Which are the best Apple Arcade games? We've played countless titles on the platform just to put together this list of our favorites, including everything from card-play horse-racing simulators to ethereal puzzle games in magical realms. All you need to do is decide which to play first.
Many of the best iPhone games are available for you to play via Apple Arcade, and in fact, many of them are among the best mobile games overall. You've got a bunch of smash hits like Stardew Valley and Balatro, but you've also got slightly more obscure games like Monument Valley or Wydle Flowers, which are worth your time just as much.
Here are the best Apple Arcade games:
- Balatro
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Katamari Damacy Rolling Live
- Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!
- Stardew Valley
- Wylde Flowers
- Dead Cells
- Fantasian
- Oceanhorn 2
- Gibbon Beyond The Trees
- What the Golf?
- Monument Valley
- Sonic Dream Team
- Pac Man 256
- Football Manager 2024 Touch
- Mini Motorways
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure
- Skate City: New York
- Final Fantasy+
- With My Buddy
Balatro
There's a good reason why Balatro took The Game Awards 2024 by storm, ultimately earning the coveted Mobile Game of the Year at the event. This single-player roguelite uses elements of Poker, alongside random modifiers that will make every single round of Balatro feel different and unique.
You can play a variety of decks, all of which add their own advantage (or potentially, disadvantage) and each has varying difficulties for a harder challenge. Balatro's glorious simple-to-learn, hard-to-master approach to the genre makes it easy to fall in love with, and hard to put down.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
This may be the most enchanting life sim adventure as it brings together your favorite Disney and Pixar characters in one magical village. In Disney Dreamlight Valley+, you build a home, grow crops, cook meals with Remy, and help characters like Moana and Mickey recover their memories after a mysterious curse. The opportunities for decorating are infinite with all the new content that's added regularly.
The quests are surprisingly rich, the world is gorgeous, and there's always something new to unlock as the game is regularly updated with new worlds and characters. As Kayleigh says in our Disney Dreamlight Valley review, "you get to create a whole new world, and that's something that Disney and life sim fans alike can enjoy. So go on, meet your childhood heroes and don't just be their guest - be their neighbour and friend."
Katamari Damacy Rolling Live
After years of nothing, Apple Arcade ended up being the avenue through which Katamari Damacy returned. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, these games see you playing as a small alien prince who rolls around a small ball which gets things stuck to it. You start small, rolling it into household objects (e.g. bottles), but by the end, you've got something so massive that you're collecting things as big as planes, and later even celestial bodies. It's a wacky concept, but it's a lot of fun.
Admittedly, the game doesn't do a huge amount to set itself apart from earlier instalments in the series, other than contextualising it all as a live stream, but it's a great jumping-in point for the series. Meanwhile, old fans are likely to find it pleasantly familiar - especially if they haven't played any of the other games in a while. It's a really great addition to the library and a good reason to get Apple Arcade.
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! is a revival of a cult 3DS game from Pokémon developer Game Freak that fuses horse racing and solitaire into something that is much more exhilarating than you could imagine from that combination. Really, stick with us on this one.
In our Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! review we said it's "the best card game on Apple Arcade, the best sports game on Apple Arcade, and, well, it might just be the best game on Apple Arcade. With exhilarating mechanics, hours of content, and idiosyncrasies like no other sports or card game, there's no reason not to try your luck with the ponies." Big praise for a banging game.
Stardew Valley
It's the game that put cosy farm games (back) on the map. If you've not yet played the indie game that took the community by storm, then Apple Arcade is the way to do it. It takes a lot of inspiration from the Harvest Moon games, but I'm sure many would agree that it surpasses the games that went before it.
The story sees you moving to a place called Pelican Town after you inherit a plot of land. Naturally, you use it to start a farm, but really, how you spend your time is entirely up to you. You can head down into the caves for a bit of mining and to fight against monsters, or you can get to know the people of the town and scope out someone to be your husband or wife. You've got a peaceful new life in your hands, and it's for you to decide how you spend it.
