12 Games You HAVE to Play If You Have a Playdate Gaming System
The Playdate is unlike any other gaming system we've had the pleasure of playing.
Not only is the system unusual, with a non-backlit screen, stripped-back button layout and a crank that's integrated into certain titles, but its library consists of unique games you truly can't play anywhere else. A whopping 24 "Season One" titles come with the system for free when you buy it, while additional games are available for purchase via the Playdate Catalog. In addition to supplying us with a Playdate device to review, the team behind the system also gave us access to their full Catalog, and below, we've shared our top must-play Playdate games.
(via Playdate)
Season 1 Games
Flipper Lifter
Flipper Lifter may be a simple mini-game, but it's one we come back to again and again. This title makes good user of the Playdate crank to make an elevator go up and down, getting the resident impatient penguins to their desired floors. At first, you're just operating a hotel elevator, but things get more and more complex as you rise to higher floors, with new obstacles and hazards making it ever trickier to get these penguins where they need to go.
(via Playdate)
Pick Pack Pup
Few Match 3 games have managed to captivate us quite like Pick Pack Pup. You play as Pup, a new employee in a mega-corporation's warehouse, and as the company's goals and priorities change, so do your missions in packing up the right packages to send off to customers. The gameplay itself isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's good fun—especially as its playfully anti-capitalist message unfolds.
(via Playdate)
Casual Birder
Casual Birder is a fun and snappy little adventure game about moving into a town where hobby bird photography is all the rage. It's up to you to handle some pesky troublemakers who are making it tougher for everyone else in Bird Town to enjoy their favorite hobby, capturing bird photos and helping the townspeople in order to progress. Completionists will also get a kick out of taking photos of every last bird tucked away in the game to prove they truly can snap 'em all.
(via Playdate)
Demon Quest '85
Demon Quest '85 is a weird but unforgettable little game about summoning demons. It starts when you discover a family heirloom—a magical handbook on demons—and decide to use their power to help you become more popular at school. It's part-narrative, with the story getting more and more interesting as you dive in, and part-puzzle game as you learn about each demon, deciding which students from your yearbook will be the right fit to join your summoning circle and pique the curiosity of the demons, plus the ideal offering and music for them. It's also worth playing a second time through, to see if making slightly different choices will change your experience.
(via Playdate)
Also read about: Pepper Grinder Is a Fast-Paced Action Platformer Everyone Should Be Playing in 2024
Sasquatchers
We're not usually the biggest fans of grid-based tactical games, but Sasquatchers was quirky and fun enough to change our minds. It's all about a team of aspiring cryptozoology influencers. It's up to you to hire the right team members and buy the right equipment, then setting up the shots, to get great footage of sneaky cryptids, earning you money as well as new followers. We could never fully figure out the last area full of Mothmen, but we'll let that slide because it we truly enjoyed getting there.
(via Playdate)
Spellcorked
Spellcorked is a witchy little title about becoming a small business owner who creates your own online potion business. The trick is in learning about the sometimes antithetical properties of each of your key ingredients and learning to combine them in just the right way to fulfill each online order and leave your customers as pleased as possible (so they leave you great reviews). It gets more complex the more ingredients you unlock, but that only adds to the fun.
(via Playdate)
Ratcheteer
We've played more of Ratcheteer than any other game on the Playdate, because this is a full-fledged title worth sinking multiple hours into. It's a Zelda-like at heart, with gameplay most similar to Link's Awakening, in which you play as a mechanic living in an underground cryo-colony after an object leaves the planet in a permanent winter. Over the course of the game, you'll dive deep into dungeons, tackle deadly bosses and grow stronger and stronger thanks to powerups including a ratchet, drill and cape, unlocking more of the story little by little. We also loved all of the build-up to the final section, with a super tough but satisfying final boss.
Saturday Edition
Saturday Edition has to be our favorite game from Playdate's Season One. It's like a classic point-and-click adventure game (minus the actual pointing and clicking) telling the story of John Kornfield, a man who was abducted by aliens before being returned to earth. A decade later, he barely remembers the events, and when people start disappearing just when mysterious lights begin appearing in the night sky, he gets wrapped up in a brand new conspiracy. Whether he likes it or not, he's going to be a key figure in this mystery, and solving us had us entranced from the opening moments to the awe-inspiring ending.
(via Playdate)
Catalog Games
Root Bear: $3
You might have seen Root Bear on TikTok, and for good reason. It's incredibly simple—use the crank to fill the root beer to the line—but thanks to super satisfying sound design, hilarious animations and even sillier sound effects, pouring for these thirsty bears never seems to get old.
(via Playdate)
Also read about: 6 Things I Loved, and 1 Thing I Didn't, About Another Crab's Treasure on Nintendo Switch
Summit: $6
As lovers of Celeste, we can't help but be reminded of the classic indie title when we play Summit. It's also a precision platformer about climbing a treacherous mountain, requiring a little planning and fast reflexes to survive every puzzle room's ever-growing hazards. It's definitely tough, but that just makes it more satisfying every time you manage to scale more of the mountain.
(via Playdate)
Mega Dystopia Micro Architect: $6
Mega Dystopia Micro Architect (MDMA) is one of our favorite hidden gems on the Playdate, serving as a mini-city builder for a dystopian metropolis. It's a grid based game where you lay down different types of buildings, utilities and more, with each placement gaining or losing points based on the adjacent buildings and whether or not they belong together. You can unlock permanent upgrades and get random perks with each goal, and paired with its funky, dystopian synth soundtrack, this simple little game can keep us occupied for a shockingly long time.
(via Playdate)
Mars After Midnight: $6
Finally, Mars After Midnight is the reason we wanted to try out the Playdate in the first place, and it's one we've come back to again and again. It was created by Lucas Pope, renowned creator of Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Din, though this game is more stripped-back and straightforward, as well as sillier and more optimistic than his past games.
(via Playdate)
You take control of an alien living off-colony on Mars, working with your robotic roommate to run a Community Support Center than offers help to Martians in need. Depending on the night's session topic, you might be looking for one-eyed aliens in need to anger management, flatulent Martians or even vampiric astronauts, letting in only the correct clientele to help with their problems. You'll also need to put up fliers to spread the word, serve the correct treats to keep everyone happy and also clean up the snack station after even customer comes through—because some Martians are unbelievably messy. Put it all together, and it's a sweet, zany and sometimes laugh-out-loud-funny title that just makes us feel good inside to play.
For more on the Playdate, click HERE to read our full review of the system.