Parents' Guide to

Happy Wheels

By Paul Semel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Gory, ad-happy arcade game darkly funny (for some).

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Free Arcade Games
Happy Wheels Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Happy Wheels App: Screenshot #1
  • Happy Wheels App: Screenshot #2
  • Happy Wheels App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Ellen J.
Ellen J. Parent of 12-year-old
August 22, 2023
age 12+

Ok for 12+

My son loves this game and I think as long as you are 12 or over it is appropriate with only cartoon violence.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
1 person found this helpful.
Sauradip
Sauradip Parent of 10-year-old
December 17, 2020
age 17+

Blood,gore, violence and more

If the jets explode, the kids also explode and such levels that have big bang it's worse

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 8 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

In the sarcastically titled HAPPY WHEELS, you have to ride a Segway, bicycle, or other vehicle through a sadistic obstacle course full of jumps, elevators, moving platforms, spinning spiked wheels, and other death traps. If you miss, you'll die or get maimed. Hit a land mine, for instance, and pieces of you and your blood will splatter everywhere. You can choose from a growing variety of characters, including Business Guy, Irresponsible Dad, and Wheelchair Guy (coming soon at time of review). Irresponsible Dad has a child in a bicycle seat, and the kid can get hurt in all the same ways as the adult character. Pop-up and banner ads are frequent, but users can make an in-app purchase to eliminate them.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8 ):
Kids say (61 ):

Though covered in blood and gore, this dark and tricky physics-based puzzling arcade game is funny for some and horrifying for others. Though the violence is over-the-top on purpose and meant to appeal to a certain kind of humor, it's pretty intense. The use of kids and a man in a wheelchair only ups the ante. The volume of ads is also a potential deal breaker. Small ads appear when you die, and full-screen video ads pop up between every level. You can get rid of them for $1.99, but it may not be the kind of game you want to pay for. Still, despite the persistent ads and the cartoonish gore, if you're a mentally stable adult with a dark sense of humor and a penchant for puzzling arcade games, Happy Wheels will challenge your reflexes and problem-solving skills. However, it's definitely not an app for most kids and probably best for teens and adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games and apps like Happy Wheels. Though it's a silly game and there's no person-to-person violence, can the graphic injuries still affect the player? How do you feel when you play it?

  • Talk about different types of humor. Some people play this app because they think it's funny. Do you? Why, or why not?

App Details

  • Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
  • Pricing structure: Free (optional in-app purchase to remove pop-up ads)
  • Release date: September 29, 2016
  • Category: Arcade Games
  • Publisher: Jim Bonacci
  • Version: 1.0.5
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later
  • Last updated: February 12, 2019

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended app lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate