Gaming subscription services are all the rage now, but Apple Arcade isn’t quite like Google Stadia or Xbox Game Pass. So if you’ve got questions about it, we’ve got plenty of answers.

Updated 07/07/23: Slay the Spire+ and LEGO DUPLO World+ are now available.

What is Apple Arcade?

Apple Arcade is a gaming subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AppleTV that features more than 150 games. The games are a mix of genres and styles, and include original games you’ll only find on the service and others that can be found on the regular App Store or even other platforms. Apple Arcade isn’t a streaming service like Xbox Live Cloud Gaming or GeForce NOW. Games must be downloaded onto your device in order to be played.

What do I need to run it?

Apple Arcade is available as part of iOS 13, iPad OS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. Some of the more visually-intensive games may only run well on newer hardware, though, and some Mac games require macOS 11 (Big Sur).

How much does Apple Arcade cost?

Apple Arcade costs $4.99 per month, and you’ll also get a one-month free trial. You can also sign up for the annual plan, which is $49.99.

If you’re currently on the $4.99 month-to-month plan and want to switch to the annual plan, you can do so on your iPhone or iPad. Open the App Store app, then tap your account icon in the upper right. Tap Subscriptions, then tap the entry for Apple Arcade. Here, you can switch to the annual plan. Apple Arcade is also included in the
Apple One subscription bundles, which range from $10 a month to $30 a month.

How do I sign up for Apple Arcade?

There isn’t an Apple Arcade app—it’s built into the App Store. On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac open the App Store and look for the Apple Arcade tab at the bottom of the screen (or in the left column on macOS). A sign-up screen with a Try It Free button will appear. After the trial you’ll be charged either the monthly or annual fee, depending on your selection. When subscribing, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password or use Touch ID or Face ID to sign in, and you’ll have to confirm your subscription purchase a few times.

Once you’re done with the sign up, the Arcade section of the App Store shows what games are available to you. To access a game, tap on it in the App Store, then tap the Get button. When the game is done installing on your device, the Get button turns into a Play button, and you can tap it to launch the game. The game app icon will also appear on your device’s Home page.

On the Apple TV, there actually is an Arcade app. Open that to see the sign-up offer. You’ll also find an Arcade tab within the App Store.

Does my subscription include family sharing?

Yes. One $4.99 per month subscription can be shared between up to six people (including you).

How do I cancel Apple Arcade?

First off, keep in mind that if you cancel Apple Arcade (either before your free trial is up or after subscribing), you won’t be able to keep playing the games unless you re-subscribe. If you’re okay with that, you can use the same process you use to cancel any other subscription service. Here’s the easiest way to do it on the iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the App Store app and tap on your profile photo in the upper right.
2. In the screen that pops up, press Subscriptions near the top of the page.
3. You’ll then see a list of active subscriptions, and Apple Arcade should be listed there. Tap it.
4. You’ll either see Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription toward the middle of the page that appears. Tap whatever option is available, then Confirm Cancellation.

And here’s how to cancel Apple Arcade on the Mac:

1. Open the App Store app and then press the icon with your profile photo in the lower left.
2. The Account window will appear, and you should then click View Information at the top of the window. Enter your password when/if prompted.
3. When your Account Information appears, scroll down to the Manage section and click the Manage link to the right of Subscriptions.
4. When the list of your active subscriptions appears, click Edit to the right of Apple Arcade.
5. Toward the middle of the page that appears, you’ll see a button that says either Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription. Click it, then click Confirm Cancellation and Confirm.

How do I access Apple Arcade games?

Apple Arcade is its own tab in the App Store. You can find games to download there, and grab anything you like without fear of being charged, seeing ads, or having to later buy in-app purchases.

Once downloaded, Apple Arcade games are found just like any other app on your device.

Does Apple curate the games on Apple Arcade?

Yes. Apple says it is “handpicking the games in Apple Arcade” and that it curates them “based on originality, quality, creativity, fun, and their appeal to players of all ages.”

Do Apple Arcade games have in-app purchases?

No. In Apple’s words, “since every game includes access to the full experience, including all game features, content, and future updates, no additional purchases will be required.” Even games that have in-app purchases on the App Store won’t have any in Apple Arcade.

Do Apple Arcade games have ads?

Also no. On a related note, Apple says Apple Arcade has no ad tracking.

Is Apple Arcade a game streaming service like Google’s Stadia or Xbox Game Streaming?

No. All Apple Arcade are downloaded.

Are Apple Arcade games available on other systems?

Apple Arcade games were originally exclusive to Apple Arcade—not in the regular App Store nor on any other mobile platform. Some would appear on PC or consoles, but never in a subscription service.

Apple has since relaxed that policy somewhat, and you can find games in Apple Arcade that also exist in the regular App Store or on Android. They are usually denoted by a “+” at the end, to differentiate the Apple Arcade version (free to download with your subscription, and free from ads or in-app purchases) from the App Store version. For example
Mini Metro (App Store) vs.
Mini Metro+ (Apple Arcade).

Will I still be able to buy games on the App Store without an Apple Arcade subscription?

Yes. There’s no sign that the existing games model will be going away, as it works fine for freemium games like Idle Heroes or Toon Blast. Apple is focusing on “handpicked” games for Apple Arcade, so there’s little doubt that the library will be much smaller than the thousands of games available in the App Store.

Are there demos for Apple Arcade games?

No, and they’re not really necessary. Like App Store apps, games download quickly and can easily be removed if you don’t want to keep it anymore.

Apple partly envisions Apple Arcade as a way of letting players try out games with more freedom than the App Store currently allows (which is basically none). In Apple’s words, “rather than pay upfront for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade will give players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk.”

The service has a free trial, though, as we’ve seen with both Apple Music and Apple News+.

Am I able to keep playing Apple Arcade games if I cancel my subscription?

No. As with most subscription services, you only have access while you’re a subscriber.

Can I use controllers with Apple Arcade games?

Yes. In additional to traditional MFi (Made for iOS) controllers, you can pair some specific Bluetooth controllers for both the
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One with either your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Since many Apple Arcade games are playable on Mac and Apple TV (where controller support is more common), many games will support them. Some games, especially those that are also available in the broader App Store and only for iPhone or iPad, have no controller support.

How often are new games released?

Games are typically released on Fridays, but not every Friday. The release schedule is sporadic—some Fridays there are no new games released, some see one game released, some more than one. Sometimes there will be no new game release, but existing games will get a big update with new content and features.

On average, new games are released at a rate of about one every 2-3 weeks, though this may improve as Apple has loosened the rules around Apple Arcade exclusivity.

What games have been released so far?

There are over 150 games available for Apple Arcade, and the list grows all the time.

