News from F5
A Journey Through 20 Years of F5 Games
posted on: Monday, March 17, 2025


Welcome to a very special post about a milestone that F5 Games has just passed, our 20th Anniversary as a company! It is hard to believe that we have been in business for two decades, but I suppose time files when you're having this much fun. To celebrate, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at the last 20 years of F5. We'll take a look at how and why we got started, the ups and downs we've experienced, and of course the games we've made along the way.

So, grab your favorite beverage and settle in as we take a journey through the first 20 years of F5 Games.


Humble Beginnings

F5 Games was founded on March 10th 2005, mainly as a way to get into E3. Don't get me wrong, it had been my dream to start a game company for years, and that was the plan once college was over, but when we realized that if we started the company in our last year of college we could take a trip out to LA and get in to E3, we decided to move up the time table.



After making the trek to E3 we were more excited than ever to start working on a real game that we could release into the market. Our first attempts were focused on the PC using the Torque Game Engine (or TGE) from a company called Garagegames. While we learned a lot about development during this time we quickly realized that we were not going to have the resources to develop the game we had in mind without a publisher or investor to help us bridge the gap.

Unfortunately for us, there wasn't much interest in funding a few recent college grads to build a game company in Oklahoma. Since our publisher search didn't bear much fruit, we had to take another look at our situation and make some decisions. How could we still fulfill our dream of making games if we didn't have the resources to complete our vision? We ended up making two changes to our approach, the first was to slim down the scope of our game projects and focus on 2D development, the second was to go 'get real jobs' to pay the bills and work on our game projects as a side gig.

F5 continued in that mode, with us learning a lot and working on new game prototypes but not really getting closer to launching anything, for the next couple years. And honestly, the story may have ended there if something hadn't come along that completed changed the game; the iPhone.


The App Store Changes Everything

I can still remember watching Steve Jobs announce the iPhone in early 2007. It was such an incredible change from what had come before that I knew it would be a success, but I had no idea how much it would end up changing the world. After getting the original iPhone later that year we started to brainstorm what kind of games we could put on a computer that you always had in your pocket. We got into the Jailbreak scene and began installing apps and games that we found online and were amazed at what could be done without any official support from Apple. By the time Apple released the App Store we knew this was the future for F5, we were going to be a mobile first game studio.

We started working with the iPhone SDK and prototyping simple and fun game concepts, and that led us to our first official release, Independence Night!

Independence Night - Released 11-30-2010



It may not looks like much now, but it will always have a special place in my heart. This was the first time we were able to 'get over the hump' and take a game all the way to release on the App Store! And even for a straight-forward game like Independence Night, that is no easy task. Our little game about a boy defending his home from aliens by shooting fireworks at them had made it to the App Store and was even featured by Apple in the 'New & Noteworthy' and 'What's Hot' sections of the store! It was a small thing, but we proved to ourselves that we could do it.

Our next release was an attempt to build something 'for the market', which in 2011 meant a widely approachable puzzle game. Our contribution to the genre was a block dropping puzzle game called IncrediBlox.

IncrediBlox - Released 06-01-2011



IncrediBlox was a much more complete game than Independence Night and it did much better on the store. Part of the reason for its success was the papercraft visual style and tricky puzzles. The fun characters, challenging puzzles, and up-beat music made IncrediBlox a great way to spend a few minutes of your day. I'm very proud of how it turned out.

After IncrediBlox we set our sights on something bigger. We had been scoping out a game that we considered to be the perfect match for the iPhone. It was a turn-based RPG that you played with your friends. It was D&D in your pocket and you could take your turn whenever you liked. We called it, Pocket Heroes.

Pocket Heroes - Released 07-12-2012



We decided to put together a prototype of our 'Words with Friends RPG' and take it to E3 2011 to see if we could get anyone interested in our idea. We fired up a project in our editor named E3Quest and we got to work. Over a couple weeks we were able to put together a single area that allowed two players to quest together, use their skills to fight some enemies, and get some loot at the end. It was small, crude, and the absolute minimum product that showed off our idea, but it was real, and it was awesome to see it working in real time.

