If you want the closest thing to Angry Birds, start with Rovio’s own current games. Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds Friends are both free on iPhone and Android. If you want the same fling-and-topple feel with a different skin, try Kitty Kaboom (cats against robots, no in-app purchases) or Crush the Castle: Siege Master (a trebuchet instead of a slingshot). For the physics-puzzle side of Angry Birds without the flinging, Cut the Rope, Brain It On! and World of Goo 2 are the standouts.
Everything below was checked against the App Store and Google Play in September 2026. Prices and store listings change, so check the store page before you pay.
Quick comparison #
| Game | What you do | How it’s paid for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angry Birds 2 | Fling birds at pig towers across multi-stage levels | Free, ads and in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| Angry Birds Friends | Weekly slingshot tournaments | Free, ads and in-app purchases | iOS, Android, web |
| Red’s First Flight | Remake of the original Angry Birds | $0.99 | iOS only |
| Angry Birds Reloaded | Remastered classic levels, plus Space content | Apple Arcade subscription | Apple devices |
| Kitty Kaboom | Fling cats at robot towers, 7 tap powers | Free, ads, no in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| Crush the Castle: Siege Master | Trebuchet castle demolition | Free, ads and in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| Bad Piggies | Build contraptions to carry pigs to the goal | Free, ads and in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| Cut the Rope | Cut ropes to swing candy to Om Nom | Free, ads and in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| Brain It On! | Draw shapes to solve physics puzzles | Free, ads and in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| World of Goo 2 | Build goo towers and bridges, route liquid | Paid ($9.99 on iOS) | iOS, Android, PC, consoles |
The Rovio games #
Angry Birds 2 #
This is the main-line Angry Birds game today, and the best choice if you want the real thing. You pick which bird goes into the slingshot, levels come in multiple stages with boss pigs, and there are daily challenges. It’s free to play, with ads and in-app purchases for gems and extras.
Wrong for you if: you dislike free-to-play economies. Angry Birds 2 is built around currencies, boosts and events, and it’s more of a live service than the original.
Angry Birds Friends #
Friends is the competitive one. Rovio runs weekly tournaments with more than 35 new levels a week, plus head-to-head Star Cup matches and leagues. It’s on iOS and Android, and you can also play in a browser through Rovio’s Red’s Club site.
Wrong for you if: you want a campaign to work through at your own pace. The appeal is the leaderboard.
Red’s First Flight and Angry Birds Reloaded #
Both are versions of the original game. Red’s First Flight is Rovio’s $0.99 remake of the classic Angry Birds on the App Store. It launched in 2022 as Rovio Classics: Angry Birds, and Rovio renamed it on iOS and pulled it from Google Play in 2023. Its App Store page hasn’t been updated since mid-2023.
Angry Birds Reloaded is a remaster that lives on Apple Arcade, Apple’s $6.99-a-month game subscription with no ads and no in-app purchases. Its App Store description says it now includes Angry Birds Space content and more than 2,000 levels.
Wrong for you if: you’re on Android. Neither is available there. We cover the full story in is Angry Birds still available?
Rovio also makes Angry Birds Journey, a lighter, season-themed slingshot game (its Google Play listing currently goes by Angry Birds Families), and Bad Piggies, covered below.
Slingshot games from other studios #
Kitty Kaboom #
Kitty Kaboom is our game, so weigh this paragraph accordingly. The formula is familiar: drag back, watch the dotted trajectory, release, knock down towers. The difference is that each of the seven cats has a power you trigger mid-flight by tapping. Boomer explodes, Mochi splits into three kittens, Chonk slams straight down, Yowl shatters glass and dazes robots, Zippy dashes, and Gizmo magnetizes metal and robots. There are 60 levels across four worlds, a new daily challenge each day that’s the same level for every player, and hats you buy with in-game coins.
It’s free, with no in-app purchases and no account. Progress stays on your phone.
