Apple has made a monster of the App Store: a marketplace that is dominated by scammy timers and cheap monetization schemes. But the company is looking to turn the tables with a new subscription service, Apple Arcade, that tilts the balance toward ad-free, play all-you-want games.
Apple Arcade is available as a $4.99 per month subscription, and up to six family members can enjoy it as well. The service is accessible from iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV and requires a subscription or an Apple One account.
The app is a dark, uncharted market: there are no charts, ratings or reviews, and Apple doesn’t offer a way for developers to know whether their games have hit the Top Charts. That’s a big change from the App Store, where it’s possible to see how many downloads a game has garnered or which titles have the most playtime.
If you don’t want to pay for Apple Arcade, you can cancel it using the App Store. Just tap on the profile photo in the upper right and press Subscriptions to open a list of your active subscriptions.
You should also notice a button that says “Cancel Free Trial” or “Cancel Subscription.” Click either of those and confirm your cancellation.
Earlier this year, Apple added several successful iOS titles to its library of Apple Arcade Originals. These games include a handful of top-rated titles in both the iOS and tvOS stores, as well as a few games that were previously exclusive to the App Store but that have since been rereleased on Apple Arcade.
Some of these games are from two brand-new categories that Apple added in April: “Timeless Classics” and “App Store Greats.” These are special versions of existing premium and free-to-play iOS hits that have been remastered for Apple Arcade without ads or in-app purchases.
The new category is a smart move that could help the company build a more diverse, ad-free library of games for its new subscription service. Hopefully, these titles will attract more users to the service.
It also seems like Apple is trying to focus on games that have the potential for becoming popular. Some of the most-played iOS games on Apple Arcade are critically acclaimed indie titles that can’t be as successful on consoles because of their niche audience and lack of replayability.
According to Simon Carless, discoverability expert and co-founder of Thrilling Times, these titles have been gaining more and more review scores every month. The number of reviews a game receives is a key factor in how it performs on the App Store.
There are also some newer titles in the Apple Arcade library, such as Lego Star Wars Battles and Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. These were not as successful during soft-launches but have since gained a lot of playtime.
The addition of these new games to the Apple Arcade library is a smart move that should help to make the service more attractive to new and old players alike. These games aren’t going to make the Top Charts any more than a few other top-performing iOS titles, but they should provide more diversity in the Apple Arcade library and help keep it fresh with new content.