Title	Publisher	Release Date
A Fold Apart	Lightning Rod Games	04/17/20
A Monster’s Expedition	Draknek Limited	09/10/20
Agent Intercept	Prodigy Design	09/19/19
Air Twister	YS Net Inc.	06/24/22
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure	ustwo	12/11/20
All of You	Alike Studio	11/06/20
Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City	Team Alto / Snowman	07/16/21
Alto’s Adventure—Remastered	Team Alto / Snowman	03/25/22
Amazing Bomberman	Konami	08/05/22
Angry Birds Reloaded	Rovio	07/16/21
Asphalt 8: Airborne+	Gameloft	08/27/21
Assemble With Care	ustwo	09/19/19
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree	Wildboy Studios	09/19/19
Badland Party	HypeHype Oy	05/06/22
Baldo: The Guardian Owls	Naps Team	08/27/21
Ballistic Baseball	Gameloft	10/18/19
Battleheart Legacy+	Mika Mobile	11/04/22
BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner	BattleBrew Productions	09/19/19
Beyond a Steel Sky	Revolution Software	06/26/20
Beyond Blue	E-Line Media	04/17/20
Big Time Sports	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Bleak Sword	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Bold Moves+	Red Games Co.	06/09/23
Bridge Constructor+	Headup GmbH	02/04/22
Butter Royale	Mighty Bear Games	01/24/20
Card of Darkness	Pendleton Ward	09/19/19
Cardpocalypse	Versus Evil	09/19/19
Castle Crumble	Orbital Knight	02/03/23
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls	Konami	09/17/21
Cat Quest II	The Gentlebros.	09/19/19
Charrua Soccer	Batovi Games	02/07/20
Chess Universe+	Tilting Point	05/04/23
ChuChu Rocket! Universe	Sega	09/19/19
Cityscapes: Sim Builder	Playstack	05/04/23
Clap Hanz Golf	Claphanz	04/02/21
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game+	Marmalade Game Studio	03/24/23
Construction Simulator 2+	Astragon Entertainment	04/15/22
Cooking Mama: Cuisine!	Office Create Corp.	06/17/22
Cozy Grove	Spry Fox	03/18/21
Crashlands+	Butterscotch Shenanigans, Inc.	01/14/21
Crayola Create and Play+	Red Games Co.	10/29/21
Creaks	Amanita Design	07/10/20
Cricket Through the Ages	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Crossy Road+	Hipster Whale	10/08/21
Crossy Road Castle	Hipster Whale	02/28/20
Cut the Rope Remastered	Paladin Studios	04/02/21
Dandara: Trials of Fear+	Raw Fury	12/03/21
Dead End Job	Headup GmbH, Ant Workshop	09/19/19
Dead Cells+	Playdigious	12/02/22
Dear Reader	Local No. 12	09/19/19
Decoherence	Efecto Estudios	10/11/19
Detonation Racing	Electric Square	07/30/21
Discolored	Shifty Eye Games & Jason Godbey	11/08/19
Disney Coloring World+	StoryToys Entertainment	05/04/23
Disney Getaway Blast+	Gameloft	05/04/23
Disney Melee Mania	Mighty Bear Games	12/17/21
Disney SpellStruck	Artist Arcade	05/04/23
Doctor Who: An Unlikely Heist	Tilting Point	04/07/23
Dodo Peak	Moving Pieces Interactive	09/19/19
Don’t Bug Me!	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Doodle God Universe	JoyBits	07/16/21
Doomsday Vault	Flightless	01/03/20
Down in Bermuda	Yak & Co	09/19/19
Dread Nautical	Zen Studios	09/19/19
EarthNight	Cleaversoft	09/19/19
Episode XOXO	Episode Interactive	01/06/23
Exit the Gungeon	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Explottens	WRP Pvt.	09/19/19
Fallen Knight	FairPlay Studios	10/25/19
Fantasian	Mistwalker	04/01/21
Farm It!	Tummy Games	03/26/21
Farming Simulator 20+	Giants Software	05/04/23
Farmside	The Label	02/17/23
Fledgling Heroes	Subtle Boom	09/19/19
Football Manager 2023 Touch	SEGA	11/08/22
Frenzic: Overtime	The Iconfactory	06/18/21
Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins	Konami	06/03/22
Frogger in Toy Town	Konami	09/19/19
Galaga Wars+	Bandai Namco	11/12/21
Game Dev Story+	Kairosoft Co., Ltd	06/18/21
Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows	Devolver Digital	08/07/20
Garden Tails: Match and Grow	Playdots, Inc.	09/16/22
The Gardens Between+	The Voxel Agents	10/14/22
Gear.Club Stradale	Eden Games	04/08/22
Getting Over It+	Bennett Foddy	05/04/23
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees	Broken Rules	02/25/22
Gin Rummy Classic+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Goat Simulator+	Coffee Stain Publishing	05/13/22
Grand Mountain Adventure+	Toppluva	04/28/23
Grindstone	Capybara Games	09/19/19
GRIS+	Devolver	09/30/22
Guildlings	Sirvo Studios, Inc.	11/08/19
Hanx101 Trivia	BlueLine Studios Inc.	09/02/22
Hearts: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
HEROish	Sunblink	07/22/22
Hexaflip: The Action Puzzler	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Hidden Folks+	Adriaan de Jongh	01/28/22
Hill Climb Racing+	Fingersoft	05/04/23
HitchHiker	Versus Evil	03/26/21
Hogwash	Bossa Studios	10/25/19
Horizon Chase 2	Aquiris Game Studio	09/09/22
Hot Lava	Klei Entertainment	09/19/19
Human: Fall Flat+	505 Games	03/31/23
HyperBrawl Tournament	Milkey Tea Limited	09/19/19
Illustrated	BorderLeap	01/13/23
INKS.+	State of Play Games	06/25/21
INMOST	Chucklefish Limited	10/11/19
Iron Marines+	Ironhide Irl	05/04/23
JellyCar Worlds	Walaber Entertainment	12/09/22
Jenny LeClue	Mografi	09/19/19
Jet Dragon	Grezzo Co.	06/16/23
Jetpack Joyride+	Halfbrick Studios	07/23/21
Jetpack Joyride 2	Halfbrick Studios	08/19/22
Jigsaw Puzzle by MobilityWare+	MobilityWare	06/10/22
Jumper Jon	Ogre Pixel	11/01/19
Kimono Cats	HamaNature Studios	03/03/23
King’s League II	Kurechi Sdn. Bhd.	09/19/19
Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+	Ironhide Irl	11/12/21
Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+	Ironhide Irl	07/29/22
Kingdom Two Crowns+	Raw Fury	05/04/23
Kings of the Castle	Frosty Pop	01/17/20
Layton’s Mystery Journey+	Level-5 Inc.	09/03/21
Legend of the Skyfish 2	Crescent Moon Games	04/03/20
Legends of Kingdom Rush	Ironhide Game Studio	06/11/21
LEGO Brawls	The Lego Group	09/19/19
LEGO Builder’s Journey	The Lego Group	12/19/19
LEGO DUPLO World+	StoryToys Entertainment	07/07/23
LEGO Star Wars Battles	TT Games	09/24/21
LEGO Star Wars: Castaways	Gameloft	11/19/21
Leo’s Fortune+	1337 & Senri LLC	06/25/21
Lifelike	kunabi brother	10/25/19
Lifeline+	3 Minute Games	02/24/23
Lifeslide	Dreamteck	09/19/19
Limbo+	Playdead	05/04/23
Little Orpheus	Sumo Digital	06/12/20
Love You to Bits+	Alike Studio	08/26/22
Lumen	Lykkegaard International	02/05/21
Manifold Garden	William Chyr Studio	10/18/19
Marble It Up: Mayhem!	Marble it up	11/08/19
Marble Knights	WayForward	09/18/20
MasterChef: Let’s Cook!	Tilting Point	09/03/21
Mind Symphony	Rogue Games, Inc.	10/11/19
Mini Motorways	Dinosaur Polo Club	09/19/19
Millionaire Trivia: TV Game+	Uken	06/30/23
Monomals	Picomy	11/01/19
Monster Hunter Stories+	Capcom	08/06/21
Monument Valley 2+	ustwo games	03/11/22
Moonshot – A Journey Home	Noodlecake	04/22/22
Murder Mystery Machine	Blazing Griffin	09/19/19
Mutazione	Die Gute Fabrik	09/19/19
My Bowling 3D+	iWare Designs	07/01/22
My Little Pony: Mane Merge	Gameloft	12/16/22
My Talking Tom+	Outfit7 Limited	08/12/22
My Town Home – Family Games+	My Town Games	05/04/23
NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	04/02/21
NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/19/21
NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/21/22
Necrobarista	Route 59	07/17/20
Neo Cab	Chance Agency	09/19/19
Neversong	Serenity Forge	05/01/20
Next Stop Nowhere	Night School Studio	08/14/20
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis	Viacom International	01/21/22
Nightmare Farm	Hit-Point Co., Ltd.	10/05/19
No Way Home	SMG Studio	01/10/20
NUTS	Noodlecake Studios	01/22/21
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm	Cornfox & Bros.	09/19/19
Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon	Cornfox & Bros.	01/08/21
Octodad: Dadliest Catch+	Young Horses	05/04/23
Oddmar+	Mobje Ltd.	12/03/21
Old Man’s Journey	Broken Rules	11/18/22
Operator 41	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Osmos+	Hemisphere Games	03/17/23
Outlanders	Pomelo Games	09/19/19
Over the Alps	Stave Studios	09/19/19
Overland	Finji	09/19/19
PAC-MAN Party Royale	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	10/18/19
Painty Mob	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Patterned	BorderLeap	09/19/19
Pilgrims	Amanita Design	10/05/19
Pocket Build+	MoonBear LTD	04/01/22
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!	Game Freak	01/20/23
Populus Run	FIFTYTWO	01/29/21
Possessions	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
PPKP+	Shimada Toshiro	05/04/23
Pro Darts 2022+	iWare Designs	05/27/22
Pro Snooker & Pool 2022+	iWare Designs Ltd.	04/15/22
Projection: First Light	Blowfish Studios	09/19/19
Prune+	Joel McDonald	04/29/22
Punch Planet	Sector-K Games	09/19/19
Rayman Mini	Ubisoft	09/19/19
Red Reign	Ninja Kiwi Limited	09/19/19
Redout: Space Assault	34BigThings	10/05/19
Reigns: Beyond	Devolver Digital	11/06/20
Retro Bowl+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Retro Goal+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Riptide GP: Renegade+	Vector Unit	02/10/23
Rosie’s Reality	RosieReality	11/15/19
Roundguard	Wonderbelly Games	03/13/20
Samorost 3+	Amanita Design	07/08/22
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time	Cartoon Network	08/21/20
Sayonara Wild Hearts	Annapurna Interactive	09/19/19
Scrappers	Q-Games	04/10/20
Secret Oops!	Mixedbag	01/31/20
Shadow Blade+	Crescent Moon Games	03/04/22
Shantae and the Seven Sirens	WayForward	09/19/19
Shinsekai: Into the Depths	Capcom	09/19/19
ShockRods	Stainless Games	10/11/19
Shovel Knight Dig	Yacht Club Games	09/23/22
Simon’s Cat – Story Time	Tactile Games Limited	04/02/21
Skate City	Snowman	09/19/19
Slash Quest	Noodlecake Studios	10/01/20
Slay the Spire+	Humble Bundle	07/07/23
Snake.io+	Kooapps	05/04/23
Sneaky Sasquatch	RAC7	09/19/19
Sociable Soccer	Rogue Games, Inc.	11/08/19
Solitaire Stories	Red Games Co.	07/02/21
SongPop Party	Gameloft	04/02/21
Sonic Dash+	Sega	04/08/22
Sonic Racing	Sega	09/19/19
South of the Circle	State of Play	10/30/20
Sp!ng	SMG Studio	03/05/21
Spaceland	Tortuga Games	09/19/19
Spades: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
Speed Demons	Radiangames	09/19/19
Spek	RAC7 Games	09/19/19
Spelldrifter	Free Range Games	09/19/19
Spider Solitaire: Card Game+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Spidersaurs	WayForward	09/19/19
Spire Blast	Orbital Knight sp.	01/22/21
Splitter Critters+	RAC7 Games	12/10/21
Spongebob SquarePants: Patty Pursuit	Nickelodeon	05/28/20
Spyder	Sumo_Digital	03/20/20
Squiggle Drop	Noodlecake	01/27/23
Star Fetched	Crescent Moon Games	11/01/19
Star Trek: Legends	Tilting Point LLC	04/02/21
Stela	SkyBox Labs	10/11/19
Stellar Commanders	Blindflug Studios	09/19/19
Steven Universe: Unleash the Light	Cartoon Network	11/27/19
Stitch.	Lykkegaard Europe	10/28/22
Stranded Sails	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Subway Surfers Tag	Sybo Games	07/15/22
Summon Quest	The Label	04/21/23
Super Leap Day	Nitrome	08/06/21
Super Impossible Road	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Super Mega Mini Party	Red Games Co, LLC	11/01/19
Super Stickman Golf 3+	Noodlecake	08/06/21
Survival Z	Ember Entertainment	02/19/21
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	04/02/21
Takeshi and Hiroshi	Oink Games Inc.	11/08/19
Tales of Memo	Tendays Studio	10/25/19
Tangle Tower	SFB Games	09/19/19
Temple Run+	Imangi Studios	05/04/23
Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure	Scopely, Inc.	09/17/21
Tetris Beat	N3twork Inc.	08/20/21
The Bradwell Conspiracy	Bossa Studios	10/05/19
The Collage Atlas	Robot House Games Ltd	10/16/20
The Enchanted World	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
The Get Out Kids	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Last Campfire	Hello Games	08/27/20
The Loud House: Outta Control	Nickelodeon	02/14/20
The Lullaby of Life	1 Simple Game	07/24/20
The Mosaic	Raw Fury	11/01/19
The Oregon Trail	Gameloft	04/02/21
The Otherside	The Label	05/08/20
The Pathless	Annapurna Interactive	11/12/20
The Pinball Wizard	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Survivalists	Team17	10/08/20
Things That Go Bump	Tinybop Inc.	10/18/19
Thumper: Pocket Edition+	Drool LLC	10/01/21
Time Locker+	Sotaro Otsuka	05/04/23
tint.	Lykkegaard International	09/19/19
Tiny Wings+	Andreas Illiger	10/15/21
TMNT Splintered Fate	Paramount Global	05/04/23
Transformers Tactical Arena	Red Games Co	11/05/21
Towaga: Among Shadows	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
Towers of Everland	Cobra Mobile Limited	05/22/20
UFO on Tape: First Contact	Revolutionary Concepts	11/08/19
Ultimate Rivals: The Court	Bit Fry Games	07/09/21
Ultimate Rivals: The Rink	Bit Fry Games	12/12/19
Various Daylife	Square Enix	09/19/19
Very Little Nightmares+	Bandai Namco	05/04/23
Warp Drive	Supergonk	11/27/20
Warped Kart Racers	Electric Square	05/20/22
Way of the Turtle	Illusion Labs	09/19/19
What the Car?	Triband ApS	05/04/23
What the Golf?	Fig	09/19/19
Where Cards Fall	Snowman	09/19/19
Winding Worlds	KO_OP	05/15/20
Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker	Aquiris	04/01/21
Word Laces	minimega	09/19/19
World of Demons	PlatinumGames	04/02/21
World’s End Club	IzanagiGames	09/04/20
Wurdweb	Aran & Adriaan	08/13/21
Wylde Flowers	Studio Drydock	02/22/22
Yaga	Versus Evil	10/25/19
Zen Pinball Party	ZEN Studios	09/03/21
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes	Firefly Games	12/04/20
Zookeeper World	Kiteretsu Inc.	09/10/21

