Angry Birds: pull back, aim, knock down the pigs
Angry Birds is a slingshot puzzle game by Rovio, a studio from Finland. It came out on iPhone in December 2009 and became one of the biggest mobile games ever. You launch birds at towers built by green pigs and try to knock every pig out with as few birds as you can.
How a level works
Each level gives you a short line of birds and a structure of wood, glass and stone with pigs inside. Pull the slingshot back, set the angle and let go. The physics does the rest: towers fall, blocks roll and pigs pop when hit hard enough.
Clear every pig to pass the level. Birds you did not use add points, and a high score earns up to three stars. Most of the skill is reading the structure and finding the one weak beam. Later games added more birds, spells and multi-stage levels, but the pull, aim and release core never changed.
The classic birds
- Red. The basic bird. No power, just a good hit.
- Blue (the Blues). Splits into three small birds. Best against glass.
- Chuck (yellow). Tap to speed up in a straight line. Best against wood.
- Bomb (black). Explodes on tap or after impact. Best against stone.
- Matilda (white). Drops an egg bomb straight down.
Which Angry Birds games you can play now
Rovio removed the original Angry Birds from the stores in 2019, brought a rebuilt version back in 2022, and pulled it from Google Play again in February 2023. Today the main slingshot games are Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds Friends, both free on iPhone and Android. Angry Birds Dream Blast is a puzzle spin-off. Sega bought Rovio in 2023.
Launch-and-destroy games on Roam
Pigs Will Fly is a slingshot launch game on Roam: pull back, let go, and the pigs fly. Wrecking Tap is a physics demolition puzzle with six swings to bring down one chimney. Break the Dam gives you ten shots to break a giant wall. They are Roam games, not Angry Birds.
Play it on Roam
More on Roam
Make your own slingshot game with Roam
Roam is a free iPhone app where you describe a game and play it right away. Choose what gets launched, what it hits and how many shots you get. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "slingshot game, launch my cat at towers of cardboard boxes full of cucumbers, 3 shots per level, stars for leftovers"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
Who made Angry Birds?
Rovio Entertainment from Finland. Sega bought the company in 2023.
When did Angry Birds come out?
December 2009 on iPhone. Android followed in 2010.
Is the original Angry Birds still available?
Not on Google Play. Rovio delisted it in 2023. Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds Friends are the main slingshot games today.