It was a bit of a weird year for Apple’s subscription gaming service. 2024 saw very few notable exclusives launch on Apple Arcade; instead, the service was fleshed out with a number of big games that you can already play on other platforms. It hasn’t been great for showcasing what makes Apple Arcade unique, but on the other hand, it’s hard to complain too much when it means your subscription now includes Balatro and Vampire Survivors. Here’s the best of what came out this year.
This poker game has been an unexpected hit ever since it launched on PC and consoles at the beginning of the year. It’s sort of like a solo version of poker, only with the gameplay loop of a roguelike, which means that you’ll be collecting rare joker cards to augment your hands as you create a deck capable of turning out absolutely absurd scores. It takes a moment for it to click, but Balatro is particularly well suited to mobile, where you can squeeze in a few quick rounds wherever you are… or accidentally let a few hours go by while you try to complete a run.
Dicey Dungeons is a few years old at this point — it originally launched on PC in 2019 — but if you missed this excellent release from Terry Cavanagh, now is a great time to jump in. Just like Balatro, it uses a roguelike structure, where your progress resets after every death, but every run is different. Here, the goal is to explore dungeons by fighting monsters and collecting loot, which is all done through an engrossing deckbuilding mechanic. Also, for some reason, you play as a die. If nothing else, it’s a great entry point to an intimidating genre.
Final Fantasy IV (3D Remake) Plus
Apple Arcade is slowly becoming a pretty good place for roleplaying games, and now that includes the Final Fantasy series. First up is the 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV, one of the most beloved entries in the long-running series, along with its direct sequel, The After Years. Square Enix has done a pretty solid job of porting RPGs of late, so the mobile versions are well suited for your phone. Even better: the original Final Fantasy is coming to Apple Arcade in January, in all its pixelated glory.
Retro Bowl (and its soccer sibling Retro Goal) is a very straightforward experience. It’s designed to bring the joyous simplicity of old-school sports games to modern smartphones. That means pixel art graphics, streamlined gameplay, and no fussing about with always-online features. The latest edition is no different, except that it has an NFL license, so you can enjoy that classic experience while controlling real football teams composed of real football players. The developers at New Star Games have also done a great job of keeping it updated since it launched in September.
Perhaps the biggest Apple Arcade exclusive this year, this sequel is the follow-up to one of the most chill and beautiful city builders around. The new version of Outlanders has more detailed visuals, an evolving story campaign, and regular challenges for when you just need a quick fix. The sequel also brings the series to Macs, in addition to iOS and Apple TV.
Return to Monkey Island Plus
It was a long wait for a proper Monkey Island sequel, but it was worth it. The point-and-click adventure sees original creative duo Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman return, and while it has a very different visual style, the game itself is classic Monkey Island. Which is to say, it’s hilarious and full of all kinds of oddball puzzles to solve. This time, the game has also been streamlined to get rid of some of the more annoying aspects of the genre, with features like a hint system to keep you from getting really stuck.
You really need to play Vampire Survivors to get it — but once you do, it’s hard to put down. The survival game starts out slowly, as you attempt to kill as many undead creatures before they overwhelm you. But over time, you’ll unlock new characters and abilities, allowing you to take on ridiculously large groups of enemies. This cycle continues for a long time, with a huge number of things to unlock to progress through the many, many levels.
Daily puzzle games are everywhere now following the breakout success of Wordle, and this is Apple Arcade’s best current entry. Words In Progress is a bit like a single-player take on Scrabble. You’re presented with a vertical list of letters, which you have to combine to create words in the hope of getting a high score. It’s one of those seemingly simple concepts that has a lot of replayability, helped along by multiple modes, including multiplayer and daily challenges to take on.
