Apple Arcade is Apple’s game subscription service—no ads, no in-app purchases. Play 200+ games across all Apple devices. First month free, then $6.99/month.

Katamari Damacy Rolling Live

Katamari Damacy is an action-puzzle game where players roll a magical, adhesive ball (katamari) through various locations, collecting objects to meet the King's objectives. As the katamari grows, it eventually becomes a beautiful star to light up the night sky.

🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
💰 Apple Arcade: First month free, then $6.99 per month
⽭ Languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish

puffies.

Puffies. is a family-friendly puzzle game that reimagines the classic jigsaw experience with a charmingly nostalgic twist of puffy stickers. Solve engaging levels of varying difficulty by combining fun, hand-designed puffy stickers and building a stunning collection along the way. puffies.

🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
💰 Apple Arcade: First month free, then $6.99 per month
⽭ Languages: English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic+

Create and run amazing parks complete with the most outrageous rides imaginable. RCT Classic+ includes a mixture of authentic playability, depth of gameplay and unique graphical style of Chris Sawyer’s original best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon® PC Games, now enhanced for handheld devices.

🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
💰 Apple Arcade price: First month free, then $6.99 per month
⽭ Languages: English

Sesame Street Mecha Builders+

Sesame Street Mecha Builders+ combines science, engineering, math, and creativity through engaging mini-games and activities. Players can solve puzzles, explore physics, practice coding, mix colors, create music, and embark on exciting missions — all at their own pace.

🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
💰 Apple Arcade price: First month free, then $6.99 per month
⽭ Languages: English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish

The Game of Life 2+

The Game of Life 2 is the digital version of the popular board game. With endless possibilities, players shape their own journey—fall in love, build a dream career, start a family, or adopt a pet. Suit up in the futuristic P.E.G. outfit and explore 10 unique jobs, from dolphin trainer to quantum mechanic. Spin the iconic spinner, navigate life’s crossroads, and win through happiness, knowledge, or wealth.

🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
💰 Apple Arcade price: First month free, then $6.99 per month
⽭ Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish

Subscription: Netflix

Netflix offers around 80 exclusive mobile games with all its plans, starting at $7.99/month. Mobile games remain ad-free, even on the standard plan.

Steel Paws

Battle your way to the top of a huge, mysterious tower. Smash through robot opponents with a crew of cute and loyal mechanical animals by your side.

💰 Netflix’s Standard Plan: $7.99 per month
🤖 Android: Google Play Store , PEGI 7
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 12+
⽭ Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish
⏳ Content: Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Freemium: Try Before You Buy

No Ads. Try the game for free, then pay the price to unlock the full version.

Duck Detective: Secret Salami

A cozy, story-driven adventure game. Dive into this funny, comedy-filled puzzle adventure, where you play as Eugene McQuacklin, a down-on-his-luck Duck Detective, on a mission to crack the case. Use your sharp de-duck-tive reasoning to find hidden clues, solve puzzles, and expose the truth behind a sinister salami conspiracy.

💰 Price: Try for free. Full version for $5.99
🤖 Android: Google Play Store, PEGI 3
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 9+
⽭ Languages: English
⏳ Content: Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor

Prince of Persia Lost Crown

Prince of Persia™: The Lost Crown is an action-adventure platformer game, inspired by the Metroidvania genre and set in a mythological Persian world.

💰 Price: Try for free. Full version for $9.99
🤖 Android: Google Play Store, PEGI 16
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 17+
⽭ Languages: English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese
⏳ Content: Frequent/Intense Realistic, ViolenceInfrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor, Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Townsfolk

Lead a group of settlers into the unknown and build a thriving colony in a world full of mystery and danger. Manage scarce resources, make tough choices, and face the unpredictable frontier. Will your town prosper or fall?

💰 Price: Try for free. Full version for $4.99
🤖 Android: Google Play Store, PEGI 3
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
⽭ Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Mobile

Battle as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to foil Krang and Shredder's latest twisted plan. Brawl across a righteous range of classic TMNT locations in this beautifully rendered retro beat 'em up. Smash your way through more than a dozen different levels and use your dangerous ninja combos to defeat classic enemies like Baxter Stockman or the Triceraton!

💰 Price: Try for free. Full version for $8.99
🤖 Android: Google Play Store, PEGI 7
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 12+
⽭ Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese
⏳ Content: Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Paid. No Ads

Pay for the full game upfront. No ads, no In-app purchases.

Looking for Aliens

Curious about how aliens view our world? Looking for Aliens takes you on an unforgettable journey where you uncover the strange, funny, and sometimes absurd truth about life on Earth—all through extraterrestrial eyes. Explore colorful scenes packed with surprises, humor, and easy puzzles in this hidden-object game.