Showing the game at E3 ended up being great for us. Not only did we get some press coverage from mobile game sites like TouchArcade, and 148 Apps, but we also started to hear from publishers who were interested in working with us to bring our RPG to market. It was great to have people excited about our game, but it also cranked up the pressure on us to really deliver with this release. Honestly, we didn't think it would take all that long to build, we had built the prototype in just a few weeks, so surely we could finish the game in about 6 months right?



As usually happens in game development, especially when making an RPG, things ended up taking far longer than we expected.

We were still working on the game as we entered into Summer 2012 and we decided to travel to E3 again and show the beta version of the game to the press. We received great feedback and went back to the office to keep cranking until Pocket Heroes was done. This time period is probably the only time I have really 'crunched' for a game deadline, and I don't recommend it to anyone. At the time, it felt like we had to do everything we could to complete the game, even if it meant drinking energy drinks at 2:00 AM to get one more hour of coding in before waking up and heading into work the next morning. It was a grueling time, but it really felt like it would all be worth it once we made it to launch.

On July 12 2012, we finally did launch Pocket Heroes and it was a very exciting time. Unfortunately, because we had been pushing so hard, we hadn't left enough time to fully test all of the circumstances that our players would be playing in and the bug reports started coming in. We spent the next several months continuing to update and improve the game but there were some aspects of the design that we just couldn't 'fix'. Our design was based on a group of friends deciding to get the game and play through the quests together, and when you played that way, it was great. After launch we learned that a large number of players wanted to meet a party and team up in the app, which wasn't something we had prepared for. Even after adding that functionality, what we found was that without the draw of playing with their real-life friends, many parties just stopped moving forward in the campaign. If the other people in your party stopped playing you ended up dragging 'zombie' characters from one quest to the next, and that was not a great way to play.

In the end, Pocket Heroes was a flawed game that you could have a lot of fun with if you played it in a certain way. It is something I have always wished we could have solved better, but to this day there really hasn't been anything else like it.



After the grind of working on Pocket Heroes we decided to work on something much smaller in scope that we could complete quickly and find the fun in right away. That project turned in to House of the Lost.

House of the Lost - Released 10-30-2012


House of the Lost was a great change of pace for us and a game that we all really enjoyed working on. It came together quickly and we were able to launch on iPad after just a few months of work. Over the next couple years we brought the game to several additional platforms, including iPhone, Kindle Fire, and even the OUYA indie console. Working with OUYA was a great experience and it made House of the Lost our first game to appear on a console!

The OUYA version of House of the Lost really ended up being the director's cut of the game. It had all the enhancements we had added since the initial launch, controller input which suited the gameplay much better than touchscreen controls, and it even had 2-player couch co-op! If you are lucky enough to still have an OUYA with House of the Lost installed, fire it up and you are sure to have a good time.

After House of the Lost, our next big release was an attempt to make a multi-player shooter that worked on mobile devices. There had been attempts to make FPS games on mobile by then but they just didn't fit the devices of the time. Our solution was to make a top-down multiplayer shooter that limited your visibility like an FPS. This game was 'The Hunted'

The Hunted - Released 11-20-2014


The Hunted has always been one of my favorite games to build. I can still remember the daily testing sessions that tended to run past quitting time because we just wanted to get in one more match. We built an exciting game with varied characters, lots of game modes, and 8 player cross platform multiplayer. It was a blast to play, and to this day, I brainstorm ways to bring it back for another round.


Also, how can you beat a land-shark character with a machine gun?


Time For Something New

After releasing The Hunted in 2014 I decided it was time to slow down and try to come up with some new ideas before launching anything else. The next several years were full of prototypes, studying the market, and learning new tools, but we didn't release another game until we kicked off our card game phase with Blackjack Masters.


Blackjack Masters - Released 12-20-2019


Blackjack Masters was something I built myself to try and better learn what worked in mobile gaming and what didn't. It allowed me to work on building new kinds of game loops, adding competitive social elements, and improving on our UI design. It's also a lot of fun to play, until you meet a bad run of cards that is. Blackjack Masters has been one of our most popular games and started a run of successful cards games on the App Store and on our latest platform, the Infinity Game Table by Arcade 1Up.


