Apple Arcade gives you access to a lot of games, but what’s really worth your time? iPhoned lists the best Apple Arcade games for you.
Best Apple Arcade Games
Apple Arcade is a subscription service from Apple for playing games on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. For a fixed amount per month you get access to a large library of exclusive titles.
Apple Arcade has got a separate tab in the App Store, but Apple isn’t very good at presenting the games that stand out in quality. Don’t have that much time to try everything? Then it is difficult to determine which titles are really worth your time. That’s why we did that for you.
Last update: November 2020
Also read our Apple Arcade review: no frills gaming and the highest quality
1. What the Wave?
What the Wave? is the most hilarious game we’ve played in a long time. Basically this is a golf puzzle game. Your goal is to find something in a large series of puzzles hole to hit. Now you may expect that this is a golf ball every time, but that is absolutely not the case.
Soon, for example, you hit the golf club, the golfer and even the arrow that indicates where the ball is going. And those are just the first levels. Then follows a series of hilarious puzzles in which you never know what to expect. Some levels are purely made to put a pun at the end, while others are fun because of the complete absurdity. Take your chance and be surprised.
2. The Last Campfire
The Last Campfire is a touching adventure game that also looks very nice. You follow a creature that has ended up in a strange world. He has to escape from that. You do this by avoiding dangers and solving puzzles. Both flat puzzles and puzzles in the environment itself.
The Last Campfire manages to maintain the balance between touching and challenging, resulting in a game that will keep you hooked for hours and an adventure that will linger for a long time.
3. Manifold Garden
Manifold Garden was announced many years ago, but the ambitions of creator William Chyr were too great for realistic planning. The game was worth the wait. In Manifold Garden you step into a world that does not end, but repeats itself endlessly. So do you step off a platform and fall down? Then you will come across that same platform again.
In this unique world you end up in rooms where you have to solve puzzles. For that, you get the option to turn gravity in whichever direction you want. The goal is initially to put colored boxes on the correct button to open doors. Of course it doesn’t stop there, but discovering for yourself is just like with What the Golf? the nicest.
4. Creaks
Game maker Amanita Design (Machinarium, Chuchel) has created a new game gem. In Creaks, you control a man who opens a secret door in his room with a long staircase behind it. Walk through that door and wander into a special world, full of puzzles and dangers.
You only brought a flashlight to defeat the monsters you encounter there, but you lose even that very quickly. Then all you have left is your cleverness and the will to go deeper and deeper and discover more. Creaks is a delightful adventure game that constantly excites you to explore and move on. Be sure to wear headphones to fully enjoy the experience.
5. Card of Darkness
We keep a close eye on Zach Gage, because every time he makes a game, we have something cool waiting for us. Card of Darkness is his most ambitious project to date, in collaboration with the creator of the fantastic animated series Adventure Time. This time, Gage opts for a more traditional approach. As an adventurer, you venture into dungeons to get as far as possible.
You do this in a playing field full of piles of cards. These cards consist of enemies, weapons, money, magic spells and life potions. Your goal is to pick the right cards so you can get as far as you can while trying to survive. With a combination of thinking and luck, this game will stay fun for a very long time.
6. Mini Motorways
With Mini Metro, you were challenged to build an entire metro network, in a cheerful style reminiscent of the London Underground maps. The result was a very fun game. That is no different with successor Mini Motorways.
This time you build a metropolis with a similar, minimalist style. Your goal is to connect houses to buildings of the same color via roads. The longer you play, the more complicated it gets and the more options you get. Think of traffic lights and highways. Fire up the game and before you know it it’s about an hour later.
7. Reigns: Beyond
After Reigns, Reigns: Kings & Queens and Reigns: Game of Thrones, it’s now time for Reigns: Beyond. The basics have remained unchanged: you swipe cards left or right to make choices. But the setting is completely different. You play the captain of a special spaceship, on which you have to deal with the crew (which is also a band), the ship itself and the special situations you find yourself in. You will often die, but next time you just make different choices. Just like its predecessors, Reigns: Beyond is also a top game.
8. Where Cards Fall
In this beautiful game you play with cards, but not as you are used to. You can turn cards into buildings. This results in nice puzzles in which you have to get to the other side of the map through clever thinking. In between, a melancholic story is told. Where Cards Fall is one of the best looking games on Apple Arcade.
