You’re commuting but still far from the destination, in a long queue and not yet halfway through the line, or you have nothing to do at the moment. The wait in situations like those can be long, and you might not be able to pull out your phone to play mobile games and entertain yourself. Or worse, you forgot your trusty gadget. If you have any WatchOS wearable, such as the Apple Watch Series 5 or 6, you’re still lucky! You can just launch Apple Watch games right from your wrist and kiss the boredom away.
But if there’s none of those installed on your wearable, it is high time to download games from the App Store. This roundup will make it easy for you to pick the best Apple Watch games.
What Is It Like to Play Apple Watch Games?
For many Apple Watch users, a wearable is primarily for timekeeping and health monitoring. And when it comes to gaming on the said gadgets, there is also a common misconception that playing on a small screen is not enjoyable. That is why many people have not yet tried Apple Watch games and would like to know first what it’s like playing those.
If you are one of them, you are right that the Apple Watch gaming experience is different from playing on big screens – there are no 4K or higher resolutions and complex mechanics. But it can be fun, too! So, what is it like to try Apple Watch games?
Given the genres available for the wearable, you will feel that you’ve made the most of your idle time. Apple Watch games can induce the nostalgic feeling of playing the console, PC, or mobile games you had back when you were a kid. Those can also test your wits, help you get fit, spark your curiosity about mysteries, and more.
Best Apple Watch Games You Can Enjoy
Now that you might be convinced more than ever that Apple Watch games are entertaining, get ready to find out what our top picks are. We will highlight below what makes each entry worth playing and provide you the download links.
1. Fitness RPG – Walking Games
Who says role-playing Games (RPGs) cannot make it to the Apple Watch? Fitness RPG, an RPG with a twist, is proof that they can.
The Apple Watch game is apt for wearables and unique because it is not the mashing of buttons that will help you progress through it. The footsteps you take in the real world, as tracked by your wearable or iPhone, count as the energy of heroes. Those will power up the characters fighting enemies to save Fitland – and also help you get fit!
Other aspects of the game are like those of mainstream RPGs. There is still the need to gather and upgrade your heroes’ gear and skins.
If that sounds fun and unique to you, try the game now. It is free to play, although some items have to be purchased. Also, you will need Apple’s Health App for the pedometer function to work.
2. Dare the Monkey: Go Bananas!
It is time to stop monkeying around during your idle time and play Dare the Monkey instead.
Dare the Monkey is one of the best Apple Watch platformer games out there. Its 3D graphics are comparable to that of games on other gadgets. Furthermore, it is tap-to-play. It’s easy to make the monkey run across the small screen, swing via the vines, and jump from platform to platform!
3. Pocket Plants – Merge Games
Want games like Pokémon Go on your Apple Watch? From the developer of Fitness RPG comes another standout that fits the bill, Pocket Plants. Its main mechanic is similar to the said AR hit.
If you tried the world-famous AR game, you already know how to play Pocket Plants – you have to walk in the real world while wearing your Apple Watch to grow your plants. To elaborate, your footstep count turns into energy in the game. And those can help you gain powerups for your plants.
Want Pocket Plants to be your new walking companion? Get it now. It is free with optional in-app purchases.
4. Watch Pet: Watch & Widget Pets
If there is a genre of games that is proven enjoyable even on the smallest screens, it is virtual pets. Tamagotchi, the ‘90s hit that is resurfacing nowadays as a toy and mobile game, is an example. That is why fans are looking for similar options, such as Watch Pet, for their wearables. If you are a Tamagotchi fan, a pet lover, or want to have a dog or cat with you during boring walks or commutes, try it.
Your main goal in the Apple Watch game is simple – keep your virtual pet happy and healthy by feeding and bonding with it. You can do those by tapping on the icons on your wearable. Consequently, your trainer level goes up. The higher your level is, the more pet breeds you can access from the game’s pet shop.
Watch Pet is free on the App Store. You can opt to purchase things that are offered within the app.