Personal Software

Gaming subscription services are all the rage now, but Apple Arcade isn’t quite like Google Stadia or Xbox Game Pass. So if you’ve got questions about it, we’ve got plenty of answers.

Updated 06/30/23: The mobile version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, titled Millionaire Trivia: TV Game+, is now available.

What is Apple Arcade?

Apple Arcade is a gaming subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AppleTV that features more than 150 games. The games are a mix of genres and styles, and include original games you’ll only find on the service and others that can be found on the regular App Store or even other platforms. Apple Arcade isn’t a streaming service like Xbox Live Cloud Gaming or GeForce NOW. Games must be downloaded onto your device in order to be played.

What do I need to run it?

Apple Arcade is available as part of iOS 13, iPad OS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. Some of the more visually-intensive games may only run well on newer hardware, though, and some Mac games require macOS 11 (Big Sur).

How much does Apple Arcade cost?

Apple Arcade costs $4.99 per month, and you’ll also get a one-month free trial. You can also sign up for the annual plan, which is $49.99.

If you’re currently on the $4.99 month-to-month plan and want to switch to the annual plan, you can do so on your iPhone or iPad. Open the App Store app, then tap your account icon in the upper right. Tap Subscriptions, then tap the entry for Apple Arcade. Here, you can switch to the annual plan. Apple Arcade is also included in the
Apple One subscription bundles, which range from $10 a month to $30 a month.

How do I sign up for Apple Arcade?

There isn’t an Apple Arcade app—it’s built into the App Store. On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac open the App Store and look for the Apple Arcade tab at the bottom of the screen (or in the left column on macOS). A sign-up screen with a Try It Free button will appear. After the trial you’ll be charged either the monthly or annual fee, depending on your selection. When subscribing, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password or use Touch ID or Face ID to sign in, and you’ll have to confirm your subscription purchase a few times.

Once you’re done with the sign up, the Arcade section of the App Store shows what games are available to you. To access a game, tap on it in the App Store, then tap the Get button. When the game is done installing on your device, the Get button turns into a Play button, and you can tap it to launch the game. The game app icon will also appear on your device’s Home page.

On the Apple TV, there actually is an Arcade app. Open that to see the sign-up offer. You’ll also find an Arcade tab within the App Store.

Does my subscription include family sharing?

Yes. One $4.99 per month subscription can be shared between up to six people (including you).

How do I cancel Apple Arcade?

First off, keep in mind that if you cancel Apple Arcade (either before your free trial is up or after subscribing), you won’t be able to keep playing the games unless you re-subscribe. If you’re okay with that, you can use the same process you use to cancel any other subscription service. Here’s the easiest way to do it on the iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the App Store app and tap on your profile photo in the upper right.
2. In the screen that pops up, press Subscriptions near the top of the page.
3. You’ll then see a list of active subscriptions, and Apple Arcade should be listed there. Tap it.
4. You’ll either see Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription toward the middle of the page that appears. Tap whatever option is available, then Confirm Cancellation.

And here’s how to cancel Apple Arcade on the Mac:

1. Open the App Store app and then press the icon with your profile photo in the lower left.
2. The Account window will appear, and you should then click View Information at the top of the window. Enter your password when/if prompted.
3. When your Account Information appears, scroll down to the Manage section and click the Manage link to the right of Subscriptions.
4. When the list of your active subscriptions appears, click Edit to the right of Apple Arcade.
5. Toward the middle of the page that appears, you’ll see a button that says either Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription. Click it, then click Confirm Cancellation and Confirm.

How do I access Apple Arcade games?

Apple Arcade is its own tab in the App Store. You can find games to download there, and grab anything you like without fear of being charged, seeing ads, or having to later buy in-app purchases.

Once downloaded, Apple Arcade games are found just like any other app on your device.

Does Apple curate the games on Apple Arcade?

Yes. Apple says it is “handpicking the games in Apple Arcade” and that it curates them “based on originality, quality, creativity, fun, and their appeal to players of all ages.”