Wrong for you if: you hate ads. A banner stays on screen, including during play, and full-screen ads appear between some levels. Optional ads give bonuses like extra cats. It also has no online leaderboards or tournaments, so it won’t replace Angry Birds Friends if competition is the point. Our cats and powers guide explains each cat if you want a preview.
Crush the Castle: Siege Master #
Crush the Castle predates Angry Birds. The original came to the App Store in September 2009, three months before Angry Birds launched in December. Siege Master is Armor Games’ newer take: you load a trebuchet and bring down castles, and the store page calls it “the physics projectile puzzle game that started it all.” It’s free on iOS and Android, with ads and in-app purchases.
Wrong for you if: you want frequent updates. The iOS version was last updated in 2023.
Physics puzzlers that scratch the same itch #
Part of Angry Birds’ appeal was watching a structure collapse in a way you half-predicted. These games keep that and drop the slingshot.
Bad Piggies #
Rovio’s spin-off flips the roles: you build a vehicle from a pile of parts and get the pigs to the goal without it falling apart. It’s slower and more experimental than Angry Birds, and more satisfying when a ramshackle machine somehow works. Free on iOS and Android, with ads and in-app purchases.
Cut the Rope #
ZeptoLab’s classic has you cut ropes so a swinging candy lands in the mouth of a little green monster, Om Nom. The App Store version lists 425 levels across 17 themed boxes. The puzzles are short and precise, and it’s a good pick for kids. Free, with ads and in-app purchases. For more in this style, see our list of games like Cut the Rope.
Brain It On! #
You draw shapes that fall into the scene and obey physics, and you use them to tip a ball into a cup or balance two things. Every puzzle has several solutions, which makes it a good fit for people who liked finding odd ways to topple an Angry Birds tower. Free on iOS and Android, with ads and in-app purchases.
World of Goo 2 #
The sequel to the 2008 cult classic has you build wobbly towers and bridges out of living goo balls, and it adds flowing liquid you route through each level. It’s the only paid, premium pick here: $9.99 on the App Store, and also on Android, PC, Switch and PS5. If you’d rather pay once than see ads, start here.
How to pick #
- You want Angry Birds itself: Angry Birds 2. If you’re on iPhone and want the original levels, Red’s First Flight or Angry Birds Reloaded.
- You want a slingshot game without in-app purchases: Kitty Kaboom (ad-supported) or Red’s First Flight (paid).
- You want no ads at all: Angry Birds Reloaded through Apple Arcade, or World of Goo 2.
- You liked the puzzle side more than the flinging: Cut the Rope, Brain It On! or Bad Piggies.
- You want to compete: Angry Birds Friends.
Whichever you choose, the aiming skills carry over. Our guide to slingshot aiming technique works in all of the slingshot games above.
Frequently asked questions #
What game is most like Angry Birds? #
Rovio’s Angry Birds 2 is the closest, since it’s the current main-line game. Outside Rovio, slingshot games like Kitty Kaboom and trebuchet games like Crush the Castle: Siege Master use the same launch-and-topple formula.
Is there an Angry Birds game without ads? #
Yes. Angry Birds Reloaded on Apple Arcade has no ads or in-app purchases, because Apple Arcade games don’t allow them. You pay for the subscription instead. Red’s First Flight is a paid one-time purchase on iOS.
Can you still play the original Angry Birds? #
On iPhone, yes: the remake is sold as Red’s First Flight, and Angry Birds Reloaded remasters the classic levels on Apple Arcade. On Android, Rovio’s remake is no longer listed on Google Play.
Which came first, Crush the Castle or Angry Birds? #
Crush the Castle. It started as a browser game from Armor Games in 2009 and reached the App Store in September 2009. Angry Birds launched that December.
Are there free games like Angry Birds without in-app purchases? #
Kitty Kaboom is free with no in-app purchases at all. It’s paid for by ads instead, and all 60 levels, all seven cats and the daily challenge are included.