Apple’s new subscription service brings you a steady stream of premium mobile games at the tip of your fingers. Visit our list of iOS games for the full catalog.
10. Rayman Mini
Ubisoft has been serving up award-winning platformers through the Rayman series for years now but with so many awesome games coming through Apple Arcade, it could be easy to miss. In Rayman Mini, we get a brand new story with our favorite disembodied adventurer. This time, he's out to conquer the microscopic world that absolutely stunning.
Go out collecting flying bugs, meet the terrifying creepy crawlies, and jump alongside majestic looking plants. There's definitely danger ahead, but just like their previous games, Rayman turns it into an adventure worth diving into for, either for quick trips or long hauls. Now on the Apple Arcade, it's a much cleaner experience you can bring offline with no ads nor in-app purchases.
It has a playscore of 8.26
9. Monomals
Thanks to the Apple Arcade, we get another taste of high-quality games on the go. For this entry, it's a musical blowout developed by Picomy where you dive into the cool-looking waters of their levels and also into your own creativity.
Monomals takes you into the shoes of their funky animal DJs who venture to capture weird and whimsical monomals. But, it doesn't end there. With the task of arranging them into actual music, you'll be breaking down barriers as much as you break down the beats in order to win the tight competition.
Monomals gives its all in their two, differing gameplay mechanics making it as much an adventure as it is a fully-featured music game. It's a successful marriage and in turn, it becomes one endlessly charming and addictive musical platformer.
Monomals has a playscore of 8.3
8. INMOST
Another thing that the mobile does well is blurring the lines between platforms. This game, developed by Hidden Layer Games and published Chucklefish, is set to release on the PC and Switch too. But, thanks to Apple Arcade, its subscribers get to experience the dark action platformer ahead of everyone else.
As far as the critics are concerned, Inmost is one ambitious title that exudes the premium aura that Apple is trying to capture. It brings excellence not just in its detailed pixel environments and smooth animations, but also in its emotionally-driven narrative.
Inmost might be a little too heavy for some, and it also has a few technical flaws. But, despite that, it earns its place among the Arcade's golden games with a playscore of 8.3
7. WHAT THE GOLF?
If you want to get ahead of the PC and Switch curve without the heartbreaks, then What The Golf might fit the bill. Sometimes all one needs is some silliness and this game has calculated sillines in droves.
While it does have the usual boring putting for when you feel like just kicking back in midlife drudgery, TribandProductions' What The Golf also has everything but. You're never just limited to small dimpled balls. Using the power of force and trajectories, you get to play with and as everything from office chairs, saws, houses, and so much more. And, the activities are never stuck in the usual corners of a minigolf course.
If its variety and excitement you want in an unconventional package, What The Golf has it all and it has a playscore of 8.35
6. Bleak Sword
Our next game takes simplicity to a whole new level. At first glance, it fulfills the simplistic visuals that we used to expect from mobile games. But, knowing it's a Devolver Digital title, there's already an expected level of polish and ingenuity. Thankfully, Bleak Sword makes the grade.
It's an action-packed game that sets you off on a grueling journey through dark forests and castle halls filled with hostile monsters. They may not look like anything more than stick figures but it doesn't they're any less menacing. juxtaposed with a three-dimensional arena, the combat feels real, dynamic, and ultimately slick.
Devolver Digital always brings out the unexpected gems and Bleak Sword is one of those. It has a playscore of 8.42
5. Pilgrims
Pilgrims didn't make its debut on the Apple Arcade. However, Apple still made a great choice in bringing this gem to the subscription service. With its PC release, Amanita Design's casual adventure has already earned hearts with a tale of exploration made perfect by its storybook art style and sepia tones. For fans of Machinarium and Samorost, Pilgrims has exactly that kind of offbeat charm around it.
Going deeper from its magnetic, superficial beauty, Pilgrims also plays with the execution. Using flashcard-like presentations, it immerses you into the tiny little stories they tell, allowing you to put yourself in the shoes of their travelers, solving problems in your own unique way, and to laugh along with them.
With no one designated path, there are countless possibilities to explore, making it an adventure you'd be willing to take again and again. A treat for your inner Pilgrim, it has a playscore of 8.43
4. Manifold Garden
This game is still about spatial exploration. But instead of people and places, and it's a geometric paradise that's governed by a different kind of physics. Created over the course of seven years, it's clear that its developers William Chyr Studio put a lot of love and detail into this world.
At its core, it's a puzzle game where you manipulate gravity to find new perspectives in a seemingly infinite world. Your task is to learn to navigate it long enough to restore life and color into their monoliths. Easy enough to learn, but hard to master.
Thankfully, you'll always have its breathtaking sights to fall back on when things get tough. Manifold Garden is still on its way to the PC and PS4. And yet again, Apple Arcade offers a first look at the world, for a bargain price.
It has a playscore of 8.47
3. Grindstone
Capybara Games' newest puzzle adventure more closely follows the usual mobile formula, and perhaps that's what makes it great. The Studio is mostly known for its more somber fantasy adventure, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. But in this Apple Arcade title, they pivot to more vibrant Cal-Arts cartoon style with gameplay that feels like a fusion of their titles, Critter Crunch and Might & Magic.
Grindstone is a puzzle adventure that takes you up through the treacherous cliffs of Grindstone Mountain. The only way to get to the top is through a combo of sharp sword skills and sharper thinking. With over 150 levels, it solidifies its simple yet effectively addictive formula of battling bosses, collecting gear, and slashing through foes with tactical precision.
Given a unique premise and a formula that works, it's a mobile game done right with a playscore of 8.59
2. Cat Quest II
If there's one proven name in feline adventures, it's The Gentlebros' Cat Quest series. After their debut's massive success, we get a fresh sequel that has very recently received positive reviews on the other platforms too. In Cat Quest II, we get a brand new storyline about the heightening war between the cats of Felingard and the dogs of Lupus Empire.
For a game all about cute animals, it doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. But, Cat Quest defies expectations with an RPG experience that offers depth and satisfying combat in an open-world setting. There's always been dungeons and battles to fight, but the sequel adds more to the mix too, with switch and co-op gameplay, new weapon types, and spells.
It has a playscore of 8.77
1. Tangle Tower
As for most things, nothing beats a story well told. From SFB Games, we get a continuation of Detective Grimoire's 2014 adventures. And, in Tangle Tower, he makes his return with a brand new makeover and an all-new storyline. Go inside a strange and twisted mansion and uncover the thrilling mystery that surrounds the murder of Freya Fellow.
Despite the new look, a lot of Detective Grimoire's charm survives the transition. And, with it, the excitement of unfolding their narrative through interrogation and puzzle-solving. Tangle Tower envelopes players into the role of Detective with a tale full of intrigue and interesting suspects voiced by a talented cast.
All in all, it's A-plus production that makes it worth the Apple Arcade subscription. It has a playscore of 8.88