💰 Price: $2.99
🤖 Android: Google Play Store, PEGI 3
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 4+
⽭ Languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish

Crashlands 2

In Crashlands 2 players will explore a dynamic and vibrant world full of ecological interactions, creatures, and alien societies, while crafting gadgets, weapons, and elixirs to fight, solve puzzles, and survive. Along the way, they can build a home, befriend quirky characters, raise pets, and uncover the mysteries of the planet to set things right.

💰 Price: $9.99
🤖 Android: Google Play Store, PEGI 12
🍎 iOS: Apple App Store, Age Rating: 9+
⽭ Languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese

👁️ At a glance

👉 Game: Alba: A Wildlife Adventure by Ustwo games
📱 Platforms: iOS (and 4 more1)
🚀 Genre: Adventure
⏳ Playtime: 2-3 hours
⽭ Languages: English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a charming adventure game where you play as Alba Singh, a young girl spending the summer with her grandparents on a sunbathed Mediterranean island. What begins as a peaceful vacation of wildlife photography and exploration, turns into a mission to protect the local environment. Gameplay includes exploring the island, taking pictures and sounds of real-world wildlife, cleaning the environment and rescuing animals.

👶 My Kid's take on Alba

My 8-year-old played Alba three times over the last few years, and when we sat down to talk about it, she told me:

“I’m looking forward to the festival with the fireworks—it’s so colorful!”

“I like exploring the castle and that you can run around freely!”

“I’m excited to meet Inés, but… she could help pick up trash more, and boss me around a little less.”

“I didn’t like the wildfire part, it was stressful. That, and the speech bubbles kept repeating after I’ve already read them.”

The game stuck with her, but the late-game shift in tone (more on that later) definitely left an impression.

🧓🏻 My Take on Alba

💚 Kindness, Connection, and Community

I love how the core of the game is about empathy, respect, and care—for people, animals, and the environment. Alba doesn’t save the island alone—she inspires others to care, too. Early in the game, you rally villagers to rescue a beached dolphin. Later, those same people will promise you to “all work together to fix the Nature Reserve. We got this!”

The adults are respectful and supportive: they talk to kids, not at them. Alba’s grandparents are warm, trusting and supportive and Inés is a realistic best friend: helpful, sometimes bossy, always excited.

And while the overall tone is cozy, the game doesn't avoid difficult topics. After an exchange between The Mayor, the hotel developer Paco, and a few villagers, my daughter and I had a thoughtful conversation about what it means to balance the economic needs of a community with protecting the environment.

📱 Technology as a creative tool

I appreciate how the game presents technology. Alba uses her phone not for distractions, but for activism—documenting wildlife, tracking tasks, recording animal sounds, and even publishing articles in the local newspaper. I hope my kid will remember all the creative ways she and Alba used their in-game phone.

👉 Play With One Finger

The game plays naturally with one hand: swipe on the bottom half of the screen to move Alba, and use the top half to look around. Taking photos is a tap, or you can tilt the iPad like you would when taking pictures, adding to the immersion.

🐦 A slow-paced world with lots to do

The game allows kids to play at their own pace. Quests pop up naturally, and exploration is encouraged, not forced. From cleaning up trash, folding fresh laundry (so satisfying!) to rescuing critters and snapping pictures, there’s a good variety of activities. Some tasks are quick and frequent, like collecting litter into bins - others unfold slowly over the course of the game, like gathering signatures or restoring the Nature Reserve.

🏖️ A Summer in Spain

The fictional town of Secarral, on the island of Pinar del Mar, is a love letter to childhood summer holidays. Warm, saturated colors bathe the world in sunlight, cicadas click softly in the background, and I could practically feel the heat on my skin. Each location is distinct and memorable, which helps with finding your way around the island.

🔥 [Spoilers] A Sudden Shift

Late in the game the tone shifts. Alba and Inés have to spy on — and then confront — The Mayor and Paco, all on their own. Justice is served, but the drama isn’t over yet: a fire breaks (arson?), casting an ominous red glow over the island.

Alba refuses to evacuate and runs back into danger. Suddenly, you are playing as her Grandad, frantically searching for her in the smoky night. You are slower than Alba — a clever game design choice that heightens the tension, but it was too stressful for my kid.

Eventually, the mood lifts again. You reunite with Alba (I won’t spoil why she ran away), the fire is put out, and the Summer Festival in the evening — with its music, dancing and fireworks — restores the game’s chill tones and humor.

The entire sequence lasts maybe 10 minutes out of the 2-3 hour playtime, but it might be too intense for sensitive kids— mine didn’t like it for sure, even though she’s played through it a couple of times already.

🎮 Skill Level Age: 5+

Most kids aged 5 and up will be able to enjoy Alba, especially with a bit of help. The touch controls are simple, though some younger players might need support with reading or completing certain tasks like finding all the wildlife.

Reading is Required to Play

The game supports 14 languages, and reading is needed for quests, dialogue, and instructions. This can be a good opportunity for shared play—reading aloud together, discussing what to do next.

