From Best Fiends and Real Racing 3 to Runeblade and Spy_Watch - 29 games for Apple Watch
With pre-orders now open and millions of wrists primed to be weighted down with Jony Ive's latest abstract vision in steel, glass and gold, we've decided to focus on the part of the Apple Watch revolution that we really care about - the games.
No doubt, we'll quickly be overwhelmed with the thousands on thousands of millions of games that will be announced and quickly released for Apple Watch come 24 April.
But in the short period when that number can be measured in the dozens, we're going to endeavor to keep track of them.
So here's our list of the games coming to Apple Watch, which we're organising in alphabetical order and detailing in terms of their on-Watch features and pricing.
Best Fiends
Developer: Seriously
Genre: Match-3
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: Free with IAPs
Out: 24 April 2015
Best Fiends for Apple Watch is an all-new adventure where players set out to explore the lands of Minutia and overcome devious obstacles in a complementary game in which you can earn rewards to bring back into the Best Fiends game on your iPhone, using them to level-up characters, discover new powers and defeat the Slugs.
Blackjack Anywhere
Developer: PlayScreen
Genre: Casino
Genesis: New
Price: $1.99
Out: 24 April 2015
Blackjack Anywhere is a standalone game that's been created from scratch for the Apple Watch.
For a one-time payment of $1.99 without any IAPs, players can play as often and as long as they want. PlayScreen promises an intuitive interface, easy-to-read cards, sound effects, and a "true-to-the-game full Blackjack experience".
BlastBall Duo
Developer: Monkube
Genre: Puzzle
Genesis: New
Price: TBC
Out: 24 April 2015
Based on its BlastBall franchise, the new-for-Apple-Watch BlastBall Duo uses the same 5-in-a-row gameplay mechanics but is designed for 1v1 play.
The iOS version of previous release BlastBall Max was priced at $2.99, but there's currently no firm news on the pricing model for BlastBall Duo.
BoxPop
Developer: FreshPlanet
Genre: Puzzler
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: Free with ads
Out: 24 April 2015
Based on "knight's tour" - a sequence of moves in chess that has the knight piece visit every square on the board once, BoxPop was released on iOS in the summer of 2014.
The Apple Watch version will be supported with exclusive daily levels, but otherwise effectively offers the same gameplay on the smaller screen.
Brain Fruit
Developer: RocknGlory
Genre: Brain trainer
Genesis: New
Price: $1.99
Out: Out now
A collection of three mini-games, Brain Fruit consists of: Classic mode, in which you have to remember the position of the fruit and avoid poison and bombs; Time Attack mode, in which you have to match as many symbols as possible before the time runs out; and Number Crunch mode, in which you have to remember all the numbers on the screen and the open them in ascending or descending order.
Available now, priced $1.99, Brain Fruit has been developed by Russian outfit RocknGlory and includes a companion iPhone app, with tutorials and leaderboards.
Duck Duck Go!
Developer: Kranky Robot
Genre: Memory
Genesis: New
Price: TBA
Out: 24 April 2015
According to its developer, Duck Duck Go! is a "innovative twitch-memory" game, which works across Apple Watch and iPhone.
As you'd expect then, it's all about memorising what image is on the other side of the 3x3 tile grid and recalling those positions when required.
Five mistakes and it's game over.
Elementary Minute
Developer: Klemens Strasser
Genre: Quiz
Genesis: Existing iPhone game
Price: €0.99
Out: Now
Currently available for iPhone, Elementary Minute has been extended for Apple Watch.
It contains three topics: Math, Geography and Famous People. All you have to do is swipe up or down to say whether the statement provided is correct or incorrect.
The game has two modes: the one minute duration Classic; and Rush, which gives you four lives and a time limit of five seconds per question.
Hatchi - A retro virtual pet
Developer: Portable Pixels
Genre: Virtual Pet
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: $0.99
Out: 24 April 2015
Matching the wrist-gaming-opportunity thanks to its simple graphics and the required constant nurturing, Portable Pixels has extended its Hatchi game to Apple Watch.
The $0.99 purchase is inspired by the Tamagotchi keychain games of the 1990s, and has you feeding, cleaning, caring for and getting annoyed by various types of virtual pet that you grow from eggs into mature adult virtual pets.
iArm Wrestle Champs
Developer: Flying Tiger Entertainment
Genre: Arm wrestling
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: TBC
Out: TBC
A logical progression for an odd game, iArm Wrestle Champs will use the Apple Watch's sensors to heighten the 'enjoyment' of arm wrestling matches with your friends.