Do Apple Arcade games have in-app purchases?

No. In Apple’s words, “since every game includes access to the full experience, including all game features, content, and future updates, no additional purchases will be required.” Even games that have in-app purchases on the App Store won’t have any in Apple Arcade.

Do Apple Arcade games have ads?

Also no. On a related note, Apple says Apple Arcade has no ad tracking.

Is Apple Arcade a game streaming service like Google’s Stadia or Xbox Game Streaming?

No. All Apple Arcade are downloaded.

Are Apple Arcade games available on other systems?

Apple Arcade games were originally exclusive to Apple Arcade—not in the regular App Store nor on any other mobile platform. Some would appear on PC or consoles, but never in a subscription service.

Apple has since relaxed that policy somewhat, and you can find games in Apple Arcade that also exist in the regular App Store or on Android. They are usually denoted by a “+” at the end, to differentiate the Apple Arcade version (free to download with your subscription, and free from ads or in-app purchases) from the App Store version. For example
Mini Metro (App Store) vs.
Mini Metro+ (Apple Arcade).

Will I still be able to buy games on the App Store without an Apple Arcade subscription?

Yes. There’s no sign that the existing games model will be going away, as it works fine for freemium games like Idle Heroes or Toon Blast. Apple is focusing on “handpicked” games for Apple Arcade, so there’s little doubt that the library will be much smaller than the thousands of games available in the App Store.

Are there demos for Apple Arcade games?

No, and they’re not really necessary. Like App Store apps, games download quickly and can easily be removed if you don’t want to keep it anymore.

Apple partly envisions Apple Arcade as a way of letting players try out games with more freedom than the App Store currently allows (which is basically none). In Apple’s words, “rather than pay upfront for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade will give players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk.”

The service has a free trial, though, as we’ve seen with both Apple Music and Apple News+.

Am I able to keep playing Apple Arcade games if I cancel my subscription?

No. As with most subscription services, you only have access while you’re a subscriber.

Can I use controllers with Apple Arcade games?

Yes. In additional to traditional MFi (Made for iOS) controllers, you can pair some specific Bluetooth controllers for both the
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One with either your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Since many Apple Arcade games are playable on Mac and Apple TV (where controller support is more common), many games will support them. Some games, especially those that are also available in the broader App Store and only for iPhone or iPad, have no controller support.

How often are new games released?

Games are typically released on Fridays, but not every Friday. The release schedule is sporadic—some Fridays there are no new games released, some see one game released, some more than one. Sometimes there will be no new game release, but existing games will get a big update with new content and features.

On average, new games are released at a rate of about one every 2-3 weeks, though this may improve as Apple has loosened the rules around Apple Arcade exclusivity.

What games have been released so far?

There are over 150 games available for Apple Arcade, and the list grows all the time.

