Best Apple Arcade Games 2021

It’s been two years since Apple launched the Apple Arcade service, a subscription based platform that offer unintrusive games with no in-app purchases or ads. Apple Arcade’s catalogue of games has been growing since then, and we’re here today with some suggestions on what we think are the golden hits of the platform. Here is our 2021 list of the best Apple Arcade games available today!

Sneaky Sasquatch

We can’t talk about Apple Arcade without mentioning arguably the biggest game on the service, RAC7’s Sneaky Sasquatch. Fun for the whole family, players take control of a Sasquatch who lives in the nearby forest of a local campground. Explore the campground, dig through picnic baskets to find goodies, find buried treasure, go fishing, and maybe even get your driver’s license too! Just be careful, as campers will report you to the rangers if you’re not being sneaky enough!

SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit

SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom come to Apple Arcade in the form of SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit, a platform runner for all ages. Plankton is once again trying to steal the secret formula to the Krabby Patty, and this time he’s brought help! All of SpongeBob’s friends have been kidnapped, so it’s up to you to help him run through tightly-designed levels based on all of the locations from the hit cartoon.

Hot Lava

The floor is scorching hot lava – literally! Hot Lava is everyone’s favorite childhood game taken up to extreme levels! In this first-person racing game, players will take control of toy action figures inspired by classic Saturday morning cartoons. Run, jump, and parkour your way through carefully designed jungle gym race tracks! master the techniques and try to get to the finish line as fast as you can in fast-paced real-time multiplayer, or just practice on your own! Whatever you do, don’t touch the floor!

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm

Oceanhorn 2 is the sequel (thought it’s actually a stealth prequel) to the action adventure game Oceanhorn. Developed with lots of similarities to The Legend of Zelda series, Oceanhorn 2 puts players in massive world of Gaia, a mystical land filled with mysteries, lore, and of course plenty of evil beings. Follow the hero on his quest to take down the nefarious Warlock Mesmeroth alongside his two new companions. This time, you won’t be alone on your grand journey!

Crossy Road Castle

The Crossy Road series comes to Apple Arcade, and this time it’s a full-fledged adventure! Crossy Road Castle is an endless platformer for up to you and three of your friends. Take control of the silly little animals and jump your way through a procedurally generated castle full of coins, traps, and of course lots of unlockable hats for your animal buddies.

Bleak Sword

Bleak Swords is a tough as nails minimalistic action RPG. Bearing simple pixel art graphics but a neat panorama view, one might think that Bleak Sword is a simple game… but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Despite its simple look and simple controls, Bleak Sword is very challenging and demands fast reflexes to get through some of the game’s harder battles. This dark fantasy action game is perfect for those looking for a challenge.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Half pop album and half rhythm game, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a game that must be experienced first hand. Telling the emotional journey of a young woman, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a dreamy runner game where players blaze through vibrant neon landscapes to the beat of some seriously catchy tunes. Sayonara Wild Hearts is easily one of the most stylish games on Apple Arcade.

Shinsekai Into the Depths

Journey to the bottom of the ocean in Capcom’s Shinsekai Into the Depths, an underwater platforming adventure game. A new ice age has forced the remainder of mankind down into the depths, and as a lone aquanut, it’s up to you to find out if there is anyone still out there. Down in the depths lies a visual treat with beautiful underwater landscapes and vistas, and of course plenty of imaginative sea life.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time

Aku, the shapeshifting demon, has thrown Samurai Jack back into the past through a tear in time. Now, Jack must battle through hordes of Aku’s minions to find a way back to the present time in Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, an action adventure hack and slash game that is very faithful to the original hit cartoon. Fans of the Cartoon Network series will feel right at home here, as players will control Jack as he fights some of the infamous villains from the series.

World’s End Club

Twelve kids. An underwater dystopian theme park. The only way out? They have to play a deadly game! World’s End Club is a hybrid fusion of visual novels and side-scrolling platformers, created by genre veterans of Zero Escape and Danganronpa fame. If you’re into visual novels with interesting stories you may want to take a look, or if you’re just looking for a unique experience in general. There’s nothing else quite like it on Apple Arcade.

That ends our list, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more awesome gems out there – this is just our own personal preference of some of the games we’ve tried so far. Apple Arcade has games from a variety of genres, so try them all out and leave us recommendations in the comments!