Bringing Players Together with the IGT

I first heard about the Infinity Game Table when I saw their Kickstarter video pitching a coffee table sized touchscreen device that focused on people playing together. I was instantly hooked, and I knew that I wanted to make games for it. We backed the Kickstarter, and not long after we received our table I contacted Arcade 1Up to see if F5 Games could build games for the IGT platform. We ended up being the first 3rd party developer to release a game on the IGT and we have had a great partnership with them ever since.

Blackjack Masters Party - Released 11-22-2021


Blackjack Masters Party took what was great about the mobile version of Blackjack Masters and blew it up to a full size casino experience for up to 4 players! It really captures the excitement of sitting around a table in the casino, but without all the regrets when your hand doesn't work out. Blackjack Masters Party was not only our first game for the IGT but along with the iPad version it has also been the most successful game in our history!

Block Breakerz - Released 06-13-2023


Our next release, Block Breakerz, hit both the iPad and IGT in the summer of 2023. Not only did the game find a great audience on the Infinity Game Table but we also received a feature from Apple on launch day! The fun action gameplay makes it easy to pick and play with your friends, family, or kids. Just try not to get too made when they start beating you.

All-In Texas Hold'em - Released 10-31-2023


Later in 2023 we released All-In Texas Hold'em for the Infinity Game Table and iPad. This game had a couple firsts for us, it was our first 6 player game for the IGT and we also decided to write our own Poker AIs that players could compete against. This ended up taking a lot of research and work to pull off, but the quality of games you can have with computer opponents makes it all worth it. Texas Hold'em has been one of our fastest growing games and looks like it will surpass Blackjack Masters in the next year as our most successful game.

Euchre Masters - Released 05-21-2024


Just last year, in 2024, we released Euchre Masters to the Infinity Game Table and iPad. Euchre is a great classic card game that is very popular in the mid-west and we wanted to make it easy for new players to learn and enjoy. We also really refined our presentation and UI for Euchre Masters and it shines through in the finished product. This is one of the most attractive games we have ever made.

BlackHearts - Released 01-14-2025


And that brings us back to 2025! Earlier this year, we released BlackHearts for the Infinity Game Table and it has been doing well over its first couple months. BlackHearts was our attempt to create a brand new card game, one that takes inspiration from the classics like Hearts and Pitch, but delivers something new and fun to play. This was also our biggest card game release yet as it includes 3 games in 1, so it took a little more time to polish but we are very proud of how it turned out.


What Does the Future Hold for F5 Games?

Now that we have finished our look at the last 20 years of F5, what comes next? How do we take the next step and reach new players all across the world with our games? What propels us to continue on and still be around in another 20 years?

Looking back over our history has helped me to realize just how far we have come in our ability and knowledge of how to make a great game. There was so much to learn about game development and the business aspects of releasing a game that it feels like we have been building on our success, and learning from our mistakes, all to get us where we are today.

With that in mind, we have decided it is time to take a chance and swing for the fences once again. We are going back to one of our favorite genres and building not one, but two new role playing games! We are developing a tactical RPG that is focused on large screen devices as well as a new twist on the dungeon crawler that will be targeting mobile, and we are hoping to release both of these games in the next year! You can see a very early screenshot below of the tactical RPG and we plan to share more information about both of these games here on the website and on X over the coming months.



Thank You and Happy Anniversary F5 Games!

Thank you for reading this, very long, look back at the history of F5 Games; I hope it was interesting for you. I believe it is important to look at where we have been so that we can get to where we want to go. And I hope you'll come along for the ride. Here's to the next 20 years!


House of the Lost
Pocket Heroes
IncrediBlox
The Hunted
Blackjack Masters
Blackjack Masters Party
Block Breakerz
All In Texas Holdem
Euchre Masters
BlackHearts
BlackHearts is now available on the Infinity Game Table™ and Infinity Game Board™ by Arcade1Up
posted on: Thursday, January 30, 2025


What do you get when you combine the classic card games Hearts and Pitch? BlackHearts, an all-new experience that will knock your next game night out of the park!