Wylde Flowers
Are you looking for a spellbinding time in the woods? With Wylde Flower, you can live the life simulation dream while cooking up some spells, and thanks to a recent Wylde Flowers update, you can cook up some romance too.
There are countless crops to go, animals to feed, and plenty of space to zoom about on your broomstick packed in a tiny package here, and you can pick it up on the Apple Arcade any time. If you still need convincing, check out our Wylde Flowers review.
Dead Cells
Dead Cells is one of the most acclaimed Metroidvania games of the last few years, right up there with Metroid Dread and Hollow Knight. With a neon-infused art style, combat that keeps you on your toes at all times, and plenty of secrets to uncover as you explore, it's a truly engaging experience for fans of roguelike games.
With more content than ever before thanks to the Dead Cells Break the Bank update, you can quickly lose hours of your life slicing through enemies and finding new rooms in this colorful celebration of old-school video game violence.
Fantasian
If you like an old-school RPG, this experience from the creator of Final Fantasy is a proper hidden gem. It's got tight battle mechanics, wonderful hand-drawn in-game art, and an epic story that you can't help but engross yourself in, and you can play it for no additional cost thanks to Apple Arcade.
Harnessing the spirit of classic turn-based RPGs like Final Fantasy 6, this game offers plenty of stunning scenes and tough battles for you to explore. Check out our Fantasian review here to find out more.
Oceanhorn 2
If you're a Zelda fan, Oceanhorn 2 is a must-play. It raises the stakes of the first game, as well as improving the visuals, to offer a single-player experience that's reminiscent of some of Link's greatest adventures.
It's easy to see some Breath of the Wild inspiration in the art style and runs well on Apple products. With over 20 hours of gameplay, huge boss fights, plenty of side quests, and a heap of puzzles, there's more than enough to keep you busy.
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
With stunning, hand-drawn graphics and a story that highlights the real-world ecological threats that gibbons face, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is a gorgeous ecological adventure with a vibrant soul.
Felix Bohatsch, CEO of Gibbon: Beyond the Trees developer Broken Rules, said they 'began this project fascinated by the way apes move through the jungle', but 'as [they] researched gibbons and their existence in the world today, we realized there was a deeper story to tell.' Check out our Gibbon: Beyond the Trees review to find out more.
What the Golf?
If you are a fan of madcap, chaotic fun found in titles like Goat Simulator and I Am Bread, What the Golf? is a great choice for you. As an inventive little game that radiates an aura of anti-golf and goofiness, it will have you swinging and putting around courses with the aid of office chairs, a horse, cannons, and more.
As you can see in the picture above, you're not stuck with just golf clubs and balls, either - moving house has never been so fun!
Monument Valley
From the same creators that brought you Assemble With Care, Monument Valley is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry.
You are tasked with guiding the silent princess Ida through mysterious monuments as you uncover hidden paths, unfolding optical illusions, and outsmart the enigmatic Crow People.
The scenes are completely stunning, each being fit to hang on the wall of an art gallery. Reminiscent of M.C. Escher's painting 'Relativity', levels consist of overlapping staircases, geometric shapes, and twisting pillars that are both intriguing and breath-taking, and fit perfectly with the simple character designs. Monument Valley is certainly a spectacle to behold.
Sonic Dream Team
A 3D Sonic adventure exclusive to Apple Arcade? Yes, please. While the Blue Blur's had something of a mixed track record over the last few years, this game is one of the most engaging outings for Sega's mascot yet, with colorful stages, challenging bosses, and as ever, some fantastic platforming.
In this game, it's your goal to take down Dr. Eggman before he unleashes the power of his diabolical dreams. Fortunately, Sonic doesn't have to face this fight alone, with Tails, Knuckles, and other members of the gang joining in on the fun. If you're a fan of this series, this isn't one to miss.
Pac-Man 256
Sometimes bugs are so beloved that they are retroactively turned into features, and in this case, a bug became the premise of a whole game. For those who don't know, in the original version of Pac-Man, the game becomes unwinnable at the 256th level. An entire half of the screen is just a glitched mess, preventing you from progressing further.