Title	Publisher	Release Date
A Fold Apart	Lightning Rod Games	04/17/20
A Monster’s Expedition	Draknek Limited	09/10/20
Agent Intercept	Prodigy Design	09/19/19
Air Twister	YS Net Inc.	06/24/22
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure	ustwo	12/11/20
All of You	Alike Studio	11/06/20
Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City	Team Alto / Snowman	07/16/21
Alto’s Adventure—Remastered	Team Alto / Snowman	03/25/22
Amazing Bomberman	Konami	08/05/22
Angry Birds Reloaded	Rovio	07/16/21
Asphalt 8: Airborne+	Gameloft	08/27/21
Assemble With Care	ustwo	09/19/19
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree	Wildboy Studios	09/19/19
Badland Party	HypeHype Oy	05/06/22
Baldo: The Guardian Owls	Naps Team	08/27/21
Ballistic Baseball	Gameloft	10/18/19
Battleheart Legacy+	Mika Mobile	11/04/22
BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner	BattleBrew Productions	09/19/19
Beyond a Steel Sky	Revolution Software	06/26/20
Beyond Blue	E-Line Media	04/17/20
Big Time Sports	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Bleak Sword	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Bold Moves+	Red Games Co.	06/09/23
Bridge Constructor+	Headup GmbH	02/04/22
Butter Royale	Mighty Bear Games	01/24/20
Card of Darkness	Pendleton Ward	09/19/19
Cardpocalypse	Versus Evil	09/19/19
Castle Crumble	Orbital Knight	02/03/23
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls	Konami	09/17/21
Cat Quest II	The Gentlebros.	09/19/19
Charrua Soccer	Batovi Games	02/07/20
Chess Universe+	Tilting Point	05/04/23
ChuChu Rocket! Universe	Sega	09/19/19
Cityscapes: Sim Builder	Playstack	05/04/23
Clap Hanz Golf	Claphanz	04/02/21
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game+	Marmalade Game Studio	03/24/23
Construction Simulator 2+	Astragon Entertainment	04/15/22
Cooking Mama: Cuisine!	Office Create Corp.	06/17/22
Cozy Grove	Spry Fox	03/18/21
Crashlands+	Butterscotch Shenanigans, Inc.	01/14/21
Crayola Create and Play+	Red Games Co.	10/29/21
Creaks	Amanita Design	07/10/20
Cricket Through the Ages	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Crossy Road+	Hipster Whale	10/08/21
Crossy Road Castle	Hipster Whale	02/28/20
Cut the Rope Remastered	Paladin Studios	04/02/21
Dandara: Trials of Fear+	Raw Fury	12/03/21
Dead End Job	Headup GmbH, Ant Workshop	09/19/19
Dead Cells+	Playdigious	12/02/22
Dear Reader	Local No. 12	09/19/19
Decoherence	Efecto Estudios	10/11/19
Detonation Racing	Electric Square	07/30/21
Discolored	Shifty Eye Games & Jason Godbey	11/08/19
Disney Coloring World+	StoryToys Entertainment	05/04/23
Disney Getaway Blast+	Gameloft	05/04/23
Disney Melee Mania	Mighty Bear Games	12/17/21
Disney SpellStruck	Artist Arcade	05/04/23
Doctor Who: An Unlikely Heist	Tilting Point	04/07/23
Dodo Peak	Moving Pieces Interactive	09/19/19
Don’t Bug Me!	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Doodle God Universe	JoyBits	07/16/21
Doomsday Vault	Flightless	01/03/20
Down in Bermuda	Yak & Co	09/19/19
Dread Nautical	Zen Studios	09/19/19
EarthNight	Cleaversoft	09/19/19
Episode XOXO	Episode Interactive	01/06/23
Exit the Gungeon	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Explottens	WRP Pvt.	09/19/19
Fallen Knight	FairPlay Studios	10/25/19
Fantasian	Mistwalker	04/01/21
Farm It!	Tummy Games	03/26/21
Farming Simulator 20+	Giants Software	05/04/23
Farmside	The Label	02/17/23
Fledgling Heroes	Subtle Boom	09/19/19
Football Manager 2023 Touch	SEGA	11/08/22
Frenzic: Overtime	The Iconfactory	06/18/21
Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins	Konami	06/03/22
Frogger in Toy Town	Konami	09/19/19
Galaga Wars+	Bandai Namco	11/12/21
Game Dev Story+	Kairosoft Co., Ltd	06/18/21
Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows	Devolver Digital	08/07/20
Garden Tails: Match and Grow	Playdots, Inc.	09/16/22
The Gardens Between+	The Voxel Agents	10/14/22
Gear.Club Stradale	Eden Games	04/08/22
Getting Over It+	Bennett Foddy	05/04/23
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees	Broken Rules	02/25/22
Gin Rummy Classic+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Goat Simulator+	Coffee Stain Publishing	05/13/22
Grand Mountain Adventure+	Toppluva	04/28/23
Grindstone	Capybara Games	09/19/19
GRIS+	Devolver	09/30/22
Guildlings	Sirvo Studios, Inc.	11/08/19
Hanx101 Trivia	BlueLine Studios Inc.	09/02/22
Hearts: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
HEROish	Sunblink	07/22/22
Hexaflip: The Action Puzzler	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Hidden Folks+	Adriaan de Jongh	01/28/22
Hill Climb Racing+	Fingersoft	05/04/23
HitchHiker	Versus Evil	03/26/21
Hogwash	Bossa Studios	10/25/19
Horizon Chase 2	Aquiris Game Studio	09/09/22
Hot Lava	Klei Entertainment	09/19/19
Human: Fall Flat+	505 Games	03/31/23
HyperBrawl Tournament	Milkey Tea Limited	09/19/19
Illustrated	BorderLeap	01/13/23
INKS.+	State of Play Games	06/25/21
INMOST	Chucklefish Limited	10/11/19
Iron Marines+	Ironhide Irl	05/04/23
JellyCar Worlds	Walaber Entertainment	12/09/22
Jenny LeClue	Mografi	09/19/19
Jet Dragon	Grezzo Co.	06/16/23
Jetpack Joyride+	Halfbrick Studios	07/23/21
Jetpack Joyride 2	Halfbrick Studios	08/19/22
Jigsaw Puzzle by MobilityWare+	MobilityWare	06/10/22
Jumper Jon	Ogre Pixel	11/01/19
Kimono Cats	HamaNature Studios	03/03/23
King’s League II	Kurechi Sdn. Bhd.	09/19/19
Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+	Ironhide Irl	11/12/21
Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+	Ironhide Irl	07/29/22
Kingdom Two Crowns+	Raw Fury	05/04/23
Kings of the Castle	Frosty Pop	01/17/20
Layton’s Mystery Journey+	Level-5 Inc.	09/03/21
Legend of the Skyfish 2	Crescent Moon Games	04/03/20
Legends of Kingdom Rush	Ironhide Game Studio	06/11/21
LEGO Brawls	The Lego Group	09/19/19
LEGO Builder’s Journey	The Lego Group	12/19/19
LEGO Star Wars Battles	TT Games	09/24/21
LEGO Star Wars: Castaways	Gameloft	11/19/21
Leo’s Fortune+	1337 & Senri LLC	06/25/21
Lifelike	kunabi brother	10/25/19
Lifeline+	3 Minute Games	02/24/23
Lifeslide	Dreamteck	09/19/19
Limbo+	Playdead	05/04/23
Little Orpheus	Sumo Digital	06/12/20
Love You to Bits+	Alike Studio	08/26/22
Lumen	Lykkegaard International	02/05/21
Manifold Garden	William Chyr Studio	10/18/19
Marble It Up: Mayhem!	Marble it up	11/08/19
Marble Knights	WayForward	09/18/20
MasterChef: Let’s Cook!	Tilting Point	09/03/21
Mind Symphony	Rogue Games, Inc.	10/11/19
Mini Motorways	Dinosaur Polo Club	09/19/19
Millionaire Trivia: TV Game+	Uken	06/30/23
Monomals	Picomy	11/01/19
Monster Hunter Stories+	Capcom	08/06/21
Monument Valley 2+	ustwo games	03/11/22
Moonshot – A Journey Home	Noodlecake	04/22/22
Murder Mystery Machine	Blazing Griffin	09/19/19
Mutazione	Die Gute Fabrik	09/19/19
My Bowling 3D+	iWare Designs	07/01/22
My Little Pony: Mane Merge	Gameloft	12/16/22
My Talking Tom+	Outfit7 Limited	08/12/22
My Town Home – Family Games+	My Town Games	05/04/23
NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	04/02/21
NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/19/21
NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/21/22
Necrobarista	Route 59	07/17/20
Neo Cab	Chance Agency	09/19/19
Neversong	Serenity Forge	05/01/20
Next Stop Nowhere	Night School Studio	08/14/20
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis	Viacom International	01/21/22
Nightmare Farm	Hit-Point Co., Ltd.	10/05/19
No Way Home	SMG Studio	01/10/20
NUTS	Noodlecake Studios	01/22/21
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm	Cornfox & Bros.	09/19/19
Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon	Cornfox & Bros.	01/08/21
Octodad: Dadliest Catch+	Young Horses	05/04/23
Oddmar+	Mobje Ltd.	12/03/21
Old Man’s Journey	Broken Rules	11/18/22
Operator 41	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Osmos+	Hemisphere Games	03/17/23
Outlanders	Pomelo Games	09/19/19
Over the Alps	Stave Studios	09/19/19
Overland	Finji	09/19/19
PAC-MAN Party Royale	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	10/18/19
Painty Mob	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Patterned	BorderLeap	09/19/19
Pilgrims	Amanita Design	10/05/19
Pocket Build+	MoonBear LTD	04/01/22
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!	Game Freak	01/20/23
Populus Run	FIFTYTWO	01/29/21
Possessions	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
PPKP+	Shimada Toshiro	05/04/23
Pro Darts 2022+	iWare Designs	05/27/22
Pro Snooker & Pool 2022+	iWare Designs Ltd.	04/15/22
Projection: First Light	Blowfish Studios	09/19/19
Prune+	Joel McDonald	04/29/22
Punch Planet	Sector-K Games	09/19/19
Rayman Mini	Ubisoft	09/19/19
Red Reign	Ninja Kiwi Limited	09/19/19
Redout: Space Assault	34BigThings	10/05/19
Reigns: Beyond	Devolver Digital	11/06/20
Retro Bowl+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Retro Goal+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Riptide GP: Renegade+	Vector Unit	02/10/23
Rosie’s Reality	RosieReality	11/15/19
Roundguard	Wonderbelly Games	03/13/20
Samorost 3+	Amanita Design	07/08/22
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time	Cartoon Network	08/21/20
Sayonara Wild Hearts	Annapurna Interactive	09/19/19
Scrappers	Q-Games	04/10/20
Secret Oops!	Mixedbag	01/31/20
Shadow Blade+	Crescent Moon Games	03/04/22
Shantae and the Seven Sirens	WayForward	09/19/19
Shinsekai: Into the Depths	Capcom	09/19/19
ShockRods	Stainless Games	10/11/19
Shovel Knight Dig	Yacht Club Games	09/23/22
Simon’s Cat – Story Time	Tactile Games Limited	04/02/21
Skate City	Snowman	09/19/19
Slash Quest	Noodlecake Studios	10/01/20
Snake.io+	Kooapps	05/04/23
Sneaky Sasquatch	RAC7	09/19/19
Sociable Soccer	Rogue Games, Inc.	11/08/19
Solitaire Stories	Red Games Co.	07/02/21
SongPop Party	Gameloft	04/02/21
Sonic Dash+	Sega	04/08/22
Sonic Racing	Sega	09/19/19
South of the Circle	State of Play	10/30/20
Sp!ng	SMG Studio	03/05/21
Spaceland	Tortuga Games	09/19/19
Spades: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
Speed Demons	Radiangames	09/19/19
Spek	RAC7 Games	09/19/19
Spelldrifter	Free Range Games	09/19/19
Spider Solitaire: Card Game+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Spidersaurs	WayForward	09/19/19
Spire Blast	Orbital Knight sp.	01/22/21
Splitter Critters+	RAC7 Games	12/10/21
Spongebob SquarePants: Patty Pursuit	Nickelodeon	05/28/20
Spyder	Sumo_Digital	03/20/20
Squiggle Drop	Noodlecake	01/27/23
Star Fetched	Crescent Moon Games	11/01/19
Star Trek: Legends	Tilting Point LLC	04/02/21
Stela	SkyBox Labs	10/11/19
Stellar Commanders	Blindflug Studios	09/19/19
Steven Universe: Unleash the Light	Cartoon Network	11/27/19
Stitch.	Lykkegaard Europe	10/28/22
Stranded Sails	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Subway Surfers Tag	Sybo Games	07/15/22
Summon Quest	The Label	04/21/23
Super Leap Day	Nitrome	08/06/21
Super Impossible Road	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Super Mega Mini Party	Red Games Co, LLC	11/01/19
Super Stickman Golf 3+	Noodlecake	08/06/21
Survival Z	Ember Entertainment	02/19/21
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	04/02/21
Takeshi and Hiroshi	Oink Games Inc.	11/08/19
Tales of Memo	Tendays Studio	10/25/19
Tangle Tower	SFB Games	09/19/19
Temple Run+	Imangi Studios	05/04/23
Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure	Scopely, Inc.	09/17/21
Tetris Beat	N3twork Inc.	08/20/21
The Bradwell Conspiracy	Bossa Studios	10/05/19
The Collage Atlas	Robot House Games Ltd	10/16/20
The Enchanted World	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
The Get Out Kids	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Last Campfire	Hello Games	08/27/20
The Loud House: Outta Control	Nickelodeon	02/14/20
The Lullaby of Life	1 Simple Game	07/24/20
The Mosaic	Raw Fury	11/01/19
The Oregon Trail	Gameloft	04/02/21
The Otherside	The Label	05/08/20
The Pathless	Annapurna Interactive	11/12/20
The Pinball Wizard	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Survivalists	Team17	10/08/20
Things That Go Bump	Tinybop Inc.	10/18/19
Thumper: Pocket Edition+	Drool LLC	10/01/21
Time Locker+	Sotaro Otsuka	05/04/23
tint.	Lykkegaard International	09/19/19
Tiny Wings+	Andreas Illiger	10/15/21
TMNT Splintered Fate	Paramount Global	05/04/23
Transformers Tactical Arena	Red Games Co	11/05/21
Towaga: Among Shadows	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
Towers of Everland	Cobra Mobile Limited	05/22/20
UFO on Tape: First Contact	Revolutionary Concepts	11/08/19
Ultimate Rivals: The Court	Bit Fry Games	07/09/21
Ultimate Rivals: The Rink	Bit Fry Games	12/12/19
Various Daylife	Square Enix	09/19/19
Very Little Nightmares+	Bandai Namco	05/04/23
Warp Drive	Supergonk	11/27/20
Warped Kart Racers	Electric Square	05/20/22
Way of the Turtle	Illusion Labs	09/19/19
What the Car?	Triband ApS	05/04/23
What the Golf?	Fig	09/19/19
Where Cards Fall	Snowman	09/19/19
Winding Worlds	KO_OP	05/15/20
Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker	Aquiris	04/01/21
Word Laces	minimega	09/19/19
World of Demons	PlatinumGames	04/02/21
World’s End Club	IzanagiGames	09/04/20
Wurdweb	Aran & Adriaan	08/13/21
Wylde Flowers	Studio Drydock	02/22/22
Yaga	Versus Evil	10/25/19
Zen Pinball Party	ZEN Studios	09/03/21
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes	Firefly Games	12/04/20
Zookeeper World	Kiteretsu Inc.	09/10/21

Personal Software

Gaming subscription services are all the rage now, but Apple Arcade isn’t quite like Google Stadia or Xbox Game Pass. So if you’ve got questions about it, we’ve got plenty of answers.