Oh, and just in case you love those classic games like we do, you can play them as well. That’s three awesome card games in one for your Infinity Game Table and Game Board! Grab 3 of your friends, or let our AIs fill any empty seats, and take a swing at the all-new BlackHearts, or the classics Hearts, and Pitch.

It's time to take your card night to the next level with BlackHearts for the Infinity Game Table™ by Arcade1Up!



Gameplay

BlackHearts is a team-based trick taking card game for 4 players. It plays out over 9 rounds, kind of like a game of baseball. In each round you score points by winning tricks but lose points for every heart card you get stuck with. You’ll have plenty of back-and-forth battles before the end.

You can customize all three games by mixing and matching the tabletop, card back, and deck style to your liking. We have included How to Play sections for BlackHearts, Pitch, and Hearts in case you need to brush up on your game. We also help you out by highlighting cards that are valid to play and fading out cards that aren't playable.

Put all this together and BlackHearts is pick up and play fun for the whole family.



Features

  • Multiplayer- Play 1-4 player Hearts, Pitch, or BlackHearts with our AIs filling any empty seats.
  • Gameplay Helpers - We make sure that only valid cards are played, so it’s easy to get started and learn as you go. You also don’t have to worry about ‘that one’ friend cheating.
  • 3 in 1 - You get our brand-new card game BlackHearts as well as the classics Pitch and Hearts, all in one package.
  • Family Game Night - All three games are great for players of all ages.
  • Built for the in-person multiplayer of the Infinity Game Table and Game Board


How to Purchase

It couldn't be easier to get the party started. Just fire up your Infinity Game Table™ and look for the icon below in The Store. Tap on the icon and then tap on the price button to start the purchase process. BlackHearts is 3 games in 1 and priced at only $6.99. It's fun that you and your friends can enjoy for years to come.



We can't wait to hear how much fun you have with BlackHearts on the Infinity Game Table™. If you grab the game, let us know what you think and share some of your experiences with us on X or Facebook.


BlackHearts
2024 Recap, and what's next for 2025!
posted on: Thursday, January 02, 2025

Happy New Year! We've made it to the end of another year, and that means it's time for the annual F5 recap post. We'll review the year for F5 Games and then hand out some awards to games that made an impact on us throughout 2024. So grab your favorite New Year drink and settle in, here we go!


F5 Games in 2024

2024 was another great year for F5 Games! We have continued to improve our development processes and started to tackle some larger projects that have been cooking in the background for a long time. The plan is for some of those to release in 2025 so hopefully we will have some big news to share with you on those projects soon.

We were also able to complete a couple smaller projects in 2024 and we have been very happy with how they turned out. Euchre Masters was our first release of the year and it is currently available for both the Infinity Game Table by Arcade 1Up, and the iPad. Euchre Masters takes everything we have learned about making multiplayer card games over the last few years and puts it together into a really great package. If you are a fan of Euchre, or are interested in learning, I definitely recommend checking it out by clicking the icon below.

The other game we completed in 2024 is named BlackHearts, and it is actually 3 card games in one package. You can play the classics, Pitch and Hearts as well as our brand new game, BlackHearts that combines the rules of both games into something exciting and new! BlackHearts will be available on the Infinity Game Table in early January so you won't have to wait long to give it a try. Keep an eye out here for more information once it launches!

Euchre Masters

BlackHearts - Pitch X Hearts


2024 F5 Game Awards


Now it's time to dive into the awards for 2024! This is my opportunity to say a little bit about the games that captured my attention, and imagination, over the year and celebrate some of the great work that other teams accomplished. I have several awards to give out this year, and a few of them have been difficult decisions, which means it has been a great year for games.

Best Live Service or Expansion - Diablo IV


Diablo IV has been on a journey over the last year. It launched well, but was quickly hit with negativity from some parts of the community who had issue with how equipment and end game content were handled. Thankfully, the developers at Blizzard have spent the last 12 months refining the game and hitting a steady cadence of content and seasonal updates that have kept me, and the player base at large, coming back for more.



