Hook, Line, and Sinker: DREDGE+ and Unpacking+ Land on Apple Arcade
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Apple Arcade is getting started early this month with its April additions, debuting three new games and key updates today, April 2, just in time to be enjoyed over the Easter weekend.
The titles arriving on Apple Arcade today aren’t entirely new, as they actually fall into the service’s App Store Greats category — titles that have previously been available on the App Store debuted as “plus” versions under the Apple Arcade model. These reworked apps don’t just become free with an Apple Arcade subscription, but they also have all traces of in-app purchases and ads removed, as per the standard Apple Arcade model.
That’s enough to make these worth a closer look, as the removal of that extra cruft lets you dive in and enjoy the gameplay without feeling like you’re being interrupted or nickel-and-dimed to death. Here’s what’s new on Apple Arcade today.
DREDGE+
The iPad Game of the Year for 2025 comes to Apple Arcade as a “complete edition” that includes all of its DLC content. The acclaimed fishing adventure takes players through a “haunting maritime journey” where the “dredge” for treasures and mysteries (hence the name).
Captain your trawler across a remote archipelago, sell your catch, and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets. Outfit your boat with better equipment to trawl deep-sea trenches and navigate to far-off lands, but keep an eye on the time. You might not like what finds you in the dark…
DREDGE+ includes The Pale Reach, The Iron Rig, Blackstone Key, and the Custom Rod expansions, providing new biomes and destinations, a workshop on Blackstone Isle, and some unique starting items. It’s available on Apple Arcade for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Unpacking+
Another award-winning App Store Great, Unpacking+ was in this case selected as a Cultural Impact winner in the 2023 App Store Awards. The game is a zen puzzle that has you unpacking boxes to settle in to a new home.
Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, Unpacking+ invites Arcade players to create a satisfying living space as they learn clues about the life they are putting together.
It’s not just a single house, either. Unpacking+ will take you through eight moves, beginning with a single bedroom all the way up to filling an entire house, challenging you to put clothes in drawers, stack plates, hang towels, and arrange bookshelves. There’s also a narrative arc here as you discover more about the character via the items that come to each new living space — and those that get left behind. Unpacking+ is available for the iPhone and iPad.
My Very Hungry Caterpillar+
Based on the popular children’s book by Eric Carle, this multi-award winning game lets kids care for their own version of the hungry caterpillar, raising their pet from an egg into a beautiful butterfly.
As players feed him, play with him, and explore his world, he grows bigger and unlocks new activities, eventually spinning a cocoon and transforming into a beautiful butterfly. It brings Carle’s timeless story to life in a delightful, interactive experience for the whole family to enjoy.
As your very hungry caterpillar grows, he unlocks more exciting activities for kids to engage in, and as with the original standalone game, My Very Hungry Caterpillar+ is designed to be safe and age-appropriate for iPhone and iPad users alike, while encouraging healthy digital habits, and has gentle pacing and predictable interactions that make it an ideal fit for neurodivergent children.
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ at Disney SpellStruck
In addition to the three new App Store Greats, Apple’s new Arcade lineup includes more crossovers and updates for current games. First among these is the expansion of the Disney SpellStruck Star Wars collab that kicked off in February with levels inspired by Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Now, Apple and Disney have brought the next chapter in the saga with a set of Adventure Mode maps inspired by Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, while adding Darth Vader and Lando Calrissian as new playable characters.
That new pack arrived on March 19, but there’s one more update still to come next week, when Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop celebrates the 35th anniversary of the franchise with a brand-new Puyo Puyo Garden game mode that will allow players to grow, nurture, and battle their own unique Puyo for the first time. That’s coming to the Apple Arcade in an update slated for April 9.
Apple Arcade offers access to a library of over 250 games — all without ads, in-app purchases, or other hidden costs — in a subscription that can be shared with up to five other family members. Apple Arcade costs $6.99 per month on its own, or it can be combined with Apple Music, Apple TV, and iCloud+ storage in an Apple One bundle, with plans starting at $19.95/month.