Updated 06/30/23: The mobile version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, titled Millionaire Trivia: TV Game+, is now available.

What is Apple Arcade?

Apple Arcade is a gaming subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AppleTV that features more than 150 games. The games are a mix of genres and styles, and include original games you’ll only find on the service and others that can be found on the regular App Store or even other platforms. Apple Arcade isn’t a streaming service like Xbox Live Cloud Gaming or GeForce NOW. Games must be downloaded onto your device in order to be played.

What do I need to run it?

Apple Arcade is available as part of iOS 13, iPad OS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. Some of the more visually-intensive games may only run well on newer hardware, though, and some Mac games require macOS 11 (Big Sur).

How much does Apple Arcade cost?

Apple Arcade costs $4.99 per month, and you’ll also get a one-month free trial. You can also sign up for the annual plan, which is $49.99.

If you’re currently on the $4.99 month-to-month plan and want to switch to the annual plan, you can do so on your iPhone or iPad. Open the App Store app, then tap your account icon in the upper right. Tap Subscriptions, then tap the entry for Apple Arcade. Here, you can switch to the annual plan. Apple Arcade is also included in the
Apple One subscription bundles, which range from $10 a month to $30 a month.

How do I sign up for Apple Arcade?

There isn’t an Apple Arcade app—it’s built into the App Store. On your iPhone, iPad, or Mac open the App Store and look for the Apple Arcade tab at the bottom of the screen (or in the left column on macOS). A sign-up screen with a Try It Free button will appear. After the trial you’ll be charged either the monthly or annual fee, depending on your selection. When subscribing, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID password or use Touch ID or Face ID to sign in, and you’ll have to confirm your subscription purchase a few times.

Once you’re done with the sign up, the Arcade section of the App Store shows what games are available to you. To access a game, tap on it in the App Store, then tap the Get button. When the game is done installing on your device, the Get button turns into a Play button, and you can tap it to launch the game. The game app icon will also appear on your device’s Home page.

On the Apple TV, there actually is an Arcade app. Open that to see the sign-up offer. You’ll also find an Arcade tab within the App Store.

Does my subscription include family sharing?

Yes. One $4.99 per month subscription can be shared between up to six people (including you).

How do I cancel Apple Arcade?

First off, keep in mind that if you cancel Apple Arcade (either before your free trial is up or after subscribing), you won’t be able to keep playing the games unless you re-subscribe. If you’re okay with that, you can use the same process you use to cancel any other subscription service. Here’s the easiest way to do it on the iPhone and iPad:

1. Open the App Store app and tap on your profile photo in the upper right.
2. In the screen that pops up, press Subscriptions near the top of the page.
3. You’ll then see a list of active subscriptions, and Apple Arcade should be listed there. Tap it.
4. You’ll either see Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription toward the middle of the page that appears. Tap whatever option is available, then Confirm Cancellation.

And here’s how to cancel Apple Arcade on the Mac:

1. Open the App Store app and then press the icon with your profile photo in the lower left.
2. The Account window will appear, and you should then click View Information at the top of the window. Enter your password when/if prompted.
3. When your Account Information appears, scroll down to the Manage section and click the Manage link to the right of Subscriptions.
4. When the list of your active subscriptions appears, click Edit to the right of Apple Arcade.
5. Toward the middle of the page that appears, you’ll see a button that says either Cancel Free Trial or Cancel Subscription. Click it, then click Confirm Cancellation and Confirm.

How do I access Apple Arcade games?

Apple Arcade is its own tab in the App Store. You can find games to download there, and grab anything you like without fear of being charged, seeing ads, or having to later buy in-app purchases.

Once downloaded, Apple Arcade games are found just like any other app on your device.

Does Apple curate the games on Apple Arcade?

Yes. Apple says it is “handpicking the games in Apple Arcade” and that it curates them “based on originality, quality, creativity, fun, and their appeal to players of all ages.”

Do Apple Arcade games have in-app purchases?

No. In Apple’s words, “since every game includes access to the full experience, including all game features, content, and future updates, no additional purchases will be required.” Even games that have in-app purchases on the App Store won’t have any in Apple Arcade.

Do Apple Arcade games have ads?

Also no. On a related note, Apple says Apple Arcade has no ad tracking.

Is Apple Arcade a game streaming service like Google’s Stadia or Xbox Game Streaming?

No. All Apple Arcade are downloaded.

Are Apple Arcade games available on other systems?

Apple Arcade games were originally exclusive to Apple Arcade—not in the regular App Store nor on any other mobile platform. Some would appear on PC or consoles, but never in a subscription service.

Apple has since relaxed that policy somewhat, and you can find games in Apple Arcade that also exist in the regular App Store or on Android. They are usually denoted by a “+” at the end, to differentiate the Apple Arcade version (free to download with your subscription, and free from ads or in-app purchases) from the App Store version. For example
Mini Metro (App Store) vs.
Mini Metro+ (Apple Arcade).

Will I still be able to buy games on the App Store without an Apple Arcade subscription?

Yes. There’s no sign that the existing games model will be going away, as it works fine for freemium games like Idle Heroes or Toon Blast. Apple is focusing on “handpicked” games for Apple Arcade, so there’s little doubt that the library will be much smaller than the thousands of games available in the App Store.

Are there demos for Apple Arcade games?

No, and they’re not really necessary. Like App Store apps, games download quickly and can easily be removed if you don’t want to keep it anymore.

Apple partly envisions Apple Arcade as a way of letting players try out games with more freedom than the App Store currently allows (which is basically none). In Apple’s words, “rather than pay upfront for each game, a subscription to Apple Arcade will give players the opportunity to try any game in the service without risk.”

The service has a free trial, though, as we’ve seen with both Apple Music and Apple News+.

Am I able to keep playing Apple Arcade games if I cancel my subscription?

No. As with most subscription services, you only have access while you’re a subscriber.

Can I use controllers with Apple Arcade games?

Yes. In additional to traditional MFi (Made for iOS) controllers, you can pair some specific Bluetooth controllers for both the
PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One with either your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Since many Apple Arcade games are playable on Mac and Apple TV (where controller support is more common), many games will support them. Some games, especially those that are also available in the broader App Store and only for iPhone or iPad, have no controller support.

How often are new games released?

Games are typically released on Fridays, but not every Friday. The release schedule is sporadic—some Fridays there are no new games released, some see one game released, some more than one. Sometimes there will be no new game release, but existing games will get a big update with new content and features.

On average, new games are released at a rate of about one every 2-3 weeks, though this may improve as Apple has loosened the rules around Apple Arcade exclusivity.

What games have been released so far?

There are over 150 games available for Apple Arcade, and the list grows all the time.

