Best Apple Watch Games

You won't be slashing through Infinity Blade or exploring Monument Valley on the Apple Watch's tiny display, and that's fine. Instead of mimicking the iPhone, Apple's first wearable provides a handful of novel gaming experiences built specifically for bite-size play. 

Apple Watch games provide the ultimate quick fix, allowing you to solve puzzles and hack away at enemies for a few minutes without going through the trouble of pulling out your phone. Favorites like Trivia Crack make a perfect fit for the Apple Watch's small display, while text-based adventures such as SpyCatcher leverage the wearable computer to make you feel like you're a character in a sci-fi movie.

The Apple Watch's game selection is currently small, but there are already some gems worth toying with. Here are our favorites.
 

Rules!

 The Apple Watch's display provides just enough real estate for a good puzzle game, and Rules! is one of the best brain teasers on the platform. The game starts simply, providing four numbered tiles and a basic rule, such as "tap in descending order." However, since a new rule gets added with every turn, you'll quickly find yourself racking your noggin trying to follow them all. If you're looking to warm up your brain on the way to work, playing Rules! is as good a way as any.

Lifeline

 While puzzle and word games work just fine on the Apple Watch, Lifeline is a prime example of a unique play experience that's best enjoyed on a watch. A text-based adventure in which you help a stranded astronaut named Taylor, Lifeline puts you in control of the story by allowing you to choose how you respond to your new friend throughout his dire journey. Lifeline is also playable on iPhone and iPad, but playing it on the Apple Watch makes you truly feel like you're exchanging messages with an astronaut via a futuristic transmitter.

Runblade

 The thought of playing a role-playing game on a tiny wristwatch may seem preposterous, but Runeblade pulls it off. This dungeon crawler keeps it basic, allowing you to hack away at a steady stream of mystical creatures by simply tapping your sword icon every few seconds. However, with rich, cartoony graphics; an intuitive upgrade system; and a steady stream of new bosses and environments to tackle, this miniature RPG is surprisingly entrancing.

Trivia Crack

 Trivia Crack's category-based quizzes have turned troves of iOS gamers into trivia addicts, and the game's Apple Watch counterpart makes it even easier to get your fix. Trivia Crack's colorful spinning category wheel, cute animated characters and fun questions, which touch on everything from history to pop culture, all translate elegantly to the Apple Watch's small screen. Our only gripe is that you have to start a game on your iPhone before playing it on your wrist, but once you get going, this bite-size version of Trivia Crack is just as hard to put down.

Letter Zap

 Letter Zap is an addictive letter-matching game that sacrifices little in its transition to the Apple Watch. It's as pure as word games get; you're tasked with unscrambling as many words as possible in 30 seconds, with no special power-ups or unlockables to get in the way. Letter Zap's short-burst formula makes it perfect for Apple's smartwatch, and the pursuit of a new high score will keep you playing for a while.

Tamagotchi Classic

 Tamagotchi and Apple Watch — the marriage made too much sense to not happen. Bandai Namco's official iOS Tamagotchi app works just like the digital pets you remember obsessing over as a kid. The Apple Watch's take on Tamagotchi makes it easy to feed, play with and clean up after your virtual companion, and you can customize your pet's surroundings via the iPhone app. As silly as it is, there's a good chance you'll find yourself frequently tapping your wrist just to see how your little pal is doing. 

SpyWatch

 Like Lifeline, Spy Watch leverages Apple's wearable to immerse you in a story in a way few other platforms can. This dialogue-based adventure has you complete missions by giving orders to your fellow special agent, who will "text" you updates throughout the day on how the action progresses. While the gameplay is remarkably simple, the ability to earn cash and improve your spy's abilities gives you a reason to keep checking in. With a slick user interface that makes you feel like one of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Spy Watch is one of the best examples of wrist-based gaming we've seen yet.