Skip to main content

Flappy Bird is gone forever, so play one of these better games instead

flappy bird gone go play five games instead best alternatives badland threes hundreds hoplite nightjar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Flappy Bird is no more. Dong Nguyen’s controversial mobile gaming hit was officially pulled from the iTunes App Store and Google Play this week. You can probably still find it for your Android device due to the more open nature of Google’s app offerings, but it’s not something you can get on an Apple device anymore. At least, not unless you’re willing to pay $100,000 for it on eBay.

Take heart. Don’t look at the demise of Flappy Bird, with its stolen artwork and uninspiring cloned design, as a bad thing. Now that it’s gone, you’re free to play all manner of other games. Better games. In some cases, even the exact same game, but with more going on. Flappy Bird is an addiction, and this is your support group. Any of these five iOS games (some also available for Android) will help to wean you off your flapping bird habit.

badland
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Badland

Available on: iOSAndroid

Why waste your time on Flappy Bird when you can play the real thing? Badland features the same sort of tap-to-fly gameplay, only it’s got more layers to the gameplay and some beautiful art design. Frogmind Games released this little gem in mid-2013, and it’s been one of our go-to recommendations ever since. The game’s customer review rating hovers around five stars, and – in a cheeky twist – Frogmind is running a $2 sale for it right now “in the memory of Flappy Bird.”

You rascals.

THREES
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Threes!

Available on: iOS

Freshly released in the iTunes App Store just last week, Sirvo’s simple, little puzzler Threes has already generated a lot of attention. It’s easier to understand once you play it, but the basic premise involves sliding numbered tiles around on a 4×4 grid. With the exception of 1 and 2, which can be added together to create a 3, tiles can only slide on top of each other when they share the same number. Doing so doubles the number displayed on the tile and raises your total score. A round ends when the board fills up and there are no moves left. Like some of the best mobile games, it’s easy to learn, difficult to master.

hundreds
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hundreds

Available on: iOSAndroid

Another wonderfully minimal math-tastic puzzler that’s easier to play than it is to explain, Semi Secret Software’s Hundreds is similar to Flappy Bird in the sense that it’s a game built around precision screen-tapping. Number-filled circles float and bob around on the screen. You’ve got to tap and hold to “fill” them up, increasing both their size and the number at their center. The goal is to get the numeric sum of all the circles up to 100, a goal that is often complicated by a variety of obstacles.

Hoplite
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hoplite

Available on: iOSAndroid

Douglas Cowley’s Hoplite is a relatively recent mobile release that mixes turn-based tactical strategy with the sort of procedural generation you’d expect to see in the roguelike genre. To play, you move your troops around on a hex-based grid as you fight against the obstacles that spring up in front of you. Levels are completely random, so you’re never sure of what’s coming next. Don’t let the simple, retro-style graphics fool you. There’s a robust game here, and one with endless play potential thanks to the procedural level generation.

Nightjar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Nightjar

Available on: iOS

Which would you rather do: tap furiously to keep a suspiciously Nintendo-ish wing-flapping bird aloft or grope blindly around a doomed spaceship while Benedict Cumberbatch’s soothing voice attempts to help you? You get the latter with The Nightjar, an iOS-exclusive audio-only game from Somethin’ Else. The premise is simple: your spaceship is without power and caught in a deteriorating orbit around a sun. Everyone is either dead or on an escape pod. Well, everyone except you. And alien invaders that want to kill you. Fortunately, Benedict Cumberbatch is going to save the day. Just listen to his instructions and follow the audio cues and you’ll get to safety. Maybe.

 

Topics
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Best gaming PC deals: Powerful gaming rigs starting at $860
young woman playing video games on a PC

Gaming PC deals are important to the gaming community in a way that few outside of it can truly understand.

If you play games on a Nintendo or Playstation, for example, all you have to do is wait for gaming console deals that match your preferences and buy things up quickly. They come around at predictable intervals, though, and once you get a console you can feel confident you'll be able to play every game released for it. If you have a Playstation 5, for instance, you can rest assured that you'll be able to play all of the best Playstation 5 games. It requires a sort of stoic patience, but there is a sense of assuredness at every step of the process.

Read more
Best gaming laptop deals: Save on Alienware, Razer, HP and more
The Corsair Voyager a1600 gaming laptop set up with a monitor and other accessories on a desk.

Many of the best laptops are great for multi-purpose use, but if you’re looking to take on some of the best PC games, you’re going to want to get yourself a gaming laptop. The best gaming laptops offer hardware geared specifically for gameplay action, and many of them offer some savings. That’s certainly the case right now, as there are a lot of gaming laptop deals taking place. Many of the best laptop brands have gaming laptop deals taking place, and the likes of big time gaming brands like Alienware and Razer have models discounted right now as well.
HP Victus 16 — $600, was $900

With the HP Victus 16 you’re getting an incredible gaming laptop. As it’s built for this deal it has specs that are closer to entry-level gaming laptops, but that shouldn’t be any reason to stay away if you’re shopping on a budget. It has a 15.6-inch Full HD display, a 13-generation Intel processor, and 8GB of RAM. It also has a popular mobile graphics card in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050. The HP Victus 16 comes with Windows 11 preinstalled, and should have you gaming in no time once you get it out of the box.

Read more
Usually $950, this HP gaming laptop is on sale for $700 right now
HP Victus placed outside while displaying an attractive background.

The HP Victus 15, a gaming laptop that caters to the needs of gamers on a tight budget, is currently even more affordable with the help of a $250 discount from HP. From its original price of $950, it's down to just $700, which is a very cheap price to pay for a decent gaming laptop. You're going to have to push through with the purchase right away if you're interested though, because we're not sure if this offer will still be around for you to shop tomorrow.

Why you should buy the HP Victus 15 gaming laptop
For its price, you shouldn't expect the HP Victus 15 to challenge the performance of the top-of-the-line models of the best gaming laptops. However, it's capable of running the best PC games with its AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, and 8GB of RAM, though you may have to dial down the graphics to the lowest settings for the more demanding titles. For most gamers, that's a perfect acceptable compromise considering this gaming laptop is below $1,000.

Read more