Title	Publisher	Release Date
A Fold Apart	Lightning Rod Games	04/17/20
A Monster’s Expedition	Draknek Limited	09/10/20
Agent Intercept	Prodigy Design	09/19/19
Air Twister	YS Net Inc.	06/24/22
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure	ustwo	12/11/20
All of You	Alike Studio	11/06/20
Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City	Team Alto / Snowman	07/16/21
Alto’s Adventure—Remastered	Team Alto / Snowman	03/25/22
Amazing Bomberman	Konami	08/05/22
Angry Birds Reloaded	Rovio	07/16/21
Asphalt 8: Airborne+	Gameloft	08/27/21
Assemble With Care	ustwo	09/19/19
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree	Wildboy Studios	09/19/19
Badland Party	HypeHype Oy	05/06/22
Baldo: The Guardian Owls	Naps Team	08/27/21
Ballistic Baseball	Gameloft	10/18/19
Battleheart Legacy+	Mika Mobile	11/04/22
BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner	BattleBrew Productions	09/19/19
Beyond a Steel Sky	Revolution Software	06/26/20
Beyond Blue	E-Line Media	04/17/20
Big Time Sports	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Bleak Sword	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Bold Moves+	Red Games Co.	06/09/23
Bridge Constructor+	Headup GmbH	02/04/22
Butter Royale	Mighty Bear Games	01/24/20
Card of Darkness	Pendleton Ward	09/19/19
Cardpocalypse	Versus Evil	09/19/19
Castle Crumble	Orbital Knight	02/03/23
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls	Konami	09/17/21
Cat Quest II	The Gentlebros.	09/19/19
Charrua Soccer	Batovi Games	02/07/20
Chess Universe+	Tilting Point	05/04/23
ChuChu Rocket! Universe	Sega	09/19/19
Cityscapes: Sim Builder	Playstack	05/04/23
Clap Hanz Golf	Claphanz	04/02/21
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game+	Marmalade Game Studio	03/24/23
Construction Simulator 2+	Astragon Entertainment	04/15/22
Cooking Mama: Cuisine!	Office Create Corp.	06/17/22
Cozy Grove	Spry Fox	03/18/21
Crashlands+	Butterscotch Shenanigans, Inc.	01/14/21
Crayola Create and Play+	Red Games Co.	10/29/21
Creaks	Amanita Design	07/10/20
Cricket Through the Ages	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Crossy Road+	Hipster Whale	10/08/21
Crossy Road Castle	Hipster Whale	02/28/20
Cut the Rope Remastered	Paladin Studios	04/02/21
Dandara: Trials of Fear+	Raw Fury	12/03/21
Dead End Job	Headup GmbH, Ant Workshop	09/19/19
Dead Cells+	Playdigious	12/02/22
Dear Reader	Local No. 12	09/19/19
Decoherence	Efecto Estudios	10/11/19
Detonation Racing	Electric Square	07/30/21
Discolored	Shifty Eye Games & Jason Godbey	11/08/19
Disney Coloring World+	StoryToys Entertainment	05/04/23
Disney Getaway Blast+	Gameloft	05/04/23
Disney Melee Mania	Mighty Bear Games	12/17/21
Disney SpellStruck	Artist Arcade	05/04/23
Doctor Who: An Unlikely Heist	Tilting Point	04/07/23
Dodo Peak	Moving Pieces Interactive	09/19/19
Don’t Bug Me!	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
Doodle God Universe	JoyBits	07/16/21
Doomsday Vault	Flightless	01/03/20
Down in Bermuda	Yak & Co	09/19/19
Dread Nautical	Zen Studios	09/19/19
EarthNight	Cleaversoft	09/19/19
Episode XOXO	Episode Interactive	01/06/23
Exit the Gungeon	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Explottens	WRP Pvt.	09/19/19
Fallen Knight	FairPlay Studios	10/25/19
Fantasian	Mistwalker	04/01/21
Farm It!	Tummy Games	03/26/21
Farming Simulator 20+	Giants Software	05/04/23
Farmside	The Label	02/17/23
Fledgling Heroes	Subtle Boom	09/19/19
Football Manager 2023 Touch	SEGA	11/08/22
Frenzic: Overtime	The Iconfactory	06/18/21
Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins	Konami	06/03/22
Frogger in Toy Town	Konami	09/19/19
Galaga Wars+	Bandai Namco	11/12/21
Game Dev Story+	Kairosoft Co., Ltd	06/18/21
Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows	Devolver Digital	08/07/20
Garden Tails: Match and Grow	Playdots, Inc.	09/16/22
The Gardens Between+	The Voxel Agents	10/14/22
Gear.Club Stradale	Eden Games	04/08/22
Getting Over It+	Bennett Foddy	05/04/23
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees	Broken Rules	02/25/22
Gin Rummy Classic+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Goat Simulator+	Coffee Stain Publishing	05/13/22
Grand Mountain Adventure+	Toppluva	04/28/23
Grindstone	Capybara Games	09/19/19
GRIS+	Devolver	09/30/22
Guildlings	Sirvo Studios, Inc.	11/08/19
Hanx101 Trivia	BlueLine Studios Inc.	09/02/22
Hearts: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
HEROish	Sunblink	07/22/22
Hexaflip: The Action Puzzler	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Hidden Folks+	Adriaan de Jongh	01/28/22
Hill Climb Racing+	Fingersoft	05/04/23
HitchHiker	Versus Evil	03/26/21
Hogwash	Bossa Studios	10/25/19
Horizon Chase 2	Aquiris Game Studio	09/09/22
Hot Lava	Klei Entertainment	09/19/19
Human: Fall Flat+	505 Games	03/31/23
HyperBrawl Tournament	Milkey Tea Limited	09/19/19
Illustrated	BorderLeap	01/13/23
INKS.+	State of Play Games	06/25/21
INMOST	Chucklefish Limited	10/11/19
Iron Marines+	Ironhide Irl	05/04/23
JellyCar Worlds	Walaber Entertainment	12/09/22
Jenny LeClue	Mografi	09/19/19
Jet Dragon	Grezzo Co.	06/16/23
Jetpack Joyride+	Halfbrick Studios	07/23/21
Jetpack Joyride 2	Halfbrick Studios	08/19/22
Jigsaw Puzzle by MobilityWare+	MobilityWare	06/10/22
Jumper Jon	Ogre Pixel	11/01/19
Kimono Cats	HamaNature Studios	03/03/23
King’s League II	Kurechi Sdn. Bhd.	09/19/19
Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+	Ironhide Irl	11/12/21
Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+	Ironhide Irl	07/29/22
Kingdom Two Crowns+	Raw Fury	05/04/23
Kings of the Castle	Frosty Pop	01/17/20
Layton’s Mystery Journey+	Level-5 Inc.	09/03/21
Legend of the Skyfish 2	Crescent Moon Games	04/03/20
Legends of Kingdom Rush	Ironhide Game Studio	06/11/21
LEGO Brawls	The Lego Group	09/19/19
LEGO Builder’s Journey	The Lego Group	12/19/19
LEGO Star Wars Battles	TT Games	09/24/21
LEGO Star Wars: Castaways	Gameloft	11/19/21
Leo’s Fortune+	1337 & Senri LLC	06/25/21
Lifelike	kunabi brother	10/25/19
Lifeline+	3 Minute Games	02/24/23
Lifeslide	Dreamteck	09/19/19
Limbo+	Playdead	05/04/23
Little Orpheus	Sumo Digital	06/12/20
Love You to Bits+	Alike Studio	08/26/22
Lumen	Lykkegaard International	02/05/21
Manifold Garden	William Chyr Studio	10/18/19
Marble It Up: Mayhem!	Marble it up	11/08/19
Marble Knights	WayForward	09/18/20
MasterChef: Let’s Cook!	Tilting Point	09/03/21
Mind Symphony	Rogue Games, Inc.	10/11/19
Mini Motorways	Dinosaur Polo Club	09/19/19
Millionaire Trivia: TV Game+	Uken	06/30/23
Monomals	Picomy	11/01/19
Monster Hunter Stories+	Capcom	08/06/21
Monument Valley 2+	ustwo games	03/11/22
Moonshot – A Journey Home	Noodlecake	04/22/22
Murder Mystery Machine	Blazing Griffin	09/19/19
Mutazione	Die Gute Fabrik	09/19/19
My Bowling 3D+	iWare Designs	07/01/22
My Little Pony: Mane Merge	Gameloft	12/16/22
My Talking Tom+	Outfit7 Limited	08/12/22
My Town Home – Family Games+	My Town Games	05/04/23
NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	04/02/21
NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/19/21
NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition	2K Sports	10/21/22
Necrobarista	Route 59	07/17/20
Neo Cab	Chance Agency	09/19/19
Neversong	Serenity Forge	05/01/20
Next Stop Nowhere	Night School Studio	08/14/20
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis	Viacom International	01/21/22
Nightmare Farm	Hit-Point Co., Ltd.	10/05/19
No Way Home	SMG Studio	01/10/20
NUTS	Noodlecake Studios	01/22/21
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm	Cornfox & Bros.	09/19/19
Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon	Cornfox & Bros.	01/08/21
Octodad: Dadliest Catch+	Young Horses	05/04/23
Oddmar+	Mobje Ltd.	12/03/21
Old Man’s Journey	Broken Rules	11/18/22
Operator 41	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Osmos+	Hemisphere Games	03/17/23
Outlanders	Pomelo Games	09/19/19
Over the Alps	Stave Studios	09/19/19
Overland	Finji	09/19/19
PAC-MAN Party Royale	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	10/18/19
Painty Mob	Devolver Digital	09/19/19
Patterned	BorderLeap	09/19/19
Pilgrims	Amanita Design	10/05/19
Pocket Build+	MoonBear LTD	04/01/22
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!	Game Freak	01/20/23
Populus Run	FIFTYTWO	01/29/21
Possessions	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
PPKP+	Shimada Toshiro	05/04/23
Pro Darts 2022+	iWare Designs	05/27/22
Pro Snooker & Pool 2022+	iWare Designs Ltd.	04/15/22
Projection: First Light	Blowfish Studios	09/19/19
Prune+	Joel McDonald	04/29/22
Punch Planet	Sector-K Games	09/19/19
Rayman Mini	Ubisoft	09/19/19
Red Reign	Ninja Kiwi Limited	09/19/19
Redout: Space Assault	34BigThings	10/05/19
Reigns: Beyond	Devolver Digital	11/06/20
Retro Bowl+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Retro Goal+	New Star R&D	06/23/23
Riptide GP: Renegade+	Vector Unit	02/10/23
Rosie’s Reality	RosieReality	11/15/19
Roundguard	Wonderbelly Games	03/13/20
Samorost 3+	Amanita Design	07/08/22
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time	Cartoon Network	08/21/20
Sayonara Wild Hearts	Annapurna Interactive	09/19/19
Scrappers	Q-Games	04/10/20
Secret Oops!	Mixedbag	01/31/20
Shadow Blade+	Crescent Moon Games	03/04/22
Shantae and the Seven Sirens	WayForward	09/19/19
Shinsekai: Into the Depths	Capcom	09/19/19
ShockRods	Stainless Games	10/11/19
Shovel Knight Dig	Yacht Club Games	09/23/22
Simon’s Cat – Story Time	Tactile Games Limited	04/02/21
Skate City	Snowman	09/19/19
Slash Quest	Noodlecake Studios	10/01/20
Snake.io+	Kooapps	05/04/23
Sneaky Sasquatch	RAC7	09/19/19
Sociable Soccer	Rogue Games, Inc.	11/08/19
Solitaire Stories	Red Games Co.	07/02/21
SongPop Party	Gameloft	04/02/21
Sonic Dash+	Sega	04/08/22
Sonic Racing	Sega	09/19/19
South of the Circle	State of Play	10/30/20
Sp!ng	SMG Studio	03/05/21
Spaceland	Tortuga Games	09/19/19
Spades: Card Game+	MobilityWare	01/07/22
Speed Demons	Radiangames	09/19/19
Spek	RAC7 Games	09/19/19
Spelldrifter	Free Range Games	09/19/19
Spider Solitaire: Card Game+	MobilityWare	10/07/22
Spidersaurs	WayForward	09/19/19
Spire Blast	Orbital Knight sp.	01/22/21
Splitter Critters+	RAC7 Games	12/10/21
Spongebob SquarePants: Patty Pursuit	Nickelodeon	05/28/20
Spyder	Sumo_Digital	03/20/20
Squiggle Drop	Noodlecake	01/27/23
Star Fetched	Crescent Moon Games	11/01/19
Star Trek: Legends	Tilting Point LLC	04/02/21
Stela	SkyBox Labs	10/11/19
Stellar Commanders	Blindflug Studios	09/19/19
Steven Universe: Unleash the Light	Cartoon Network	11/27/19
Stitch.	Lykkegaard Europe	10/28/22
Stranded Sails	Shifty Eye Games	09/19/19
Subway Surfers Tag	Sybo Games	07/15/22
Summon Quest	The Label	04/21/23
Super Leap Day	Nitrome	08/06/21
Super Impossible Road	Rogue Games, Inc.	09/19/19
Super Mega Mini Party	Red Games Co, LLC	11/01/19
Super Stickman Golf 3+	Noodlecake	08/06/21
Survival Z	Ember Entertainment	02/19/21
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat	BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment	04/02/21
Takeshi and Hiroshi	Oink Games Inc.	11/08/19
Tales of Memo	Tendays Studio	10/25/19
Tangle Tower	SFB Games	09/19/19
Temple Run+	Imangi Studios	05/04/23
Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure	Scopely, Inc.	09/17/21
Tetris Beat	N3twork Inc.	08/20/21
The Bradwell Conspiracy	Bossa Studios	10/05/19
The Collage Atlas	Robot House Games Ltd	10/16/20
The Enchanted World	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
The Get Out Kids	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Last Campfire	Hello Games	08/27/20
The Loud House: Outta Control	Nickelodeon	02/14/20
The Lullaby of Life	1 Simple Game	07/24/20
The Mosaic	Raw Fury	11/01/19
The Oregon Trail	Gameloft	04/02/21
The Otherside	The Label	05/08/20
The Pathless	Annapurna Interactive	11/12/20
The Pinball Wizard	Frosty Pop Games	09/19/19
The Survivalists	Team17	10/08/20
Things That Go Bump	Tinybop Inc.	10/18/19
Thumper: Pocket Edition+	Drool LLC	10/01/21
Time Locker+	Sotaro Otsuka	05/04/23
tint.	Lykkegaard International	09/19/19
Tiny Wings+	Andreas Illiger	10/15/21
TMNT Splintered Fate	Paramount Global	05/04/23
Transformers Tactical Arena	Red Games Co	11/05/21
Towaga: Among Shadows	Noodlecake Studios	09/19/19
Towers of Everland	Cobra Mobile Limited	05/22/20
UFO on Tape: First Contact	Revolutionary Concepts	11/08/19
Ultimate Rivals: The Court	Bit Fry Games	07/09/21
Ultimate Rivals: The Rink	Bit Fry Games	12/12/19
Various Daylife	Square Enix	09/19/19
Very Little Nightmares+	Bandai Namco	05/04/23
Warp Drive	Supergonk	11/27/20
Warped Kart Racers	Electric Square	05/20/22
Way of the Turtle	Illusion Labs	09/19/19
What the Car?	Triband ApS	05/04/23
What the Golf?	Fig	09/19/19
Where Cards Fall	Snowman	09/19/19
Winding Worlds	KO_OP	05/15/20
Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker	Aquiris	04/01/21
Word Laces	minimega	09/19/19
World of Demons	PlatinumGames	04/02/21
World’s End Club	IzanagiGames	09/04/20
Wurdweb	Aran & Adriaan	08/13/21
Wylde Flowers	Studio Drydock	02/22/22
Yaga	Versus Evil	10/25/19
Zen Pinball Party	ZEN Studios	09/03/21
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes	Firefly Games	12/04/20
Zookeeper World	Kiteretsu Inc.	09/10/21

