Apple Arcade is one of Apple’s more opaque services. The company doesn’t disclose any subscription figures and keeps other key data under wraps. Occasionally, specialist media manage to glean a few insights by interviewing a developer in a forthcoming mood, but most of the time we’re kept in the dark. Is it a success? Is it a failure? That’s hard to say.
What we can say for sure is that Arcade has some really good games. Everything from indie classics such as Slay the Spire and Stardew Valley and current titles such as Vampire Survivors and Balatro to surprising (and surprisingly good!) franchise additions such as Sonic Dream Team and Cypher 007. On the other hand, there’s some real rubbish on there too: the kind of junk that should have died with Farmville.
It’s a mixed bag, then. But I’d like to explain why I think Apple Arcade is absolutely worth your time, even if you don’t play a lot of games. In fact, people who don’t play a lot of games might be the ones who need Arcade the most.
Karen Haslam / Foundry
The agony of choice
The bored iPhone owner who randomly browses for games in the App Store is likely to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. And while the Games tab is quite well organized and offers numerous points of entry–including What We’re Playing, Must-Play Games, Hidden Gems, and the charts–this only makes a difficult situation fractionally less difficult.
Perhaps our iPhone owner might begin by tapping on the Top Paid Games chart. At the time of writing, Minecraft is in first place ($6.99), followed by Balatro ($9.99), and Bloons TD 6 ($2.99). Maybe you’d like to try one of them? You’ll have to pony up the cash since demo versions aren’t available. You’ll just have to look at the screenshots and hope you’ll like it.
If a game turns out to be a stinker, you can try asking for a refund. But it requires jumping through several hoops to file a claim and there’s no guarantee that it’ll be accepted. You might decide that it’s not worth the effort for a few dollars.
What about the free charts? That way you don’t need to risk any money. Right now Block Blast sits at number one, Tidy Up: Perfect Games in the second slot, and Township at number three. But just because they’re popular doesn’t mean they’re good.
There are some decent games in the free segment, but the vast majority aren’t worth your time. Many are poorly designed, unoriginal, stuffed with ads, or a combination of all three, and the chances are that, sooner or later, you will be presented with an in-app purchase. It doesn’t cost any money to give the games a try, but you pay in time and irritation instead.
If you’re overwhelmed by the agony of choice, you can rely on the recommendations of experts. (I would personally be delighted if you found what you were looking for in our overview of the best iPhone games.) But tastes differ and no editorial team in the world can thoroughly cover a library of a million games.
Playstack
Convenience, curation, and child protection
This is where Apple Arcade comes in. The games on there are curated, so the number is far lower and the average quality far higher. That’s not to say that every game is a classic, and you still have to exercise a little common sense. But the odds are a lot better you’ll find something fun and engaging in Apple Arcade.
Arcade also assuages any worries about wasting money on a game without being able to try it first, because, for $6.99/£6.99 a month or $49.99 a year (or less if you subscribe to Apple One), you can try any of the 300 games completely free of obligation. Maybe you’ll come across some gems that you never would have played otherwise. If you don’t like a game, you can delete it immediately and skip to the next one without wasting a penny. You’re paying a fixed fee regardless of how many games you try, and you never have to worry about the dreaded refund form.
A final huge advantage of Apple Arcade compared to games on the normal App Store is that you’re not exposed to ads or in-app purchases. This is good for privacy, as advertisers love to harvest data about your behavior. And for your wallet, you don’t run the risk of spending several hundred dollars on gems or other nonsense. Arcade games are also free from annoying restrictions that prevent you from continuing to play, while additional content that you would otherwise have to buy separately is included.
This last aspect shouldn’t be underestimated, especially if you have kids. Apple Arcade games don’t expose children to predatory practices such as gambling, loot boxes, and harmful advertising. Your child won’t inadvertently spend a fortune on silly skins. And since Apple Arcade is covered by Apple’s Family Sharing scheme, you only have to pay once.
SEGA
When Apple Arcade is worthwhile. And when it isn’t
To be clear, Apple Arcade does have its downsides. For one thing, like any subscription service, it’s easy to forget about it, leave it unused for a long time, and keep paying while gaining no benefit. There’s also the risk of a game disappearing from Arcade, taking all your saved data with it. If you buy the same game in the regular App Store, you’ll have to start all over again.
Even if you actively use Arcade, you have to think carefully about whether it’s worth it in the long run. If you end up playing a lot of different games on there, or if you share a subscription with family members, then it should pay for itself easily. But even casual gamers should find enough to play to make it worthwhile.
Last year, there were just four Arcade games I played for more than just a few days. Only one of these is exclusive to Arcade: Sonic Dream Team. The others are available on the App Store for a fee: Balatro costs $9.99, Slay the Spire costs $9.99, and Vampire Survivors costs a whopping $12.75 with the additional content that’s free in Apple Arcade. That’s already a total of $32.73, significantly less than the $49.99 it costs for a year of Arcade but not far off.
So even if you don’t want to jump into Apple Arcade with a long-term subscription, then you should at least give the month-long free trial a chance. You might be surprised at how many excellent games are available to play. And you’ll never be prompted to put in another quarter.