In Pac-Man 256, our favorite yellow chomper has to navigate his usual neon mazes, but this time, it's an endless runner. There's a wave of glitchiness chasing after him, and he has to keep moving onwards so that he's not consumed by it. It's a really cool idea that takes the classic Pac-Man formula and does something new with it, while still largely only drawing from what was there in the original (though it's not without a hefty batch of references to what came after either).
Football Manager 2024 Touch
If you're something of a master tactician, you can properly put your skills to the test in Football Manager 2024 Touch. This condensed version of the game is still deeper than soccer sims like EA FC and eFootball, giving you complete control over your squad, training regimes, and new signings.
Admittedly, you need at least a base-level understanding of the beautiful game to enjoy this one, but it's got a pretty generous amount of tutorials to teach you everything else you need to know. It also now includes better in-game visuals, so you can watch your team go for glory, or fail spectacularly. I'm all too used to the latter.
Mini Motorways
Mini Motorways might not look like much, but it's one of the most engaging puzzle games of recent years, let alone the Apple Arcade library. The idea is simple, you build roads between locations with limited resources while trying to maximize efficiency. However, it gets complicated before long, especially in cities with complicated geography.
Whether you think of yourself as a budding civil engineer or love a bit of problem-solving, Mini Motorways is a pretty unique experience that really engages your brain. Better still, there are countless cities through which to build roads, so it'll take you a good while to run out of in-game content to check out.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Imagine Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but instead of having to do the bidding of Tom Nook, you're hanging out with Hello Kitty and the rest of the gang. That's exactly what you have here, and more. There are puzzle rooms to solve, crafting and cooking recipes aplenty, and even a spot of bug catching.
Even if you've tried this one before, new content is always arriving in-game, so it may well be worth revisiting and catching up with our favorite islander, Big Challenges. What a name. For an in-depth look at this one, check out our Hello Kitty Island Adventure review.
Skate City: New York
Skating games are always good fun, and there's no better location for ollies and kickflips than New York City. If you're a fan of either the Skate or Tony Hawk's series, you should feel right at home in Skate City: New York, with a bunch of great locations to check out and even more impressive tricks to pull off.
While it might look pretty simple, there's a surprising amount of depth to this option from our guide to the best Apple Arcade games. You can test your skills in Challenge Mode, take on the top skaters in Pro Skate Mode, or refine your skills in Free Skate Mode. Either way, there's plenty of content here to keep you busy.
Final Fantasy+
Our list of the best Apple Arcade games has a bunch of fantastic options, but few give you a glimpse into iconic gaming history in the way Final Fantasy+ does. Yes, this is the first title from the smash hit RPG series, introducing characters, spells, features, and locations that would go on to inspire countless copycats, many of which now feature in our guide to the best RPGs.
Combat isn't quite as nuanced as it is in some of the later Final Fantasy games, but as far as good old-fashioned turn-based adventures go, there's a great time to have here. If you think of yourself as a proper gamer, and you know exactly what I mean by that, skipping this is like a film buff skipping the chance to watch The Godfather for the first time. You just can't do it.
With My Buddy
If you grew up playing Nintendogs, this spiritual successor should be right up your street. With My Buddy is all about taking care of some cute pets, and that involves everything from feeding your beloved animals to taking them on walks and training them to play fetch. As with pets in real life, there's more than enough to keep you busy.
Better still, there's no shortage of breeds when it comes to puppies, and you can choose between Labradors, Toy Poodles, and more. Or, if you're more of a cat person, there's also a nice selection of felines to raise as your own. It's just like having a real pet, except you don't have to clean up any messes.
There you have it, our picks of the best Apple Arcade games. If you're still in need of more details before signing up, check our guide answering the question "What is Apple Arcade?". Or, for an even wider selection of games on the best handheld consoles, be sure to check out our lists of the best Steam Deck games, the best Switch games, and the best mobile games overall.