – choose your warriors, form your strategy and strike. Adapt to a dynamic battlefield where your tactics determine who lives and who dies. Victory, defeat and even the permanent loss of a character depends on the choices you make.

- Winner of the Geekie Award for best Indie Video Game, 2014, Independent Games Festival Finalist for Excellence in Visual Art and Honorable mentions for Design and Audio.

Only your choices can guide your caravan through the harsh winter, past mystical enemies and brutal Viking clans. When the trail is uncertain, can you take the lead?

Download Banner Saga and begin your journey today.

NOTE: Banner Saga does NOT run on iPhone 4. iPhone 4S and more modern devices recommended.


Ratings & Reviews

4.8 out of 5 with 2047 Counts
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
Age Rating 13+

Screenshots

Banner Saga screenshot 1Banner Saga screenshot 2Banner Saga screenshot 3Banner Saga screenshot 4Banner Saga screenshot 5Banner Saga screenshot 6Banner Saga screenshot 7Banner Saga screenshot 8Banner Saga screenshot 9Banner Saga screenshot 10

The Banner Saga is a narrative-driven tactical RPG inspired by Norse mythology. As the leader of a caravan fleeing an ancient threat, you must manage your resources, settle disputes among your followers, and engage in deep turn-based combat. The game's unique Strength/Armor mechanic adds a layer of depth to every skirmish, while the stunning hand-painted visuals and haunting soundtrack by Austin Wintory bring this apocalyptic world to life.

Features

1

Breathtaking hand-drawn art

2

Consequential branching narrative

3

Deep turn-based tactical combat

4

Epic score by Austin Wintory

Tips

Promotion Videos

Towerborne - Announce Trailer - YouTube

Related Videos

News on this game

10 Years Later, the Most Underrated RPG Series Still Deserves Your Attention

We're never satisfied with perfection. There's always room for more pixels, better lighting, or bigger maps.

Inverse - Fri May 02 2025

Indie publisher Versus Evil has shut down

Indie publisher Versus Evil has laid off its entire staff as the holidays have begun and is closing after a decade.

Game Developer - Fri May 02 2025

Pillars of Eternity publisher Versus Evil shuts down, staff laid off

Versus Evil, the indie game publisher behind Stoic Studio's The Banner Saga and Obsidian Entertainment's Pillars of Eternity,...

Polygon - Fri May 02 2025

The upcoming Microsoft-published game Towerborne will hold its first Twitch event March 7

In June 2023, during the Xbox Games Showcase, The Banner Saga development team at Stoic Games first revealed its next title, Towerborne.

Neowin - Wed Jul 02 2025

'The Banner Saga' Review: Beautiful, But Not Quite Brilliant (PC)

The moment I laid eyes on indie developer Stoic's The Banner Saga, I wanted to love everything about it. The art-style is simply...

Forbes - Sat May 02 2015

Stoic Director Arnie Jorgensen Discusses The Banner Saga Trilogy, Kickstarter, and Throwing Away Seven Months of ...

We think The Banner Saga will continue to be played by people for decades to come, so we choose to think long-term. The crunch wasn't bad at all...

Jump Dash Roll - Sun Feb 02 2020

The Banner Saga 3 Review

Stoic Games' denouement to their beautifully animated, Viking-inspired epic contains, in heaping doses, more of everything that made the...

IGN - Mon Dec 02 2019

Banner Saga Publisher Has Shut Down and Laid Off

Versus Evil, the publisher behind The Banner Saga, shuts its doors after ten years of helping to create dozens of indie games.

Game Rant - Fri May 02 2025

Towerborne is a new game from the makers of The Banner Saga

Stoic Studio made an appearance at the Xbox Games Showcase, showing off its new action-adventure title Towerborne.

Shacknews - Wed Oct 02 2024

In The Bleak Midwinter: How Composer Austin Wintory Brought Stoic Beauty to The Banner Saga

Yet The Banner Saga's musical score is possibly Wintory's greatest victory to date. In the track called Walls no Man has Seen, a lonely bassoon...

GameSpot - Tue Jun 02 2015

Gameplays

Q&A

Yes β€” your decisions influence characters and outcomes across the campaign.

More by Developer

You Might Also Like

All Categories

Puzzle Game

Action Game

Simulation Game

Casual Game

Card Game

Adventure Game

Roleplaying Game

Board Game

Sports Game

Strategy Game

Racing Game

Family Game

Casino Game

Music Game

Word Game

Trivia Game

Education Game

Games Game

Entertainment Game

Utilities Game

Social Networking Game

Books Game

Health & Fitness Game

Lifestyle Game