This all really culminated in the expansion Vessel of Hatred, that launched in October. Not only did we get new story content but we were also treated to a new player class and several new end game dungeons to put all that legendary loot to the test. I have really enjoyed my time with Diablo IV this year, and now that I'm at the level cap, I can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for us as we continue to hunt the prime evils across Sanctuary.


Best Action Game - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2


Last year's Best Shooter award went to Warhammer 40k Boltgun, a retro inspired offshoot of the Space Marine franchise. This year, the big guy came home to win some hardware of his own. Space Marine 2 is a great example of what a 'classic' action game should be. Tight mechanics, great combat, visceral weapons and attacks, and a campaign that takes you from one awesome spectacle to another. In short, they nailed it.



Thanks to the awesome swarm technology that was developed for the World War Z games, Space Marine 2 is able to put you in massive battles that just haven't been possible before in this style of game. Looking out from a defensive wall and seeing hundreds of enemy Tyranids swarming over the horizon to come and attack you is really impressive. Playing this game you can tell that the team took the time to make everything about the tech and gameplay match the dark fantasy setting in a way that makes Space Marine 2 a joy to play. Highly recommended.


Best Indie Game - The Plucky Squire


The term 'Indie Game' has about as many meanings in the games industry as there are gamers with opinions. It tends to mean the game was made by a small team, although some of the teams aren't so small anymore. There is usually the understanding that the game wasn't made by one of the largest platform owners or major publishers, but even that gets fuzzy sometimes. However, there is one thing that I feel all indie games share, and that is the ability to take risks, and try something new. I don't think any other game this year has tried so many new things at once as 'The Plucky Squire'.



The Plucky Squire's initial inspiration is that you switch between playing both a top-down 2D game, and a 3D action platformer. This is tied together by the fact that your character is actually the character in a children's book and he has to 'break out' to save his story from being re-written. That hook was enough to get me in the door, but I had no idea just how clever and laugh out loud funny this game would be until my daughters and I played through it together.

This game will surprise you from beginning to end, and it is constantly popping up some new play-style or throwback to a classic game type that never lets the gameplay get stale. We powered through The Plucky Squire, not because we had to, but because we just couldn't put it down. Both of my youngest daughters played their own game and it was even enjoyable to watch one of them play through a section I had already seen before. The writing, game design, humor, everything is top notch in this one. If you haven't tried it yet, and especially if you have young gamers, you need to give it a shot.


Best Platforming Game - Astro Bot


In last year's post I wrote about how my daughters had discovered Astro's Playroom on the PS5 and really enjoyed the platforming that tech demo / game had to offer. They continued to play after that post and both of them ended up not only beating the game but going out of their way to collect everything and find all the little secrets, it was really a hit around out house.

When I wrote that post I had no idea that a brand-new full-sized Astro Bot game was coming in 2025, but it's here now and Astro has once again taken over our living room TV!

Much like The Plucky Squire, Astro Bot is non-stop surprises with new gameplay on almost every level. Basically everything about this game is excellent, the graphics are gorgeous, the soundtrack is amazing, the gameplay is spot-on, and there are tons of things to find and collect. Another aspect of Astro Bot that I really appreciate is that it is a love letter to the history of Playstation. Every level has bots themed after games from the Playstation past and present. Every time you find or rescue a bot there is a moment of excitement as you try to remember what game they came from. This kind of nostalgia is something we see a lot in Nintendo offerings but it isn't something we have gotten much from Sony, so it's nice to see them embrace it during their 30th anniversary.

In the end, Astro Bot almost walked away with our Game of the Year award for 2024, it's that good, but due to my own limited playtime with it and the fact that our GOTY winner has consumed most of my playtime in 2024, it just wasn't the year for Astro.


F5 Game of the Year for 2024 - Balatro


In a year of excellent releases that push the boundaries of graphics and scope it is ultimately a little game about vibing out with cards, made by one person, that takes home the trophy. If you haven't played Balatro it is difficult to explain why something that looks like a cursed video poker machine could beat the likes of Astro Bot and Space Marine 2. But, if you have played Balatro, you probably already understand.

