Angry Birds
Review

Angry Birds (2009) is a series of puzzle games where you catapult cartoon birds to destroy the pigs who have stolen their eggs. The latest game, Angry Birds Reloaded, is a remake with new levels, graphics, locations, birds, and story elements. The series' simple and intuitive controls, physics, and strategic skill have made it hugely popular, with several spin-off games, two feature films, and other merchandise.

The premise of each game is similar: the evil green pigs have stolen the eggs from the flock, who set out on a mission to defeat the pigs and reclaim them. You face off against the pigs, who build structures around the eggs to protect them, and catapult the birds to knock down parts of the defences and destroy the pigs. Each bird has a unique ability, like being able to cause an explosion or inflate to super-size. Some birds are better at destroying particular materials the structures are made from. For example, the yellow bird, Chuck, can more easily destroy wood.

Using these effects you aim to complete each level by killing each pig. But a big part of the fun is the critical analysis of the stage to determine the best places to launch the birds, like a precarious explosive or chain reaction of toppling towers. The physics system often means that destroying a small fragment of the base of a structure can send the whole thing toppling.

The result is a silly but enjoyable and hugely rewarding game that offers an often deceptively complex challenge that requires experimentation and practice to overcome. Finally beating a level after countless attempts is immensely gratifying, and it's this compelling gameplay loop that's made it a cultural phenomenon.

There are lots of games in the series, but many of the earliest ones have been removed from the App Store, Play Store, PC, Mac, Web Browser, and other platforms meaning the only way to play them today is to track down a physical copy for console or a smartphone with it already installed.

• Angry Birds (2009) iOS, Web Browser, Android, PC, Mac Windows Phone, Google Plus, Blackberry devices, Smart TV, PlayStation Portable, and Amazon Fire.
• Angry Birds Seasons (2010) Levels are based on holidays like Christmas and Halloween. iOS, Web Browser, Android, PC, Mac, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices.
• Angry Birds Rio (2011) A tie-in to the animated films Rio and Rio 2. iOS, Web Browser, Android, PC, Mac, Windows Phone, Blackberry devices, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Kinect, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U.
• Angry Birds Friends (2012) You play with your friends on Facebook. Facebook, iOS, Android, and PC.
• Angry Birds Space (2012) Play is in space, with different gravity and planetoids. iOS, Android, PC, Mac, Windows Phone, and Blackberry Devices.
• Angry Birds Trilogy, which includes Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio (2012) 3DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita.
• Bad Piggies (2012) You build vehicles to transport pigs around. iOS, Android, PC, Mac, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices.
• Angry Birds Star Wars (2012) Levels and birds based on the Star Wars films, featuring gameplay similar to Angry Birds Space. iOS, Android, PC, Mac, Windows Phone, Blackberry devices, 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, and Amazon Fire.
• Angry Birds Star Wars II (2013) Additional Star Wars-themed levels. iOS, Android, PC, and Windows Phone.
• Angry Birds Go! (2013) A racing game. iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry devices, and Smart TV.
• Angry Birds Epic (2014) A turn-based role-playing game with combat and equipment. iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices.
• Angry Birds Stella (2014) Similar to the first game but with different physics. iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices.
• Angry Birds Transformers (2014) A tie-in to the Transformers franchise. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds POP! (2014) A tile-matching game. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Fight! (2015) A multiplayer connect three game. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds 2 (2015) The sequel to the original game, featuring revamped graphics and physics, new birds, and more narrative elements. iOS, Android, and PC.
• Angry Birds Action! (2016) A pinball tie-in to The Angry Birds Movie. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Blast (2016) A match three game. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Evolution 2022 (previously called Angry Birds Evolution and Angry Birds Evolution 2020) (2017) A turn-based fighting game with role-playing elements. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Match 3 (2017) A match three game. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Champions (2018) A competitive multiplayer version of the first game where you compete for a high score on classic levels. iOS and Web Browser.
• Angry Birds for Messenger (2018) Facebook Messenger.
• Angry Birds Dream Blast (2019) A tile-matching game. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds VR/AR: Isle of Pigs (2019) A tie-in to The Angry Birds Movie franchise. AR game for iOS and Android and VR game for PC and PlayStation 4.
• Angry Birds POP Blast (2019) A sequel, with similar gameplay, to Angry Birds POP!. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Explore (2019) A movie tie-in. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure (2019) A movie tie-in. PlayStation 4.
• Angry Birds Journey (2021) Similar to Angry Birds 2 but with tweaked gameplay and mechanics. iOS and Android.
• Angry Birds: Bird Island (2021) A role-playing simulation game set in an open-world. Roblox game.
• Angry Birds Reloaded (2021) iOS Apple Arcade.
• Rovio Classics: AB (a re-release of the first game) (2022) iOS and Android.

Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Angry Birds 14 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 4 months ago.