I’m a mobile gamer first and foremost and, although I have a few thousand hours logged into a few PC games (Kenshi, Mount And Blade, Rocket League and Skyrim), I spend most of my time playing games on my iPad Pro or on my iPhone. However, there are times when I feel like playing games in situations where using an iPad isn’t socially acceptable – like staying in line at a coffee shop, the bank or in online Zoom meetings 😂. That’s when I turn to my Apple Watch for some sneaky mini gaming sessions. Can you play games on the Apple Watch?
Your Answer Upfront:
You can play games on the Apple Watch! If you’re a casual or hyper casual gamer you might end up enjoying playing simple games on the Watch more than on the phone due to the lack of ads or in-app purchases (for the most part) accessible from the Watch. Be aware that you won’t be able to play a game for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time due to having to hold your wrist up, however you can always take the watch off and grip it better.
In this article we’re going to talk about using the Apple Watch for some bite-sized gaming sessions. I’m going to show you how to install and play games on your Apple Watch, show you some of the games available and talk a bit about “gaming” on it! By the end of the article you’ll have a pretty good idea if it’s worth getting caught playing Apple Watch games in public (or during boring meetings).
Why Play Games On An Apple Watch?
Let’s get this wrist-strapped elephant in the room out of the way: why should you even play games on the Apple Watch? It’s small, tiny, with too little screen area for in-depth control schemes. You can’t really hold it in both hands and it’s painful to play with your wrist up for more than a few minutes at a time.
And I think this is where the Apple Watch shines as a mobile gaming device. It’s great for quick little gaming sessions in places where it’s not really appropriate to game. I found myself playing 3D Bowling Games on the Apple Watch at the supermarket recently and it made time fly just a tiny little bit faster.
The very fact that you can’t play anything complex on is its greatest strength. You’re not going to get in-app purchased-filled games with hundreds of ads every second. Compared to most free hypercasual mobile games, the Apple Watch is the closest thing to a fair and casual mobile gaming experience you can get nowadays.
If you hate ad driven games and you want to have a little bit of fun 2 – 5 minutes at a time? The Apple Watch is perfect for it.
Would I recommend spending $400 on an Apple Watch so you can play games on it? No. But if you’re in the Apple Ecosystem and you want the benefits that come with an Apple Watch (unlocking your Mac or using it for NFC payments), being able to play a few games on it is the cherry on top.
How Do I Put Games On My Apple Watch?
This is where I feel Apple dropped the ball a bit. There’s no Apple Watch section per se on the App Store on your iPhone. And the App Store on the Apple Watch itself is, for the most part, useless since it only displays a handful of “Recommended Apps”. And for most people? Those recommended apps are Sleep Trackers, Water Trackers and Gym Exercise Trackers. Over the past 6 months of owning an Apple Watch Series 7 I haven’t seen a single game on the Watch App Store itself.
I mean, there is a search box and you can type “Game” in it but two things stand out here:
- Typing on the Apple Watch, even on the bigger screen ones, is painful.
- If you end up using your phone to type on the Apple Watch… you might as well use the iPhone’s App Store to search for Apple Watch Games
Search on the App Store for “Game Apple Watch” or just “Game Watch” and scroll through the list until you find something that interests you. Please pay attention to the game’s description and see if it’s to be played on the Apple Watch or if it uses the Apple Watch for some of the features. The football manager game, Top Eleven, only displays your next scheduled games on the watch, while the entire game is playable only on iPhone. You can tell if a game is playable on the Watch due to including images showing the game running on the watch (like in the image below).
Apple Watch games usually come with an iPhone app that also gets installed on your phone. Watch games don’t usually have in-app purchases or ads and developers sometimes use the iPhone/iPad app to allow you to use in-app purchases. I personally make a folder called Apple Watch Games and put all my watch games in there.
Can You Play Games On The Apple Watch?
You can play games on the Apple Watch! If you’re a casual or hyper casual gamer you might end up enjoying playing simple games on the Watch more than on the phone due to the lack of ads or in-app purchases (for the most part) accessible from the Watch. Be aware that you won’t be able to play a game for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time due to having to hold your wrist up, however you can always take the watch off and grip it better.
Just don’t put your hand behind it or the Apple Watch will think you placed it on your wrist and will annoyingly ask you for your Password everytime.
What Fun Games Can You Get On An Apple Watch?
In my case there’s a handful of games I paid money for that I play just about every day: Vegas Pool Watch (The opponent model is so cringe that I used it as the header for this article), Par 72 Golf and Vegas Bowling Watch. I purchased a bundle of Apple Watch Sports Pro Games for ~$9.99 and I keep them installed at all times. They’re perfect for what they are – a fun little pastime while standing in line.
There are plenty of other available games for your Apple Watch, from Tic-Tac-Toe (Knots and Crosses), to Tamagotchi Games or classic pre-smartphone games like Snake, Tetris, BrickBreaker 🧱 and more.
Can You Play Flappy Bird On Apple Watch?
There is a clone of Flappy Bird available on Apple Watch under the name of Flappy Chick. The game is free to play a few times a day but it will nag you to purchase the full version for no interruptions for $0.99.
Is There A Tamagotchi on Apple Watch?
There are quite a few Tamagotchi games available on the watch. The one I have installed is Watch Pet, a Tamagotchi game that allows you to adopt a Labrador, Corgi, A Ragdoll (cat), Shorthair (cat), Cockatiel, Beta Fish, Maltese and a Tabby. The game is primary playable on the iPhone (where they bombard you with ads) but your pet accompanies you on the watch and you can interact with it from there.
Can You Play Bowling On The Apple Watch?
You can play bowling games on the apple watch and I highly recommend Vegas Bowling Watch as your game of choice! I’ve purchased the full version in a bundle and it’s one of my most played watch games. The free version allows you to play for free with no interruptions or ads at all. To play the game you can drag your finger down towards you to pull the ball and then swipe up to release it.
Can You Play Pool On The Apple Watch?
The same developer that made Vegas Bowling Match also released a pool game called Vegas Pool. It’s a pretty good implementation of pool, especially on a small Watch screen, but it works and I have successfully won quite a few games of pool. Just be prepared to spend some time on the watch before you finish a game vs the AI.
Where To Next?
You’ve reached the end of this article. I write extensively about the mobile gaming industry, their tactics and how greed influences a game’s design. I have some more articles that might interest you, such as this one where I review Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack from the perspective of a gamer (aka should you buy it if you play iOS Games?). If you’re curious if Game Development is profitable know that I wrote a big big article on how I earn my income as a freelance Mobile Game Developer.
That being said, if you want to stick around, you can check out “How Do Free Mobile Games Make money“, “Why Do Mobile Games Have Fake Ads” and “Why Do Mobile Games Have In-App Purchases“. I write extensively about the mobile gaming industry – the same industry that removes classic retro games from the store because they have an ad filled, Pay2Win, Free2Play and micro transaction infested games. Oof I’m grumpy and tired of these practices.
There’s also a monster post (about 4000 words) that answers the question: “How Hard Is It To Make A Mobile Game“. It goes in-depth with actual examples on how Experience, Resources and Financials affect the difficulty of developing and releasing new mobile games!
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