Inverse Recommends

Fantasian and 8 more Apple Arcade games to play ASAP

by Robin Bea
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Apple Arcade launched in 2019 with a great library and a bargain price, but hasn’t kept up the pace. An April 2021 update is bringing some excellent games to the platform, making Apple Arcade worth another look.

Here are the 9 best new games now on Apple Arcade.

9. World of Demons

NieR: Automata and Bayonetta developer Platinum’s new game pits players against yokai from Japanese folklore, with graphics inspired by ukiyo-e woodblock prints (which should look familiar to Okami fans).

8. Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat

It might lose some of the stress-relieving fun of previous Taiko no Tatsujin games that used an actual taiko drum controller, but this mobile rhythm game should be worth tapping along to nonetheless.

7. Really Bad Chess

Each round of Really Bad Chess starts with random pieces, forcing chess novices and pros alike to come up with new strategies on the fly.

6. Good Sudoku

A follow-up of sorts to Really Bad Chess, Good Sudoku doesn’t flip the game on its head, but instead uses hints and time-saving tools to teach you how to play — and enjoy — Sudoku.

5. SpellTower

If numbers aren’t your thing, the developer of Good Sudoku also made one of the best word jumble games ever, with multiple modes and a super satisfying UI.

4. Mini Metro

Have you ever wanted to design your own subway route? No? Well, the pleasingly minimalist Mini Metro might change your mind with puzzles that somehow manage to feel chill and hectic at the same time.

3. Monument Valley

This pretty puzzle game about navigating impossible architecture is one of the best mobile games of the past decade and it’s finally joining Apple Arcade.

2. Threes

Monument Valley’s creator once called Threes “one of the most elegantly designed games since Tetris, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. This near-perfect puzzler is simple in concept but exceedingly complex.

1. Fantasian

This gorgeous RPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi uses real dioramas as backgrounds, giving it a totally unique look. Fantasian also lets players condense random battles into massive fights.