9. Sayonara Wildhearts
In this rhythm game you get on a motorcycle and race through insanely stylish levels. There’s a lot going on in this game, but it mainly comes down to you steering in the right direction and tapping the screen in time to dodge attacks, for example. This game is worth it for the soundtrack and design alone, but it is also fun to play.
10. Grindstone
You might expect something beautiful and floaty from Capybara Games, but nothing could be further from the truth with Grindstone. The focus is completely on the gameplay. In puzzles you have to defeat enough enemies to open the door and go to the next level. You defeat these enemies by connecting a series of the same color and then string them on your sword. If it takes too long, the levels become more and more difficult. The game is original, fun and very challenging.
11. South of the Circle
South of the Circle is a special adventure game, which revolves entirely around the story. You crash with a plane in Antarctica. As you set out to seek help, you’ll learn more about the main character’s past. In particular, his relationship with his great love Clara. But when help seems further away than ever, it becomes difficult to determine what is real life and what is a dream. As a player you choose which emotion the main character feels, but in the end it’s all about the story, the characters and the beautiful setting. And that’s more than enough.
12. Pilgrims
If the maker of Machinarium and Chuchel, among others, makes a new game, then you pay attention. Pilgrims is something completely different than Aminita Design has made before (even than the aforementioned Creaks), but the originality is striking. You play the game by laying down cards. Cards consist of objects and characters that you place in a level to get things done. In between you travel through a world map to find new assignments. You’ve never played anything like this.
13. Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Ream
You shouldn’t expect a game as big and good as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Apple Arcade, but Oceanhorn 2 is well on its way. You get a huge world to discover, in which you fight through as the hero and solve puzzles. If you’re used to modern video game consoles, Oceanhorn 2 feels a bit old-fashioned. Still, the game is a joy to play. It is especially impressive that it is all possible on the small screen of an iPhone.
14. Exit the Gungeon
After Enter the Gungeon, the endless dungeons threaten to collapse, so there’s only one thing left to do: Exit the Gungeon. This happens in a crazy action spectacle in which you have to defeat all enemies on an elevator. You always get different weapons, so you can never use a familiar tactic. That makes the game very fun to play.
15. Crossy Road Castle
You probably know the smartphone game Crossy Road. This game took the idea of ​​game classic Frogger, and built a very nice modern game out of it. Crossy Road Castle takes the cuteness and characters of the original, but builds a delightful platformer around it. Climb a tower by playing small, random levels, avoiding obstacles and enemies while collecting as many coins as possible. How far can you get? Nice is that you can also play with multiple players in the same room.
16. Assemble With Care
Taking devices apart and putting them back together can be very satisfying. But before you know it, that won’t work anymore. That’s why the makers of Monument Valley have turned it into a nice game in which you can work freely on sentimental devices. It’s a nice game full of screws, slides and other friemessages.
17. Neo Cabo
In the future, almost all taxis will be controlled by artificial intelligence. You are the last human rider. You pick up customers via an app and have conversations with them. As soon as you end up in a new city, you think you can stay there with a friend. Suddenly she disappears, you have no house and so there is nothing for it but to drive on. During the conversations you therefore have a constant battle between your emotions and the state of mind of your customers. A bad customer score means less work. This results in a very original and captivating game.
18. Bleak Sword
In many games from this list you can take your time, but that is absolutely not the case in Bleak Sword. Think of this game as a very minimalist Dark Souls like. Roll away from enemies and smash them to survive and advance through the small levels. Choose your upgrades carefully between levels to get the bonus you need.
19. A Monster’s Expedition
In A Monster’s Expedition, you are a monster who sets out on what was once Earth. He hops from island to island, but can only progress if he correctly places trees between the islands. He can push and roll those trees, but once they roll he can’t stop them. So you have to puzzle well. Are you not getting any further? Then you just go the other way!
20. Mutazione
Creator: Die Gute Fabrik
A young woman visits her ailing grandfather in an area where no visitors have been for a long time. The inhabitants have been mutated by a dramatic event. That’s how you come across the strangest creatures. In the village you build ties with them, do assignments and learn more about the area. A nice, quiet game to lose yourself in.
New games are added to Apple Arcade regularly. That’s why we will add to this list over time when top games are added again. So keep an eye on us. For example, by subscribing to our free newsletter or downloading the iPhoned app.