5. Lifeline
Reading an immersive mystery or thriller book is a great way to pass time, but books are not convenient to carry around. Enter Lifeline, one of the best paid Apple Watch games that can give you the same experience.
Lifeline is not your typical story-driven game. As a playable narrative, its progression relies on the decisions you make. Like Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us and other popular mystery games for mobile, it is exciting even if text-based.
The offline game is not meant to be completed in one sitting, so expect hours of fun. Taylor, the game’s spaceman protagonist, will converse with you several times throughout each day. He will need your help to face unknown threats and survive in the alien world he is stranded in.
What’s great about Lifeline’s mechanics is that there is no pressure when playing. You can still access messages you have missed and respond to them with the answer of your choice. Given that, the game is also like Mystic Messenger but with many elements of suspense.
Start your mystery adventure with the first installment of Lifeline today. You can also check out its spin-offs and sequels, including Lifeline: Flatline and Lifeline: Whiteout.
6. Choices That Matter
Already played the Lifeline series or do not want a paid text-based game? Choices That Matter might be more suitable for you. Instead of only one narrative, it has three interactive stories and is free to download. Note that the game will have ads that you can remove via in-app purchases.
As regards the available plots in Choices That Matter, you can play the role of a sci-fi hero investigating the disappearance of the sun and scientists, or one that has the power of metal. If that is not your cup of tea, maybe you will like the third story arc where you will be playing as a prisoner who has to escape jail and recover his memories. No matter what the storyline is, progression and endings will depend on the in-game choices you make. That means you are in for plenty of plot twists.
7. Pictoword: Fun Word Quiz Games
Idling can make your mind go blank, so it is time to test your wits via this iconic word game.
Pictoword might ring a bell because it is one of the classics that spawned many similar word games on mobile phones. Now, it is also dominating Apple Watch games of the same genre.
Are you one of the few who are still uninitiated about this word game? The mechanics are simple. Upon being shown pictures that hint about the word you have to guess, you must tap the jumbled set of letters to give your answer.
Pictoword should be easy for anyone who is witty. If you think you can beat all its levels, try the game now.
8. Kepler Attack
Bored wherever you are right now? Let Kepler Attack take you into space.
Inspired by the retro hit Space Invaders, this paid Apple Watch game follows the same mechanics. In Kepler Attack, you are piloting a spaceship across the galaxy to eliminate all alien ships that come your way. As for the graphics, the game sticks to pixel art but is a big step-up from what Space Invaders looked like.
If that seems amazing to you, play the game and conquer the galaxies today.
9. LCD Games: Alien Invasion
In space-themed games, you usually have to protect the Earth from aliens. But what if it was the other way around? The result is a fun Apple Watch game like Alien Invasion.
Alien Invasion is an addictive game you can classify under the likes of the retro mobile game Space Impact, which might explain its charm. But it also has aspects not even the majority of Apple Watch games have.
As mentioned, you are part of the alien race in the game. Specifically, you are the boss who has to rescue your minions flung out of Earth. You can do that by beaming every single one of them up to your spaceship before they explode.
Moreover, Alien Invasion is played via your wearable device’s crown.
10. JellyFish Tap
Remember that pixelated bird that got you frustrated while you are helping it fly between some pipes? Yes, we are talking about Flappy Bird. If you enjoyed that game, you might want JellyFish Tap which can give you the same fun (and rage).
There is no need to go deep into the mechanics because it’s as easy as 1-2-3. You just tap on the screen to make the jellyfish swim sideways while avoiding the colorful bars on the screen.
Love it, hate it, or both—give this Apple Watch game a try. It is free anyway.
11. Trivia Crack
From a frustratingly fun game, we now move on to a brain teaser that is equally challenging – Trivia Crack. We hope it does not “crack” your brain but keep your mind sharp instead.
If you love trivia apps, this might be the most ideal for you out of all listed Apple Watch games. Trivia Crack has a database of hundreds of thousands of questions that will get your brain cells working. It is not your ordinary Q&A game, too. Question categories are randomly determined via a spinning wheel a la Wheel of Fortune, and you can compete with friends.
