Guide · verified September 14, 2026
Which Apple Watch games work on your model?
Every Apple Watch from Series 6 onward, including SE (2nd gen), SE 3 and every Ultra, runs all 20 games we recommend. Series 4, Series 5 and the first SE run 17 of them, and Series 3 runs 12: older third-party games that still support watchOS 8, none of them ours.
Apple Watch has at least 4,599 games (we counted them), and most are old or abandoned. This page checks the 20 we recommend, one by one: we read the "Requires watchOS" line on each game's App Store page and matched it against Apple's own compatibility table for the newest watchOS each model can install. Checked on September 14, 2026. The games are the ones we recommend in What games can you play on Apple Watch? and the best Apple Watch games list. 5 of them are ours, marked below.
Which watchOS can each Apple Watch run?
A game installs when your watch can run the watchOS version it asks for. This is the newest version each model supports.
| Model | Released | Newest watchOS | Recommended games that run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Series 3 | 2017 | watchOS 8 | 12 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 4 | 2018 | watchOS 10 | 17 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 5 | 2019 | watchOS 10 | 17 of 20 |
| Apple Watch SE (1st gen) | 2020 | watchOS 10 | 17 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 6 | 2020 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | 2021 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) | 2022 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 8 | 2022 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Ultra | 2022 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 9 | 2023 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Ultra 2 | 2023 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 10 | 2024 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch SE 3 | 2025 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Series 11 | 2025 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
| Apple Watch Ultra 3 | 2025 | watchOS 26 | 20 of 20 |
What games can you play on Apple Watch Series 3?
Series 3 stops at watchOS 8, so 12 of the 20 games we recommend still install. The catch is age: several have gone years without an update, so treat them as working today rather than looked after.
- Dare the Monkey · needs watchOS 3 · $4.99 · updated Jul 2022, over two years ago
- Ping Pong · needs watchOS 4 · Free · updated Mar 2026
- Pocket Bandit · needs watchOS 4 · $0.99 · updated Oct 2020, over two years ago
- Snappy Word Search · needs watchOS 4 · Free · updated Jun 2026
- Square Bird Watch · needs watchOS 4 · Free · updated Aug 2026
- Lifeline · needs watchOS 6 · $2.99 · updated Jun 2022, over two years ago
- Touch Round · needs watchOS 6 · Free · updated Dec 2025
- Invaders mini · needs watchOS 7 · $0.99 · updated May 2022, over two years ago
- Arcadia Sports · needs watchOS 8 · $1.99 · updated Aug 2026
- Jellyfish Tap · needs watchOS 8 · Free · updated Sep 2026
- Kepler Attack · needs watchOS 8 · $1.99 · updated Jul 2025
- Solitaire The Game · needs watchOS 8 · Free · updated Jun 2026
What games work on Series 4, Series 5 and the first Apple Watch SE?
Series 4, Series 5 and SE (1st gen) stop at watchOS 10, which covers 17 of the 20 games we recommend, including Crown Heist and Shut The Box. The 3 that need watchOS 11 do not install: Crown Climb, Crown Jack and Soar.
Do games work on Series 11, SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra?
Yes, all of them. Series 6, Series 7, SE (2nd gen), Series 8, Ultra, Series 9, Ultra 2, Series 10, SE 3, Series 11 and Ultra 3 all run watchOS 26, so every one of the 20 games we recommend installs. Our upcoming games, Crown Farkle, Crown Roulette and Crown Five, need watchOS 11 as well, so they will run on these models too.
Every recommended game and the watchOS it needs
Sorted from the oldest requirement to the newest. "Oldest watch" is the earliest model that can run the current version.
| Game | Needs | Oldest watch | Price | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dare the Monkey | watchOS 3 | Series 3 | $4.99 | Jul 2022 |
| Ping Pong | watchOS 4 | Series 3 | Free | Mar 2026 |
| Pocket Bandit | watchOS 4 | Series 3 | $0.99 | Oct 2020 |
| Snappy Word Search | watchOS 4 | Series 3 | Free | Jun 2026 |
| Square Bird Watch | watchOS 4 | Series 3 | Free | Aug 2026 |
| Lifeline | watchOS 6 | Series 3 | $2.99 | Jun 2022 |
| Touch Round | watchOS 6 | Series 3 | Free | Dec 2025 |
| Invaders mini | watchOS 7 | Series 3 | $0.99 | May 2022 |
| Arcadia Sports | watchOS 8 | Series 3 | $1.99 | Aug 2026 |
| Jellyfish Tap | watchOS 8 | Series 3 | Free | Sep 2026 |
| Kepler Attack | watchOS 8 | Series 3 | $1.99 | Jul 2025 |
| Solitaire The Game | watchOS 8 | Series 3 | Free | Jun 2026 |
| WristJoy | watchOS 9 | Series 4 | Free | Aug 2026 |
| Arcadia | watchOS 10 | Series 4 | $1.99 | Sep 2026 |
| Crown Heist ours | watchOS 10 | Series 4 | Free | Aug 2026 |
| Shut The Box ours | watchOS 10 | Series 4 | Free | Aug 2026 |
| Tiny Armies | watchOS 10 | Series 4 | $0.99 | Jul 2026 |
| Crown Climb ours | watchOS 11 | Series 6 | Free | Sep 2026 |
| Crown Jack ours | watchOS 11 | Series 6 | Free | Sep 2026 |
| Soar ours | watchOS 11 | Series 6 | Free | Sep 2026 |
Common questions
What games can you play on Apple Watch Series 3?
12 of the 20 games we recommend still install on Series 3, which stops at watchOS 8: Dare the Monkey, Ping Pong, Pocket Bandit, Snappy Word Search, Square Bird Watch, Lifeline, Touch Round, Invaders mini, Arcadia Sports, Jellyfish Tap, Kepler Attack and Solitaire The Game. Several have not been updated in years. None of the Crown Games titles run on it.
Why do newer games not work on Apple Watch Series 3?
Series 3 cannot install anything newer than watchOS 8. Any game whose App Store listing requires watchOS 9 or later will not install on it, and most games released or updated recently require watchOS 10 or 11.
What games work on Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5 and the first SE?
Those models stop at watchOS 10, so 17 of the 20 games we recommend install. The ones that need watchOS 11 do not: Crown Climb, Crown Jack and Soar.
Do Apple Watch games work on Series 11, SE 3 and Ultra 3?
Yes. Every model from Series 6 onward, including SE (2nd gen), SE 3 and every Ultra, runs watchOS 26, so all 20 games we recommend install.
Which Apple Watch do Crown Games titles need?
Crown Heist and Shut The Box need watchOS 10, so Series 4 or later. Crown Climb, Crown Jack and Soar need watchOS 11, so Series 6, SE (2nd gen), Ultra or later, and so will Crown Farkle, Crown Roulette and Crown Five.
How do I check which watchOS my Apple Watch has?
On the watch, open Settings, then General, then About, and read the version line. On the iPhone, the same screen is in the Watch app under General, then About.
Sources: model support from Apple's Apple Watch and iPhone compatibility page; each game's requirement, price and last update from its App Store listing, all checked on September 14, 2026. Requirements change when a game updates, so the App Store listing has the final word.