Balatro sinks it's teeth into you slowly, allowing the player to explore and uncover all of the layered mechanics and strategies that the collection of jokers and card enhancements have to offer. When you first start you'll be struggling to beat the first couple stakes for a deck, but once you begin to understand how much power you have to craft each run you'll be able to blow through the lower difficulty levels on each deck in no time. You may even start experimenting with high score runs to see if you can create some kind of insane point generating machine that nukes every level with only one played hand.



Like I said, it's hard to explain. But as someone who has spent over 200 hours playing a crazy card game this year I can tell you that it is really something special. That fact that it was made by one guy, in his spare time, as something he and his friends might enjoy is just icing on the cake. Balatro is quirky, clever, addictive, and just brilliant, and that is why it is our 2024 Game of the Year!


On to 2025

And that does it for 2024, now it's time to look ahead. 2025 should be a great year for F5 Games as we will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary as a company! Look forward to updates about that as we get closer to our anniversary date in March. As always, stay tuned to our blog and X account for updates on our upcoming projects. We have some exciting announcements lined up for 2025 and we can't wait to share them with you.

We are so thankful for all of you, our players, because without you none of this would be possible. Thank you all so much for playing our games, reading our posts, and interacting with us online. We are extremely grateful for you. From everyone here at F5 Games, we wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year for 2025!




2023 Year in Review and a Look Ahead to 2024
posted on: Friday, December 29, 2023

It's that time again. We've made it to the end of another year and, as always, I like to take a look back before we move forward. While it's hard to believe this is actually F5 Games 18th year in operation! This is also the 8th year in a row that I have written up an 'end of year' post and I couldn't stand it if I let the tradition die here. So, let's see what 2023 looked like for F5 and then we'll get into a few 'Best Of' awards for the year. Grab a New Year's drink of your choice and let's dive in.


How was 2023 for F5 Games?

2023 has been a great year at F5, it feels like we have really turned a corner and are firing on all cylinders when it comes to development. We were able to release two new games this year, first Block Breakerz and then All-In Texas Hold'em! It is a great feeling to bring a game to the finish line and release it out into the world, and it always takes much more work and time then we expect, but it's definitely worth it. Both Block Breakerz and All-In Texas Hold'em are available on the Infinity Game Table and Infinity Game Board by Arcade 1Up as well as for the iPad and Kindle Fire Tablets. So, if you haven't played either of them yet, head over to the app store on any of those devices and look for the icons below. They are both great party games to share with your family and friends this New Year's Eve!

All-In Texas Hold'em

Block Breakerz


F5 Game Awards for 2023


Now it's time to take a look at some of the games that made an impact on me in 2023. As always these 'awards' are based on my personal opinion and are determined by what I played this year. Some of these games may or may not have been released this year but this is when they crossed my path so they are fair game. Alright, here we go!

Best Mobile Game that Doesn't Feel Like a Mobile Game - Huntdown


Huntdown is definitely not a 2023 game but if you haven't played it yet, on mobile or otherwise, you should definitely give it a try. This is a neon-soaked, cyberpunk, 80's arcade fever dream of a game that I just couldn't put down. Playing it on mobile was a revelation for me because it points the way to what we could have on our phones if free-to-play timer games hadn't taken over the market



In Hundown you play as one of 3 bounty hunters who are tasked with taking down various gangs around a futuristic cyberpunk city. Each stage is broken up into bit sized chunks where you face off against one of the 'gang bosses' and their parade of henchmen. The controls are tight, the action is fantastic, and the style just oozes out of the screen. If you are a fan of retro arcade games, you can't afford to miss Huntdown.


Best Shooter of 2023 - Warhammer 40K: Boltgun


To say that I am a shooter fan just doesn't do it justice. I love shooters, especially shooters of a certain Boomer variety. I'm still playing Doom 25 years after its release (the new Sigil II episode release by John Romero this year definitely helped with that). I have played a lot of different shooters this year and I can definitely say that none of them have been as fun, or hit me as hard, as Warhammer 40K: Boltgun.