Think you are the smartest of the bunch? Prove it by playing Trivia Crack on your wearable. It is free with in-app purchases.
12. Retro Twist: Watch Games
Cannot decide on only one game? Get them all, or better yet, try Retro Twist. It is a curation of Apple Watch games that would give you nostalgia.
On its catalog are games inspired by all-time classics: Space Invaders, Super Mario, Pong, Contra, Snake, and Out Run. That means you get options from different genres, be it shooter, platformer, racing, and tabletop.
Retro Twist is a paid app but worth it for the number of games you get on your wearable.
13. Arcadia – Arcade Watch Games
If you want everything, you can indeed get everything with Arcadia. It is a portable arcade on your wrist.
Its selection of Apple Watch games is inspired by the many 8-bit classics you played at the arcade or on console and mobile phones. Some options would remind you of Pinball, Tetris, Out Run, Snake, Space Invaders, Whac-A-Mole, and more. Gamers who have been playing since the ‘90s would probably feel nostalgia through this Apple Watch gaming app.
Being an all-in-one app, Arcadia is not free. Payment is required before you can play it.
14. Chess – Play & Learn
Before the dawn of PC, console, and mobile games, there were board games such as chess to decrease your boredom. Nowadays, you can still enjoy it on your wearable via Chess – Play & Learn.
The game is played like how you play chess on an actual board. You protect your king using the rest of the pieces. Also, Chess – Play & Learn keeps the two modes you might have enjoyed when the first-ever chess games on PC came out: Multiplayer and Versus AI.
Chess – Play & Learn is free and you can buy its in-app offers only if you want to.
15. Truth or Dare!!
Stuck somewhere with friends and like to goof around? If yes, play Truth or Dare!!.
Just like the traditional game of the same name, you are presented with questions you must answer truthfully – or else there is a consequence. For refusing to respond, you might have to follow your friends’ or the game’s embarrassing or difficult commands. Nevertheless, it is fun because everyone can get their share of penalties.
Truth or Dare!! is a free game. There are in-app purchases, but those are not required.
16. Tiny Armies
If you are a fan of the Fire Emblem series, you might like this game. Tiny Armies is like a stripped-down version of the said popular game because your army is a set of tiles. Nevertheless, the main goal is similar – move your troops strategically toward the enemy to strike.
In Tiny Armies, you have to swipe the tiles for those to reach the enemy’s side. Along the way, you have to avoid colored tiles with mountain, lake, and forest icons. What makes it engaging is that the opponent AI or the friend you are playing with can be as strategic as you.
Tiny Armies is one of the Apple Watch games that look minimalistic but is challenging. You can purchase it for your wearable today.
17. Touch Round
If you want Apple Watch games that make your heart racing with excitement, take the driver’s seat in Touch Round.
Touch Round is not your Out Run-like classic racing game where you see competitors’ racecars dashing through. You may be alone on your chosen race track but the goal to head to the finish line the fastest stays the same. You have to beat other players on the global leaderboard by registering the shortest time for finishing the whole course.
The game is quite challenging if you are not used to turning your wearable’s crown to play games. But with practice, you can be an expert Touch Round racer who can drive any of the game’s 20 vehicles in no time.
Go the distance with Touch Round now. The game is free with optional in-app purchases.
18. Ping Pong – Watch Retro Game
Let us take you back to the era of the oldest ping-pong video games through this retro entry.
Ping Pong – Watch Retro Game brings barebones table tennis to your Apple Watch. Its ball and paddle are a pixel and a bar, respectively. The game’s only difference from its 1- or 8-bit predecessors on PC is that you use your wearable’s crown to control the paddle.
If the nostalgia is not enough to make you play, you might prefer the game’s table hockey mode more. The said mode has contemporary graphics and support for Player versus Player (PvP) matches.
Ping Pong – Watch Retro Game is free for all WatchOS users. The game has in-app offers you can opt to buy.
