3 reasons Apple Arcade isn't worth it anymore

Summary

iPhones and iPads are not ideal gaming machines.
Diehard gamers have better platforms available to them.
The best Apple Arcade games are available elsewhere.

Before I start, I want to say upfront that there are definitely games worth playing on Apple Arcade, some of which could be considered modern classics. For that reason, it could well be worth subscribing to the service for a few months, whether on its own or as part of an Apple One bundle. I don’t want to harsh your buzz if you feel you’re getting your money’s worth.

Having returned to Arcade for several months this year, however, I don’t think I’ll be going back again unless there are major changes. Arcade just doesn’t make much sense to me going into 2025, despite being someone who considers gaming one of his favorite hobbies.

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1 iPhones and iPads are not ideal gaming machines

Diehard gamers have better platforms

Assassin's Creed Mirage on the iPhone 16

While Apple keeps promoting the idea of its devices supporting console-quality games — see the recent ports of Resident Evil 8 and Assassin’s Creed: Mirage as examples — the brute fact is that there are better places to play games if you’re serious enough to pay for a subscription. Even if you pair Arcade with a $1,000 iPhone 16 Pro, you’re still missing out on the larger screen sizes of devices like the Valve Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch OLED, never mind a TV or monitor.

More importantly, consoles ship with dedicated controllers, making it simple and intuitive to play a wide variety of games. You can’t count on an iPhone owner having an Xbox or PlayStation controller handy.

The brute fact is that there are better places to play games.

Without a third-party gamepad, iPhones and iPads are limited to tap and swipe controls. That just doesn’t work well for genres like platformers or first-person shooters. Unsurprisingly, many games in the Arcade library slot into the same puzzle, card, and light action categories as most titles in the App Store.

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2 The best Arcade games are available elsewhere

Why pay every month for a handful of favorites?

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Some of those classics on Arcade include names like Balatro, Slay the Spire, Stardew Valley, and Vampire Survivors. Here’s the issue, though — you don’t need Arcade to play them. You can buy them separately at the App Store, and unless you’re a rabid mobile gamer, you’re probably only going to play one or two games at a time. It often makes more sense to buy a few games per year than pay Apple every month. Sure, Balatro alone may cost more than a month of Arcade, but you get to play it forever if you buy it separately.

Moreover, the best Arcade games tend to come from other platforms to begin with. Balatro was originally a PC game, as was Stardew Valley, which can also be found on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. Many Arcade items aren’t even recent. Stardew and Slay the Spire, for example, date back to 2016 and 2017. Imagine if one of the flagship offerings for Xbox Game Pass was something you finished years ago — you wouldn’t be handing over any cash to Microsoft.

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3 The newer Arcade additions are uninspiring

The games of the ’80s and ’90s are calling

Apple

Apple recently announced a slate of new Arcade games for December and January, and frankly, it’s pathetic. The most exciting offerings are ports of Trials of Mana and decades-old Final Fantasy games, unless you’re really into Boggle and Pac-Man, or you’re desperate for something, anything to play on your Vision Pro.

The company just isn’t lining up enough high-profile titles.

The company just isn’t lining up enough high-profile titles. There’s no Call of Duty, Star Wars, or Dragon Age. Those Assassin’s Creed and Resident Evil games I mentioned can only be bought separately. Many recent indie darlings are missing as well, such as Neva or Tactical Breach Wizards.

Apple, it seems, isn’t able or willing to make Arcade financially attractive to developers. I’m not surprised however — Apple has sidelined gaming for decades, even letting Halo slip through its fingers. Imagine where we’d be today if Halo had stayed a Mac exclusive instead of shifting to Xbox.