Boltgun was released this year but it feels like a long lost release from 1997. The presentation is retro (with options for limited color palettes and chunky pixels) but more importantly the feel of the game is fast and open, just like a retro shooter should be. The levels are varied and sprawl out in all directions, vertical and horizontal, the movement is weighty, and the guns are oh so glorious! You can even slow down time, target a nearby enemy, and lock on to them for a chainsaw sword dash attack to extend your jumps. It's over the top in all the right ways.

Thankfully, I'm not the only one who loved Boltgun because that means there is a good chance we could get a sequel. I would love to see more enemies from the Warhammer 40K universe brought in for Boltgun 2 (Tyranids and Orks please) and this just feels like a game that could really gel into something even better in a second outing. Bottom line, if you're into shooters you owe it to yourself to give Boltgun a shot.


Best Game Played with My Daughters - Astro's Playroom for PS5


This is another game that came out several years ago but really only became a hit in our home over the last few months. My youngest two daughters absolutely fell in love with Astro's Playroom and it has been a joy watching them play through the levels, and helping out when I can.

While I always saw this game as simply a showcase for the new controller features on PS5 it really is a great platforming game in its own right. I also really loved all the callouts to the history of Playstation in the collectibles and level layouts. It has been a ton of fun to talk to the girls about all the little Playstation parts they find in each level. If you have a PS5 and have overlooked this one, especially if you have kids in the house, I would suggest giving it a try.


Game of the Year for 2023 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom


This likely isn't a surprise, but it is still a triumph. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the best game I have ever played. It is a masterpiece of design, setting, gameplay, and interlocking systems that, as a developer, is still hard to fathom. For Nintendo to take the biggest and most successful Zelda game ever made in Breath of the Wild and then expand it both up and down is extraordinary. But, for them to do it and still make everything feel so fresh, by introducing new powers that not only let you navigate the world in new ways but allow you to dream up and build almost anything, is just incredible.



Zelda games have always allowed Nintendo to try new things. While the 'Zelda formula' has not shifted that much throughout the years Nintendo loves to use Zelda as canvas to implement new gameplay concepts. From time travel in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, sailing and open world gameplay in Wind Waker, and motion controls in Skyward Sword, Zelda has always wrapped something new in the familiar. With the additions in Tears of the Kingdom that give players the ability to fuse things together, build everything from rafts to robots, and create their own fun, we see that there is no limit to what Nintendo can do with a Zelda game.

Tears of the Kingdom had to follow the most successful Zelda game of all time and somehow meet the expectations of players who had been waiting for years to see what was next. That they were able to not only meet those expectations but exceed them in ways we couldn't even imagine just demonstrates how Nintendo sets the standard for game development in a way that almost no one else can match.

Nintendo, thank you for giving us such a beautiful and astounding game this year with Tears of the Kingdom. I know we will all be enjoying it for years still to come.


Bring on 2024

Stay tuned to our blog and Twitter (I can't call if X) for updates on our upcoming projects. We have some pretty great things lined up for 2024 and we can't wait to show it to you.

To close this out I just want to say how grateful we are for all of you. Thanks to all of you for reading this post, thanks to everyone who has played our games in 2023, and to everyone who will be there with us in 2024. From everyone at F5 Games, we wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year for 2024!

All-In Texas Hold'em is Now Available for iPad!
posted on: Wednesday, October 25, 2023


It’s time to take your Poker night to the next level with All-In Texas Hold’Em for iPad!

Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of Poker in the world, and now with All In Texas Hold’em you can have a 6 player poker experience with you everywhere you take your iPad! Gather around the tablet with your friends, take on our Poker AI, or mix and match for an authentic Poker experience at any time.





