Highlights

• Fledgling Heroes is a Flappy Bird-like game that takes the simple gameplay to the next level with hand-designed levels and multiple characters to choose from.
• Manifold Garden is a mind-boggling puzzle game that challenges players to understand the surreal world's illogical physics and perspective-altering mechanics.
• Bleak Sword may have retro graphics, but it offers an intriguing story and a deep combat system that combines touch-screen controls with Dark Souls-esque gameplay in a broken world.

Apple Arcade has been around for a while now, and subscribers have mostly dug their way through the huge list of games and found their favourites. Unfortunately, with so many games releasing at once, there were bound to be some real gems that got lost in the mix.

Over the years, that library has only gotten bigger. Some games have left while many more have entered. It's a big list now, but here are some of the best hidden gems on Apple Arcade that haven't gotten the attention they deserve.

Updated November 15, 2023 by Hilton Webster: Apple Arcade has been on the scene a few years now, and though it hasn't hit the same mainstream appeal as its competitors, it is home to some top-notch games. The library has expanded massively since the original article, so read on to find out some of the newer, shinier entries that you ought to be playing.

Alongside these underappreciated gems, we've also included their genres as per Apple's description.

10 Fledgling Heroes

• Genre - Family
• It's a Flappy Bird-Like, if that's a genre

Flappy Bird may have been a laughably shallow game when it stormed the mobile gaming world back in 2013, but there's a reason it got popular: the challenge of flapping your way around obstacles was simple enough for anyone to pick up but difficult enough to require some real skill to progress.

Fledgling Heroes takes that gameplay and crafts an actual game out of it, complete with hand-designed levels, varied enemies, branching paths, multiple characters, and bosses to defeat. It's even got a level builder for those who want to keep the game going when they finally beat the whole thing.

9 Manifold Garden

• Genre - Puzzle

Sometimes, you just want to play something that boggles the mind. Described as Escheresque, Manifold Garden is a puzzle game at heart, somewhere between Portal and Superliminal, perspective is everything, and the perspectives are wild.

While the puzzles themselves may not always be mind-bending, coming to terms with the geography and illogical physics of this surreal world is the hardest part. It's okay to just sit back and admire the endless architecture too, though.

8 Bleak Sword

• Genre - Action
• And also a Soulslike

It's pretty easy to see why everybody overlooked Bleak Sword when Apple Arcade came out. Games with retro graphics are a dime a dozen these days, and at first glance, these graphics look even more retro than usual. Its two-color stick figure world looks more at home on the Apple II than on the NES.

But behind the basic visuals lies an intriguing story and a surprisingly deep combat system that perfectly marries touch-screen controls with Dark Souls-esque combat that has you dodge rolling, parrying, and countering your way across a broken world.

7 Spek.

• Genre - Puzzle

Much like Bleak Sword, the simple graphics of Spek aren't much to look at, though they serve an actual game-related purpose in this case. Spek is a perspective puzzle, where you help guide a moving dot along 2D lines by manipulating the 3D objects that the lines portray.

It's a bit of an advanced version of Monument Valley, where the perspective is no longer fixed, and you have to think your way through 2D paths, 3D space, and the occasional physics puzzle to work your way to your goal.

6 The Last Campfire

• Genre - Adventure

We all know (and potentially love) Hello Games for its work on No Man's Sky, and its revival that we are hardwired to always mention. But what many may have missed are the other games it has worked on. The first since the launch of No Man's Sky is The Last Campfire.

The Last Campfire is an adventure of you guiding a little guy to, you guessed it, the last campfire. It's a gorgeous game and packed with emotion that's expressed in both its music and design. If you have Apple Arcade, there's no reason not to try this little journey.

5 Mini Metro And Mini Motorways

• Genre - Strategy
• Though you could fairly also call it a Puzzle game

Have you ever gotten stuck in traffic and just wished public transport was better? You could try to take it into your own hands, but unless you're a billionaire with bad ideas, you're unlikely to gain much ground. That's where both Mini Metro and Mini Motorways come in.

While you're stuck in traffic or waiting fo your bus to arrive, why not design some roads of your own? The games are the perfect fit for touch controls, and they'll take your mind off the much worse infrastructure of reality.

4 Alto's Adventure

• Genre - Action
• It's realistically much closer to being a Platformer

Did you play early Sonic games, and lament the loss of momentum-based movement as the games shifted to 3D? Because if you did, then Alto's Adventure may be for you. Sure, you have to play as a human in Alto's Adventure, but it's the next best thing.

The joy of the game is simple — snowboard down a mountain in search of its heart. Each level is unique, procedurally generated and with dynamic weather to make every boarding session unique. It's good, bite-sized fun.

3 Cozy Grove

• ​​​​​​​Genre - Casual
• The actual game calls itself a Life-Sim, which is a bit more accurate

No game comes from nothing, and some of them are plenty proud to wear their inspirations on their chest. In this, we have Cozy Grove. A game happily influenced by the likes of Animal Crossing and Don't Starve (minus the nightmare fuel).

Set on a haunted island, Cozy Grove will have you building a life for yourself, harvesting materials, building homes, and helping the spirits left here. There's no malevolence, as the title likely implies. It is truly a cozy little adventure on an island — no pressure.

2 Dandara Trials Of Fear

• ​​​​​​​Genre - Adventure
• Apple doesn't have a Metroidvania tag, it would seem, because this is literally a Metroidvania

Dandara is, without a shadow of a doubt, a Metroidvania. There is non-linear level design, abilities that play into both combat and traversal, and big bosses to round out a region. Where Dandara shines is in its gorgeous pixel art, and emphasis on movement.

Like Hollow Knight before it and Metroid Dread following it, movement and harsh combat are the name of the game in Dandara, but the freedom of movement is astounding, only getting deeper as the game goes on. Pile all that on top of a compelling world, and you've got a stellar game literally in the palm of your hand.

1 Grindstone

• ​​​​​​​Genre - Puzzle
• Or, as the developer describes it, a Puzzle-Battler

The key to a good mobile game is to have easy-to-pick-up mechanics and bite-sized gameplay moments, and ideally, something that uses touch controls to full effect. Grindstone crosses all these boxes.

It is a puzzle-battler, with you having to figure out the most efficient path through your grid-based enemies. There's even gear to collect and bosses to battle as you make your way to the very top of the mountain. The game has a good length to it, but the fact that you can pick up and play with such ease makes it an ideal entry for Apple Arcade.

NEXT: Best Apple Arcade RPGs