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Apple’s new Apple Arcade subscription-based gaming service is finally here. It’s basically Apple’s way of helping customers sort through the chaff in the App Store, as the highly curated service features premium games that are untainted by in-app purchases and ads. If all goes well, it could elevate the perception of mobile gaming in general.
Got questions? We've got plenty of answers.
Updated 06/15/20: Added Little Orpheus to the list of available games.
Apple Arcade is a gaming subscription service for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS that features 103 games as of December 13. Apple is “handpicking” the games that you’ll get with the service and working with highly regarded game developers such as Hironobu Sakaguchi and Ken Wong. Apple Arcade games have no in-app purchases, are downloadable for offline play, and can be played across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Apple Arcade is now available on iOS 13, iPad OS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina.
There isn’t an Apple Arcade app on mobile devices. In iOS 13, iPad OS 13, and macOS, you access it through the App Store app. Look for the Arcade button at the bottom of the App Store app (or in the left column on macOS). A sign-up screen with a Try It Free button will appear. You get the first month free, then it’s $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Tap the button to sign up.
You’ll need to enter your Apple ID password. And you’ll have to confirm your subscription purchase a few times.
Once you’re done with the sign up, the Arcade section of the App Store shows what games are available to you. To access a game, tap on it in the App Store, then tap the Get button. When the game is done installing on your device, the Get button turns into a Play button, and you can tap it to launch the game. The game app icon will also appear on your device’s Home page.
On the Apple TV, you'll see a separate tab for Apple Arcade on your home screen. It's pink and has a joystick icon. Press it, and you'll go through much the same process.
Apple Arcade costs $4.99 per month, and you’ll also get a one-month free trial. You can also sign up for the annual plan, which is $49.99. (Apple introduced this new annual plan in December 2019.)
If you're currently on the $4.99 month-to-month plan and want to switch to the annual plan, you can do so on your iPhone or iPad. Open the App Store app, then tap your account icon in the upper right. Tap Subscriptions, then tap the entry for Apple Arcade. Here, you can switch to the annual plan.
First off, keep in mind that if you cancel Apple Arcade before your one-month free trial is up, you won’t be able to keep playing the games unless you resubscribe. If you're okay with that, you can use the same process you use to cancel any other subscription service on iOS. Here’s the easiest way to do it on the iPhone and iPad:
And here’s how to cancel Apple Arcade on the Mac:
Apple says “subscribers can play Apple Arcade games across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.” Apple also says that you can pick up where you left off when you switch to another Apple device. Currently all the stated devices are supported, although the number of games available for Mac and Apple TV is a tad smaller because a handful of Apple Arcade games rely on touch controls.
This seems like a small thing, but it hints at some big changes that might be coming to iOS and macOS.
No. In Apple’s words, “since every game includes access to the full experience, including all game features, content, and future updates, no additional purchases will be required.”
No. On a related note, Apple says Apple Arcade has no ad tracking.
On iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS, you can find Apple Arcade in its own tab along the bottom bar of the App Store app alongside the usual Games tab. You can sign up for the subscription service and download games through that menu. On Apple TVs running tvOS 13, you'll see a separate tab with a controller icon for Apple Arcade. Once you download the games, you'll see each game listed with its own icons on the Apple TV home screen.
You'll find this tab on the Mac, too.
Yes. It's essentially like downloading an existing non-freemium game like The Room, but the game is tied to the Apple Arcade subscription service rather than a one-time purchase.
No. All Apple Arcade games involve downloads, much as we see with the existing App Store. As it stands, nothing about Apple Arcade will rely on streaming.
Yes.
Yes. Apple says it is “handpicking the games in Apple Arcade” and that curates them “based on originality, quality, creativity, fun, and their appeal to players of all ages.” If all goes well, this approach should allow Apple to sidestep the quality concerns that are causing controversies on more open services like Steam.
It depends on which systems you’re talking about. Apple says that Apple Arcade games “will not be available on any other mobile platform or in any other subscription service" (emphasis ours).
So while you won’t see an Apple Arcade game on Android, you might see it on, say, the PlayStation 4 or the Nintendo Switch.
Shantae 5 is one example of a game that's available one Apple Arcade in addition to non-mobile platforms like PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Yes. There’s no sign that the existing games model will be going away, as it works fine for freemium games like Idle Heroes or Toon Blast. Keep in mind that inclusion in Apple Arcade comes with mobile exclusivity, so games that are also available on Android will still be found on the regular App Store.
Apple is focusing on “handpicked” games for Apple Arcade, so there’s little doubt that the library will be much smaller than the wider App Store.
The games are exclusive to the service on iOS, so no.
No, unless you count a free trial of the subscription itself. In fact, Apple partly envisions Apple Arcade as a way of letting players try out non-freemium games with more freedom than the App Store currently allows (which is basically none). In its own words, “rather than pay upfront for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade will give players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk.” The service has a free trial, though, as we’ve seen with both Apple Music and Apple News+.
No.
Yes. In additional to traditional MFi (Made for iOS) controllers, you can pair some specific Bluetooth controllers for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with either your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Since many Apple Arcade games are playable on Mac and Apple TV (where controller support is more common), it’s possible that the majority of games will support them. Here's a list of all the Apple Arcade games known to support controllers.
Recently Apple relaxed the requirements for MFi controller certification, which may have grown out of the Apple Arcade negotiations.
Yes. The extent of Apple’s participation isn’t clear (and I’m sure it varies per title), but Apple says it’s “contributing to the development costs and working closely with creators to bring the games to life.”
Apple said that “over 100 new and exclusive games will be available at launch,” although Apple didn't reach 100 until November 8. More games will be added over time.
Yes. Apple says “new games will be added to the service on a regular basis.” To date, Apple has been adding games on most Fridays, although the number of games varies. On November 15, Apple only released one new game. On November 8, though, Apple released six. On February 27, 2020, Crossy Road Castle broke from the Friday trend by dropping on a Thursday.
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