2019 · Rhythm / Action
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a 45-minute pop album you play, built with the kind of focused creative vision that most games never come close to. Its brevity is real, and whether that's a dealbreaker depends entirely on how much you value artistic density over content volume. For people who click with it, it's unforgettable.
2019 · Party / Puzzle
What the Golf? is the rare comedy game that earns its laughs through design rather than writing, turning each hole into a tiny punchline. It commits fully to the bit across hundreds of levels, and most of them land. If you want golf, look elsewhere. If you want one of the most consistently surprising games on mobile, this is a no-brainer.
2019 · Puzzle
Grindstone is one of the best puzzle games released in the last decade, on any platform. Its color-matching combat is immediately satisfying and stays compelling across hundreds of levels, backed by art and music that drip with personality. Late-game grinding for crafting resources and occasional difficulty spikes that lean on luck will test patience, and not everyone will push through the back half. But the core loop of carving long chains through a board of angry creatures is so good that it carries the game past its rougher stretches. Capybara Games built something addictive, beautiful, and surprisingly deep, and it deserves every bit of the praise it's received.
2021 · Endless Runner / Adventure
Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City is the definitive version of one of mobile gaming's most beautiful experiences. The Apple Arcade release strips out all monetization, adds new biomes and challenges, and lets the game's meditative sandboarding shine without interruption. If you have Apple Arcade, this belongs on your device.
2023 · Arcade / Fishing
Ridiculous Fishing EX brings back one of mobile gaming's most beloved originals with new content and no ads. The three-phase gameplay loop of casting, reeling, and shooting fish out of the sky remains wildly entertaining, and the Apple Arcade release proves the design has aged better than most games from the early smartphone era.
2020 · Puzzle
Manifold Garden is a first-person puzzle game set in an infinite, Escher-inspired architectural world where gravity is a tool and reality repeats endlessly. The visual design is breathtaking, and the gravity-shifting mechanic creates puzzles that fundamentally change how you think about space.
2023 · Simulation
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a surprisingly ambitious open-world life sim that goes far beyond its licensed origins. The crafting, exploration, and friendship systems rival dedicated genre entries, and the Sanrio character roster adds genuine charm to every interaction.
2020 · Action Adventure
The Pathless turns movement itself into a game mechanic, creating an open-world adventure where traversal feels as rewarding as combat. Giant Squid's follow-up to Abzu brings stunning environmental art and a movement system that makes running across a cursed island feel like flight.
2019 · Adventure / Life Sim
Sneaky Sasquatch is a warm, sprawling hangout game that keeps finding new things to do long after the initial premise has been established. It's low pressure, frequently charming, and built for players who'd rather wander than sprint. If that sounds appealing, there's a lot here to love.
2019 · Strategy / Puzzle
Mini Motorways takes a brilliantly simple concept and turns it into one of the most addictive puzzle games on mobile. The minimalist visuals are gorgeous, the adaptive soundtrack is a quiet triumph, and the core loop of drawing roads under pressure hits that sweet spot where five minutes becomes an hour without you noticing. Random building placement will occasionally end a great run through no fault of your own, and the map variety could be deeper. But as a pick-up-and-play strategy game that respects your time while still demanding your attention, it's a standout on Apple Arcade.
2022 · Platformer
What the Car? replaces your character with a car on legs and turns that absurd premise into a surprisingly deep platformer with hundreds of levels, hidden secrets, and a tone that never stops being funny. It's the kind of game that makes you laugh while actually testing your skills.
2021 · Puzzle
SP!NG turns a single-touch mechanic into hundreds of levels of meditative, physics-driven swinging that feels like a stress ball for your brain, even if the challenge sometimes plateaus before the level count does.
2019 · Strategy
Outlanders is a charming town-building strategy game where you manage quirky settlers through objective-driven scenarios, balancing resource gathering, construction, and population growth. Each level is a self-contained puzzle that rewards careful planning over brute-force expansion.
2019 · Action RPG
Oceanhorn 2 delivers console-quality 3D adventure on mobile with gorgeous environments and satisfying exploration, wearing its Zelda inspiration openly. The combat and puzzles don't match the depth of the games it emulates, but the visual ambition and scope are impressive for a mobile title.
2022 · Action
Jetpack Joyride 2 takes the beloved original's one-touch flying formula and gives it structure, upgrades, and a reason to keep playing beyond chasing a high score. The level-based design is a smart evolution, the absence of ads and microtransactions (through Apple Arcade) removes every friction point, and the gameplay feels as immediately fun as it did in 2011. The campaign ends too soon, and some of the free-to-play DNA shows through in the upgrade pacing. But as an Apple Arcade offering, it's one of the service's most purely enjoyable games.
2021 · Rhythm
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat brings Bandai Namco's beloved drum-tapping franchise to Apple Arcade with all the colorful energy and accessible fun the series is known for. The tapping feels great, the presentation is pure joy, and the Apple Arcade model means no ads or microtransactions. The song list is limited compared to console entries, and the iOS exclusivity restricts who can play. But for Apple Arcade subscribers, this is one of the most immediately fun games in the service and a faithful portable Taiko experience.
2019 · Racing
Agent Intercept is a stylish spy-themed driving game that transforms your car into boats, planes, and snowmobiles across flashy action-movie missions. The spectacle is consistently entertaining, though the shallow gameplay loop reveals itself quickly.
2021 · Adventure
Wonderbox combines dungeon-crawling action with an ambitious level creation tool that lets players build and share their own adventures. The creative tools are impressive, but the pre-made content and combat mechanics are too basic to stand on their own.
2019 · Sports
Skate City delivers a mellow, side-scrolling skateboarding experience with satisfying trick mechanics and a lo-fi atmosphere that nails the vibe of a chill skate session. The limited depth and repetitive level design hold it back from greatness.
2020 · Action Roguelite
Exit the Gungeon distills the Gungeon formula into frantic elevator battles with auto-switching weapons and snappy sessions, delivering chaotic fun that works well on mobile even if it trades the predecessor's depth for speed.
2021 · JRPG
Fantasian is a love letter to classic JRPGs wrapped in one of the most visually distinctive presentations in mobile gaming. The handmade dioramas give every location a tactile beauty that screenshots can't fully capture, and the Dimengeon system offers a smart solution to the genre's oldest frustration. But uneven pacing drags the second half down considerably, difficulty spikes test patience more than skill, and the Apple Arcade exclusivity limits who can actually play it. For JRPG fans with an Apple device and a subscription, Fantasian delivers a nostalgic, sometimes magical experience that stumbles but never loses its sincerity.