🧒 Content Rating: Closer to 7+

Though Apple’s App Store lists Alba as 4+, the story and themes feel more appropriate for kids aged 7 and up. While most of the game is peaceful and chill, the last act presents players with heavier emotional beats and situations —standing up to adults, navigating danger— that align more with narratives for older kids.

💻 Where to Play Alba

On mobile, Alba is available exclusively through Apple Arcade, Apple’s game subscription service. It’s $6.99/month after a free trial, but all of the 200+ games in the library are free of ads and in-app purchases, which is why I feature Apple Arcade titles in this newsletter. The games is also on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation.

If you're looking for a beautiful, heartfelt and a slightly adventurous game for your kid—or to play together—Alba is a great choice!

👁️ At a glance

👉 Game: Automatoys by Idle Friday
📱 Platforms: Android, iOS
🚀 Genre: Puzzle game
⏳ Playtime: 2–5 minutes per round, ~1 hour to complete

Automatoys combines physics-based puzzles with the charm of a digital toy. Players guide a cheerful ball from start to finish by tapping or holding anywhere on the screen, activating intricate 3D contraptions filled with moving obstacles, levers, and jumps.

👶 My Kid's take on Automatoys

My kid was eager to review Automatoys next. She thought it fit our format perfectly: no ads, just pure fun. She loves that “you have endless tries,” that “you have to focus,” and that “there’s nothing scary.” Most of all, she enjoys flicking the ball across the mechanism.

🧓🏻 My Take on Automatoys

One Tap Simplicity

The game is controlled with just a single tap or hold. That’s its brilliance: touch anywhere on the screen to move the ball and activate the intricate pinball-like machines, each packed with moving parts and clever mechanisms. Few things are as satisfying as a game that feels perfectly designed for mobile—simple to play, yet full of depth.

Fantastic Look & Feel

Each level is like a moving sculpture, visually stunning enough to be framed on your wall. The game feels delightfully physical, from the subtle vibrations as the ball moves to the retro clicks and whirs of the machines. The soundtrack is just as polished, with a different chill track for each level.

A Game Of Patience

Timing taps and holds correctly can be tricky and frustrating at times. There’s no game-over screen, and while the serene visuals and smiling ball might suggest a relaxing journey through a mechanical world, the game will test your coordination skills and patience.

Good Replayability

The game offers 16 levels—12 at launch, plus 4 added in 2024—that steadily increase in difficulty. The 3-star rating system adds a reason to replay, rewarding faster completion times. For $2.99, it’s a great value—though even the free levels offer plenty to enjoy.

🎮 Skill Level Age: 5+

Children as young as 5 should have the skill to enjoy Automatoys1. My 8-year-old had fun, but found some some of the timing-based challenges tricky, as guessing how to traverse some of the moving obstacles. Parents and guardians my need to support their kids and help them with dealing with frustrations and setbacks.

No Reading Required

Automatoys is entirely playable without reading. The only text appears in the settings menu and the in-app purchase window.

💰 Price: Try for Free, Buy for $2.99

Automatoys is free from ads and other predatory monetisation, like all games that I review. You can play its first 3 levels for free, then support the developer by unlocking the entire game for $2.99.

👶 My Kid's take on Pilgrims

"Oh, yes, that one!" my 8-year-old exclaimed when I asked her if we should start our game review series with Pilgrims. She loves “reading and playing the cards,” the way the characters “just stand there and wait for you,” having “to look carefully and paying attention” and, most of all, the feeling that “you are helping them.”

However, some unexpected twists, drawn from Czech folk tales, felt a bit strange to her—she didn’t like slaying the basilisk (which can be avoided by solving the puzzle differently) or discovering that making a deal with the devil means he’ll take your priest away.

🧓🏻 My Take on Pilgrims

I’m a huge fan of Amanita Design’s games, and Pilgrims is no exception to that. Everything about it—the hand-drawn art, the dry Eastern European humor, the absurd situations, the oddball characters, and the enchanting music—makes it a joy to play.

But what I love most is its generous approach to puzzles, something I’ve rarely seen in other games. Most puzzle games accept only one “correct” solution, ignoring failed attempts at best or punishing them at worst. Pilgrims does the opposite. It encourages experimentation, rewarding curiosity with playful animations and humorous surprises, much like an oral folk tale that changes with each retelling.

Every attempt—successful or not—rewards players with an unique scene, thanks to the hundreds of handcrafted animations and custom sound effects Amanita Design has meticulously created.

As a parent, watching my child try, not fail, but instead laugh and be surprised, is the best I could hope for in any game.

Pilgrims isn’t a game you beat—it’s a game you play and laugh with.

🔍 Details

👉 Title: Pilgrims
💰 Price: Free. In-app purchase the full game for $0.99
📱 Platforms: Android, iOs
🚀 Genres: Puzzle game
👶 Age: 12+
📖 Reading: not required to play the game
⏳ Time to finish: 1-2 hours
👨‍💻 Developer: Amanita Design