Apple Arcade is Apple’s game streaming service. For a fixed monthly fee you can game non-stop on your iPhone, iPad, Mac (Book) and Apple TV. But how exactly does it work? And what can you do with it?
Apple Arcade for beginners
In the fall of 2019, Apple released something completely new: Apple Arcade. This is actually a ‘Netflix for games’. You stream games on a device of your choice.
You can subscribe to the gaming service for a fixed amount per month. You can then open it on any Apple device. The offer consists of more than 100 exclusive Apple Arcade games that can be played both online and offline.
Take out a subscription
To take out a subscription, go to the website of Apple, or open the ‘Arcade’ tab in the App Store. You can also cancel this monthly.
Payment goes through the App Store, just like you would buy an app. Enter your Apple ID details and you can get started right away. You can try it out for free for a month before deciding whether to take the subscription of five euros per month.
The offer
On Apple Arcade you will only discover games that have been specially developed for Arcade. New titles from well-known game makers can be found exclusively on Apple Arcade. The games all work smoothly and with a subscription you get access to everything: there are no in-app purchases. This way you can be sure that you will not be faced with surprises.
Browse the library and if you have found a nice game you can try it out right away. Didn’t you like it? Then you still have a wide choice to start another game.
The library of games is huge, but there is a small comment to be made here. The service started well, but not that many games are added every month. Read our review below.
Convert an Apple Arcade subscription
Are you satisfied and do you want to be able to game for a year in one go? Then it is possible to take out an annual subscription for Apple Arcade.
It is also slightly cheaper, because for fifty euros you can go a year ahead with the gaming service. You can then simply convert your monthly subscription to an annual subscription. You do that as follows:
- Go to the App Store and tap your profile;
- Tap on ‘Subscriptions’ and then on ‘Apple Arcade’;
- Then tap on ‘Apple Arcade Yearly’;
- Your subscription is now extended by one year for fifty euros.
Share Apple Arcade with your family
For five euros a month, or fifty a year, your family can also share in the fun. One account is good for six people, provided they have access to an Apple device of course.
For this you must have Family Sharing turned on. If a family member then wants to subscribe, they will be notified that they already have access to the subscription.
Cancel Apple Arcade
Is the service not quite what you expected, or are you finished? Then you can easily cancel the subscription again.
- Open the App Store and tap your profile icon at the top right of the screen;
- Choose ‘Subscriptions’ and select ‘Apple Arcade’;
- Tap ‘Cancel subscription’ or ‘Cancel trial subscription’ and confirm your choice;
- The subscription has now been canceled.
More about Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade can also be played via your MacBook. You can read how this works in our tip about Apple Arcade on macOS. A similar gaming service is Google Stadia. We list the differences between the two for you. Knowing more? Read everything you need to know about Apple Arcade on our overview page.