You'll also get to enjoy its "exaggerated and animated commentary", and be able to customise this with your own record voice clips and graphics.
Ingress
Developer: Niantic Labs
Genre: Location-based
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: Free with IAPs
Out: 24 April 2015
Interesting given that Niantic Labs is owned by Google, nevertheless Ingress is the most successful location-based mobile game in the world, and given it's been ported to Android Wear devices and is available for iPhone, it makes complete sense to also bring it over to Apple Watch.
Choosing one of two competing sides - the Enlightened versus the Resistance - you have to move around the real world, finding items, tapping energy sources and capturing locations.
Letterpress
Developer: Nimblebit
Genre: Word
Genesis: New
Price: TBC
Out: 24 April 2015
A simple word-based game, Letterpad is a new release for iOS, including Apple Watch, which means the Apple Watch version will have been designed from scratch to work on the watch, as well as linking to the iPhone version.
Basic gameplay has you trying to discover as many relevant themed words as possible from a selection of nine letters.
Modern Combat 5: Blackout
Developer: Gameloft
Genre: FPS
Genesis: Existing
Price: Free
Out: 24 April 2015
Gameloft has announced that its F2P shooter Modern Combat 5: Blackout will be getting Apple Watch support in the shape of a companion app.
This will see the addition of "important notifications" and the ability to sign up for events and check your progress in the game.
More importantly, perhaps, you'll be able to change your class selection, pick another mask, and change and customise your weapon.
Hardly vital aspects of a real-time action title but perhaps useful for some power players.
Mu - Watch Pet
Developer: Moolion
Genre: Tamagotchi
Genesis: New
Price: $0.99
Out: 24 April 2015
As the name suggests in Mu - Watch Pet your task is to keep your little blue Mu, alive, happy and thriving.
This revolves around three energy states; Energy, Fitness, and Fun, which are control by different in-game tasks.
Labelled more of an RPG than a Tamagotchi by the US development team, Mu - Watch Pet plays directly on the Apple Watch, with each task designed for 10-15 second interaction.
You can also get status updates on your iPhone.
Much Memo
Developer: HelloBard
Genre: Memory
Genesis: New
Price: TBA
Out: mid-May 2015
Created by brother team HelloBard, Much Memo is a simple tile-memory game that has you turning tiles and trying to remember what's on the other side.
The game works directly on the Apple Watch - its main play mode - but there's a companion iPhone app too.
Perfect Video Poker
Developer: Puzzling Plans
Genre: Card
Genesis: New
Price: Free with IAP
Out: Now
Just released for iPhone and iPad, and designed with Apple Watch support, comes Perfect Video Poker.
You play the popular Jacks or Better version of Video Poker. As well as the actual game, it provides average payout on each possible hand result, and the average long-term payout so you can learn how video poker statistics work as you play.
You can buy more credits via IAP or earn them by watching adverts.
Real Racing 3
Developer: EA/Firemonkeys
Genre: Racing
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: Free with IAP
Out: 24 April 2015
As part of its latest update, Real Racing 3 has added Apple Watch support.
This is part of the iOS-exclusive Team Driver feature, whereby your Apple Watch enables you to engage your Team Driver in race events, collect rewards and check the progress your career from the comfort of your wrist.
Rules!
Developer: The Coding Monkeys
Genre: Puzzle
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: $2.99
Out: 24 April 2015
A tricky puzzle game that has you performing logic puzzles, tapping tiles and memorising commands, The Coding Monkeys is extending its Rules game to Apple Watch.
The version you can run on the Watch will offered a stripped-down mode that focuses on brain training. Your performance in these will reward you with points to enable you to unlock new characters and stages, as well as allowing you to check on your general progress in the game and your position on leaderboards.
Runaway Frog
Developer: Tim Trinkies
Genre: Arcade
Genesis: New
Price: $0.99
Out: Now
Specifically created for Apple Watch, Runaway Frog is a simple Frogger-style arcade game that has you getting your little frog across the road, avoiding traffic.
There's an iPhone version of the game, and you can connect with Facebook and challenge your friends with high score leaderboards.
Runeblade
Developer: Everywear Games
Genre: RPG
Genesis: New
Price: Free with IAPs
Release: 24 April 2015
The first game announced from Finnish start-up Everywear Games - which is only making games for wearable devices - Runeblade is an RPG in which actions and battles will take 5-15 seconds, but are set in a game experience that will last for weeks and months.
In terms of on-watch action, this will be limited to simple actions - think a text-based turn-based RPG, with the wider meta-game - including buying in-app purchases - controlled by the version of the game running on your iPhone.
