For a straight drag-aim-release slingshot game, the strongest picks today are Angry Birds 2 (free, the current main-line Rovio game), Kitty Kaboom (free, no in-app purchases, seven cats with mid-flight powers), and Red’s First Flight ($0.99 on iPhone, the official remake of the 2009 original with no ads or purchases). If you want competition instead of a campaign, Angry Birds Friends runs fresh tournaments every week.
All prices, release dates and update dates below come from the App Store’s own listing data, checked in September 2026. Store terms change, so look at the listing before you pay.
Quick comparison #
| Game | What you launch | Cost | Ads / IAP | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angry Birds 2 | Birds at pig towers | Free | Ads and purchases, including random items | iOS, Android |
| Kitty Kaboom | Cats at robot towers | Free | Ads, no purchases | iOS, Android |
| Red’s First Flight | Birds, original levels | $0.99 | Neither, per its listing | iOS only |
| Angry Birds Reloaded | Birds, remastered classics | Apple Arcade | Neither | Apple devices |
| Angry Birds Friends | Birds, weekly tournaments | Free | Ads and purchases | iOS, Android |
| Angry Birds Journey | Birds, lighter puzzle levels | Free | Ads and purchases | iOS, Android |
| Crush the Castle: Siege Master | Trebuchet at castles | Free | Ads and purchases | iOS, Android |
| Slingshot Championship | Target shooting | Free | Ads and purchases | iOS, Android |
The campaign games #
Angry Birds 2 #
The current main-line Angry Birds, released in July 2015 and still updated monthly. You choose which bird goes into the slingshot rather than taking them in a fixed order, levels run across multiple stages with boss pigs at the end, and there are daily challenges, clans and an arena.
It’s the most polished slingshot game on either store. It’s also the most commercial: its own App Store description says the game “may include loot boxes or other game mechanics with random rewards,” and it warns about links out to social networks.
Wrong for you if: you want to finish a game rather than keep a live service going. The economy, events and energy-style pacing are the point.
Kitty Kaboom #
Kitty Kaboom is our game, so weigh this accordingly. You drag back, watch a line of white dots, release, and knock robot vacuums off towers made of cardboard, wood, glass, brick, metal and soap. The twist is the tap: six of the seven cats have a power you trigger mid-flight. Boomer explodes, Mochi splits into three kittens, Chonk slams straight down, Yowl shatters glass and dazes robots, Zippy dashes, and Gizmo pulls metal and robots toward her.
There are 60 levels across four worlds, a daily challenge that’s the same level for every player on Earth, and coins you spend on cat upgrades and hats that show up on the cats during play. It’s free with ads and no in-app purchases, and it needs no account.
Wrong for you if: you hate banner ads, or you want leaderboards and tournaments. There are none, and the banner stays on screen during levels. Our cats and powers guide shows the roster if you want a preview.
Red’s First Flight #
Rovio’s faithful remake of the original game, sold for $0.99 on the App Store since March 2022. Its description promises all eight original episodes and more than 390 levels, plus “No IAPs!” and “No intrusive pop-up ads interrupting gameplay.” For a lot of people this is the one they actually want.
Wrong for you if: you’re on Android, or you expect new content. It’s iOS only, and its last update was in June 2023.
Angry Birds Reloaded #
A remaster that lives on Apple Arcade, Apple’s $6.99-a-month subscription. Apple says Arcade games have “No ads. No in-app purchases. No interruptions” and can be played online or offline. The game’s description lists more than 60 episodes and over 2,000 levels, now including Angry Birds Space content, and it’s still getting monthly updates.
Wrong for you if: you don’t want another subscription, or you’re not on Apple hardware.
Angry Birds Journey #
A gentler, more puzzle-flavoured slingshot game from 2020, themed around changing seasons. The shots are simpler and the levels are shorter, which suits short sessions.
Wrong for you if: you want the physics depth of the main series. It last got an update in October 2025, so it’s not the focus of Rovio’s attention.
The competitive one #
Angry Birds Friends #
Friends is built entirely around tournaments. Its listing promises more than 35 new levels a week, new tournaments starting Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, one-on-one Star Cup matches, and leagues to climb. If the part of slingshot games you like is beating a specific person’s score on a specific level, nothing else comes close.
Wrong for you if: you play on planes and trains. Tournaments and head-to-head matches need a connection, unlike a built-in campaign.
Beyond birds and cats #
Crush the Castle: Siege Master #
Armor Games’ newer take on the series that predates Angry Birds. You load a trebuchet rather than a slingshot, so you’re timing a release rather than choosing an angle, and the targets are castles full of royalty. The original Crush the Castle reached the App Store in September 2009 and is still sold for $0.99, though it hasn’t been updated since 2017.
Wrong for you if: you want an actively maintained game. Siege Master’s last update was April 2023. The difference between the two launchers is covered in slingshot vs catapult, and more castle-wrecking picks are in best catapult games.
Slingshot Championship #
A different genre using the same word: you fire at targets on a range rather than at structures. MOBIRIX has kept it updated since 2017, most recently in August 2026. Worth knowing about if what you searched for was target practice, not demolition.
Wrong for you if: you want physics destruction. Nothing topples here.
How to choose #
- You want the genre’s best-made game: Angry Birds 2.
- You want no in-app purchases: Kitty Kaboom (free, ad-supported) or Red’s First Flight (paid, iOS).
- You want no ads at all: Angry Birds Reloaded through Apple Arcade.
- You want to compete: Angry Birds Friends.
- You want to play on a flight: anything with a built-in campaign. Our offline slingshot games guide has the airplane-mode test.
Whichever you pick, the aiming transfers. Full power on nearly every shot, then change only the angle, in small steps. That approach is the whole of slingshot aiming technique, and it works in every game on this page.
Frequently asked questions #
What is the best free slingshot game? #
Angry Birds 2 if you don’t mind a free-to-play economy, and Kitty Kaboom if you’d rather have ads than purchases. Both are free on iPhone and Android and both have daily challenges.
Are there slingshot games without in-app purchases? #
Yes. Kitty Kaboom has none and is paid for by ads. Red’s First Flight has none and costs $0.99 on iOS. Apple Arcade games, including Angry Birds Reloaded, can’t have them at all.
What was the first slingshot game? #
Crush the Castle, a browser game from Armor Games, reached the App Store in September 2009, three months before Angry Birds launched. Its store page still calls it “the physics projectile puzzle game that started it all.”
Do slingshot games work offline? #
The campaign-based ones usually do, since levels ship inside the app. Tournament games like Angry Birds Friends need a connection for their main mode. Test any game in airplane mode at home before you rely on it.
Which slingshot game is best for kids? #
Red’s First Flight has no ads or purchases, which removes the two things parents usually worry about, but it’s iOS only and costs $0.99. Among free options, check the age rating and the store labels first; cat games for kids walks through how.