Apple Arcade Hits Milestone of 100 Games – Here’s What’s New

Apple has just hit the promised target of 100 games on its new Apple Arcade service, which launched in September to much fanfare, but fell slightly short of Apple’s original ambitions, with only about 62 titles available at launch.

That said, the number and quality of titles available was still pretty impressive for a service that cost only $4.99 per month, and Apple has continued to add more games on a regular basis, showing no signs of slowing down as it moved toward fulfilling it promise of bundling up 100 quality — and otherwise completely free — titles all under a single subscription.

Although what’s in Apple Arcade may not be enough to impress the most hardcore console gamers — there are no titles like Call of Duty or Red Dead Redemption here — there’s certainly enough to justify the price tag for both casual and serious mobile gamers, and Apple has also done a great job of ensuring that there’s something for everybody in its new gaming service, with a versatile set of titles across various genres.

To be clear, this isn’t just a roundup of titles that are already available on the App Store either; Apple has taken on the role of game publisher, actually backing game development to the tune of over half a billion dollars. This has given many indie game studios lots of room for flourish and develop titles that likely wouldn’t have even survived under the current “freemium” or “pay to play” models.

Plus, as we’ve already seen, Apple continues to aggressively expand the collection of games available on its service, so it seems that there will be a steady stream of new games to play to help justify the subscription price, which is less than most users pay for a single game — even the so-called “free to play” games, which seem to always have their hands in your pockets. There are even episodic games that will continue to include new content at no extra charge, encouraging you to come back for more as the game developers expand their worlds.

The Newest Games

Today Apple has released the following six new titles that bring the total number of games on Apple Arcade put to an even 100:

Guildlings

Apple has managed to attract many well-known indie and “boutique” game developers into its service, and this latest title, Guildings, actually comes from the team behind the extremely popular — and addictive — puzzler Threes.

Guildlings, however, is something completely different, blending what the creators describe as “a world of wizards and Wi-Fi” into a turn-based role-playing game that puts players in control of a guild of friends on a lighthearted mythical quest, with each member having their own unique powers. It’s a story-driven episodic adventure, and only “Chapter 1” launches today, so there’s undoubtedly more coming.

Discolored

This surreal puzzle adventure game puts you into a monochromatic roadside diner, giving you the job of restoring its color. While it may sound like just another take on De Blob, it’s actually more of a first-person adventure game, with other puzzles to solve and mysteries to uncover.

Sociable Soccer

If you’re old enough to have been gaming in the early 90’s, you may remember Sensible Soccer, a European football video game for the Amiga, Atari ST, and PC. This sequel preserves the spirit of the original, which has gained cult status among many gamers, giving you control of the game in a whole new way, including collecting player cards, representing your favourite club, and building and managing your team. This is another example of a game idea that was rescued by Apple after languishing on Kickstarter and barely making it onto Steam Early Access.

UFO on Tape: First Contact

This is actually a sequel to an almost-ten-year old iPhone classic, the 2010 UFO on Tape. Modernized for augmented reality, it builds on the original game’s theme of putting you into the shoes of a UFO hunter chasing after a strange object in the sky while trying to capture it on video.

Takeshi & Hiroshi

A puppet-based RPG short story that switches between the real lives of two brothers and the inside of the RPG that the older one of them is developing, trying to create a challenging yet playable game for his younger sibling.

Marble It Up: Mayhem

The classic rolling marble game comes to Apple Arcade in a new chapter of marble platforming, requiring that you navigate your little sphere across beautifully designed yet treacherous landscapes, with a single-player campaign to work through plus a multiplayer mode.

More to Come

We’re fairly certain that Apple isn’t going to stop at 100 titles, so there’s definitely more to come. In fact, as of this writing, while there are now 100 titles available for iOS and tvOS, the total that are compatible with macOS remains slightly lower at 92. For example, of the new titles added today, only Discolored, Guildings, and Sociable Soccer are available on the Mac, although other games should expand to the Mac in future updates, as Apple has promised that all of its titles will be playable across all platforms.

Apple Arcade costs $4.99/month, and that single subscription is good for your whole family of up to six users, as long as you’ve set them up as part of your Family Sharing group. In addition to unique and exclusive games, titles found on Apple Arcade have no in-app purchases, ads, or other hidden tricks — they’re fully playable as part of your $4.99/month subscription.