Game Features

  • Multiplayer- Play with 1-6 player or Poker AIs at a time and get unrivaled Poker experience.
  • Poker Progression- Start out in a home game with low stakes and play your way up to the elite No Limit Tables of Monte Carlo.
  • Poker AIs- You can play solo against our Poker AIs in any casino or use them to round out a game with your friends.
  • Pick your challenge- Our AIs progress in difficulty as the stakes go up and they always play fair, no peaking at your cards. Which is more than I can say for some of your friends.
  • Hand Rankings- Tap How to Play at any point to get a breakdown of Poker Hand Rankings. This is nice to know before you bet the farm on a possible straight.
  • Drop in and Drop Out- Once a game has started, any player can take a break between hands.
  • No in-app purchases and no ads to interrupt your poker night!




How to Purchase

You can always search for All-In Texas Hold'em on the App Store but why not just tap the giant icon above and let us take you right to the store ourselves! All-In Texas Hold'em is priced at just $4.99 and it will have you and your friends playing Poker around the table for hours on end.

We are so excited to have All-In Texas Hold'em available for iPad and we can't wait for you to play it. If you pick up the game please let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook.


All In Texas Holdem
Game News Updates for August 11 2023 - The Call of Duty Hype Cycle Begins, Quake 2 Remastered In the Wild and Red Dead Redemption Switch Announcement
posted on: Friday, August 11, 2023


Welcome back! It's been a little while since our last update but that just means we have even more updates to share. So sit back, grab a cool drink, and let's get started.



Red Dead Redemption coming to Switch and PS4/5

We started the week with the surprising announcement that Red Dead Redemption, one of my favorite games of all time, is coming to Switch and PS4 on August 17th! Not only will you be able to play this masterpiece on the go but it also includes the 'Undead Nightmare' expansion which is one of the best zombie games anyone has ever pulled off. I'm definitely looking forward to picking this up and playing it again.


Quake 2 Remastered Launches During Quakecon

Quakecon is back in person this year and it was great to see all the tricked out PCs in the BYOB area on the stream. In addition to everyone getting together in Dallas we were also treated to a 'surprise' release of Quake 2 Remastered for basically every game system. This remaster looks great with improved performance, resolution, and lighting, and it also includes the two original expansion packs, an all new expansion by Machine Games and the levels from Quake 2 64!

I was a big fan of Quake 2 back in the day but I honestly don't think I have played it since it was released. I'm really excited to fire this up on Xbox Game Pass and dive back in.



Modern Warfare 3 Story Trailer Reveals Villain and Release Date

Some things are dependable, the Sun comes up in the East, it's hot during the Summer, and every year there will be a new Call of Duty game. Even though the initial word was that Activision would skip 2023 we now know that CoD will be back this year with Modern Warfare III. The trailer that was released this week highlights Makarov as the big bad and let us know that the game will be releasing on November 10th. Strap in and get ready for battle.



Netflix Releases a Mobile Game Controller App

File this under 'news that might be interesting'. This week Netflix released a 'Mobile Game Controller' app in the App Store that allows you to 'connect to Netflix on your TV to play games'. I think Netflix's move into gaming is interesting in a lot of ways but this mobile game controller is not something I expected. I'm not sure what games you can actually play with this thing yet, but we'll be keeping an eye on it to see what Netflix does next.

For a little more info on this check out this Pocketgamer article: Netflix Goes Big Screen With Game Controller App on Mobile

Star Wars Outlaws Behind the Scenes Video

This one is from a few weeks back but I'm so excited for Star Wars Outlaws that I couldn't help but include it. This game really looks like it captures the 'Han Solo fantasy' vibe and I can't wait to see more. The Developer Behind the Scenes video below gives even more insight into what Ubisoft and Massive are trying to accomplish here, and it all looks good to me.



Our final piece of news this week is that our two latest iPad games, Block Breakerz and Blackjack Masters Party, are currently on sale over on the app store! Hit the links in the tweet below to grab our latest games at a sweet discount and enjoy playing together with your friends and family this weekend.

There you have it, the weather is hot outside and it's a great time to be a gamer. Let me know what you have been playing over on Twitter or Facebook. Also, don't forget to get outside and enjoy a little of that Summer Sun. Have a great one!

F5 Games is an independent game developer in Tulsa Oklahoma. We strive to create the very best in tablet and mobile games.