Spy_Watch
Developer: Bossa Studios
Genre: Text/Narrative
Genesis: New
Price: TBA
Out: 24 April 2015
Labelled by London developer Bossa Studios as "a new type of game for a new type of hardware", Spy_Watch is a game that revolves around receiving short text notifications on your Watch.
The backstory is you're the head of a failing spy agency. You have to train up a spy. sending them on missions and earning cash in the process, so you upgrade the spy's capacities and rebuild your reputation.
Smart Attack: Numbers
Developer: Right Pedal Studios
Genre: Brain training
Genesis: New
Price: TBA
Out: 13 May 2015
Smart Attack Numbers is a fast-paced brain training game. The premise is simple - race the clock to answer math questions and score points!
Other features include a head-to-head mode, and support for Game Center leaderboards across stats including fastest answer time, number of games played, and number of multiplayer wins and losses!
Snappy Word
Developer: Right Pedal Studios
Genre: Word
Genesis: New
Price: Free with ads
Out: Now
Snappy Word is a fast paced word game for Apple Watch and other iOS devices that has you making as many 4 letters words as you can.
You can play against friends or other Game Center players in real-time to see who can make the most words in 30 seconds, which the results displayed in leaderboards.
It has a dictionary of over 3,900 words, and is ad-supported; something that can be disabled with a single IAP.
Trivia Crack
Developer: Etermax
Genre: Trivia
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: Free with IAPs
Out: 24 April 2015
The self-styled #1 trivia game - it claims over 140 million players - extends itself to Apple Watch, giving you the option to answer those tricky multiple choice questions directly from your wrist.
The first person to answer all a question in all six categories correctly is the winner.
War Dragons
Developer: Pocket Gems
Genre: Strategy
Genesis: New
Price: Free with IAPs
Out: 24 April 2015
War Dragons is the big new game from US F2P mobile developer Pocket Gems.
Mixing base-building elements with the collection, breeding and nurturing of dragons, you get to use your fire-breathing lizards to attack other people's bases, calling in support from your guild as and when required.
As for Apple Watch integration, this is part of the communication system to encourage more engagement among guild members when the regular guild wars are happening.
Watch Quest
Developer: WayForward
Genre: Adventure
Genesis: New
Price: Free with IAPs
Out: 24 April 2015
Labelled by its developer as "the first adventure game made exclusively for Apple Watch", Watch Quest takes an interesting approach to cross-device gaming.
Your iPhone will act as your kingdom, while the Watch is the canvas for a journey within the kingdom that will take several hours.
In terms of gameplay, you choose a hero and equip them on the iPhone. On the Watch, you battle monsters, solve puzzles and search for treasure.
These journey come in two modes: longer passive quests where you kit out your hero and let them deal with situations automatically; and shorter quests where you have to forage for items as you go.
The game comes with one free training quest, with additional characters and campaign bought via in-app purchases from your iPhone.
Watch This Homerun
Developer: Eyes Wide Games
Genre: Sports
Genesis: New
Price: TBA
Out: 24 April 2015
The first in a planned series of one-touch sport games (Watch This...) from US outfit Eyes Wide Games, Watch This Homerun is a baseball batting game.
You get to bat in a 10-15 second session on your Apple Watch, with the game's iPhone companion app handling the progression-based League system and leaderboard stats.
YAHTZEE With Buddies
Developer: Scopely
Genre: Board game
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: Free with IAPs
Out: 24 April 2015
One element of the newly announced game from US developer Scopely and IP holder Hasbro, the Apple Watch features of YAHTZEE With Buddies including managing your in-progress games and getting notifications about in-game chat.
XO
Developer: FourLight
Genre: Board game
Genesis: New
Price: TBA
Out: 24 April 2015
Simply put, XO is Tic-Tac-Toe for Apple Watch.
There's a single player mode against AI and a two player mode.
Either way, remember not to start global thermonuclear war.
Zombies, Run!
Developer: Six to Start
Genre: Fitness
Genesis: Existing iOS game
Price: $3.99
Out: 24 April 2015
With over 1 million runners on its iOS (and Android) releases, Zombies, Run! is primarily a audio and location-based running app that has a zombie strategy game attached to it. It this respect, it's something of a no-brainer (brainsssssss....) for expansion to the fitness-focused Apple Watch.
In terms of the running aspect, you plug in your headphones and instantly hear zombies that are dangerously close, inspiring you to run faster. And while running you also complete missions and pick up virtual items that can be used to build up an undead-defying base on your phone later.