19. Pocket Bandit
Out of all Apple Watch games controlled via the watch crown, Pocket Bandit is the one that offers you the most realistic gameplay.
Why is that so? In the game, you are tasked to loot hundreds of treasures from various safes. And to open those boxes fast without the authorities noticing, you would need to rotate the knob correctly, which feels the same as fine-tuning your Apple Watch via its crown.
If you are excited to pull off a successful in-game heist, purchase Pocket Bandit today.
20. Zombies, Run!
When jogging or running during your free time, bring this zombie game with you.
Zombies, Run! turns your physical activity into a run for your life. Sounds thrilling, right? The Apple Watch game sets up an imaginary zombie invasion for you through its sounds. That means you need some Bluetooth earphones paired to your wearable to play the missions in the game. Furthermore, your reward for surviving each wave is supplies needed to progress in succeeding missions.
If you are interested in this one-of-a-kind fitness survival game, try it now. It is free with optional in-app purchases.
21. Colors Together – Watch Game
Match 3 games are the all-time favorite time-wasters of many gamers regardless of age. That is why Colors Together has a timeless appeal on the Apple Watch.
In the game, the goal is to tap as many three-tile sets of the same color as you can within the time limit. Also, you have to try to surpass your best score each playthrough.
If you think Colors Together is worth it, you can buy it now from the App Store.
22. Rules!
Rules! definitely rules over the plethora of Apple Watch games when it comes to memory training. It has various puzzles, which you have to solve according to the rules specified in-game.
Besides challenging gameplay, Rules! showcases animals, robots, aliens, and objects rendered in a unique style inspired by cubism. Those elements combined make the game worth its price.
23. Z Room
If cross-platform Minecraft was a zombie shooter game, it would be like this free Apple Watch hidden gem called Z Room.
Z Room looks fun, thanks to its blocky graphics. But that is not the only thing that makes it addictive to play. It has challenging first-person shooter (FPS) restrictions. In the game, you only have 10 bullets and 10 percent Health Points (HP) to start each run and eliminate as many zombies and skeletons as you can. You are lucky if you find some ammunition boxes in the dungeon, which makes exploration also exciting.
24. Tube Twister
Missing endless runners such as Temple Run and Subway Surfers? Tube Twister can satisfy your nostalgia for the said mobile classics.
The game is not set in the jungle or famous places in the world. Your character will be running inside or on top of an endless tube that has obstacles. Try not to let him or her trip, slip, or fall to keep your score and level rising.
On your mark, get set, go! If you like the game, buy it now for your Apple Watch.
25. Retro Widget 2
You might be thinking about why this widget app is in this Apple Watch games list, so we shall explain clearly why it deserves a spot here. It is because the app lets you play the original Snake II game on your wearable.
Snake II was a worldwide hit in the past, particularly during the era of Nokia phones. But in case you are not from the bar phone generation, we will help you get familiarized with the game’s mechanics. It is easy. Control the snake’s movement for it to eat its food and grow. The catch is that you have to make it avoid hitting the boundaries of the screen and its own body.
Interested? Try the iconic mobile game on the Apple Watch app now.
26. Bubble Wars
Playing bubble shooter Apple Watch games can be as satisfying as popping bubble wrap. If you want to experience it yourself, there are many options on the App Store. We think you should start with Bubble Wars, though.
The game still resembles a classic bubble shooter because you still have to aim for connected bubbles of the same color. However, it has a few tweaks when it comes to gameplay. Instead of placing the shooter below the mass of colored bubbles, it is surrounded by it. That means the firing object will not only have to move side to side. You need to rotate it to shoot accurately. Failing to pop the entire bubble ring will lead to your shooter being surrounded and disabled by it.
Try Gaming on Your Wrist Today
Great things come in small packages, as the popular saying goes. That is also true when it comes to Apple Watch games. The games might have tiny interfaces and simple mechanics, but they can take away your boredom and be as exciting as the console, PC, or mobile games. If you’re ready, experience the fun of gaming on your wrist today!