Personal Software

I’m sure this sounds familiar: You’re trying to install the latest iOS release, upgrade to a new iPhone, take photos or record video, or just download that cool app everyone’s talking about, and your iPhone says the storage is full.

You’ve already deleted every app you don’t think you need, and there’s still not enough space on your iPhone. So you open Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage, and, sure enough, your iPhone is full. Worst of all, a huge chunk of it is just listed as Other (renamed System Data in iOS 15). What’s that supposed to mean? How do you get rid of it? The Other/System Data storage sections are mysterious and confusing, and there’s no one answer that works for everyone, but hopefully, this guide will help you deal with this problem.

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Latest iPhone release: iPhone SE (March 2022), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max (September 2022); iPhone 14 Plus (October 2022)

Latest iOS release: iOS 16.5.1 (June 2023)

Latest iOS beta: iOS 16.6 (June 2023)

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How to view your iPhone storage

To see how much storage all your apps and data are taking up on your iPhone’s storage, open the Settings app, select General, then iPhone Storage. At the top, you’ll see a bar graph showing your total iPhone storage and which types of data are filling it up. Beneath that you’ll find a list of applications on your phone and how much room they take up, both for the app itself and its stored data.

It may take several seconds for your iPhone to show the graph, as it takes time to scan and analyze its storage. Even after the chart first appears, you’ll want to wait several seconds more for it to stabilize, as the app list and storage sizes can change while your phone completes its analysis.

What is Other/System Data storage, anyway?

Your iPhone Storage menu will divide that bar up top into familiar categories like Apps, Media, Photos, and Mail, but also an Other/System Data category that is sometimes very large. It’s common for System Data to be in the 5GB to 20GB range, but if it’s way over 20GB, it has probably grown out of control. You can scroll all the way down to the bottom of the app list where you will see iOS, which are the files required by the system and are usually around 10GB, and System Data, which are files other than apps and downloads that are collected by iOS. Tap on System Data to see how much space it is taking up.

The Other/System Data category is big and varied because it’s a real catch-all category. It’s comprised of system caches, logs, Siri voices (if you’ve downloaded more than one), updates, and so much more. One of the biggest culprits for Other/System Data growing out of hand is streaming lots of music and video. When you download video or music from the iTunes Store, TV app, or Music app, it’s indexed as Media. But streams have caches used to ensure smooth playback, and those are categorized as Other/System Data.

Safari’s caches can start to grow pretty large, too. And if you send tons of texts with images or video, the caches for that can start to fill up a lot of space. Your iPhone is supposed to manage these caches to keep your storage from becoming completely full, but it doesn’t always do a great job.

We discuss how to delete Other storage on a Mac and how to delete System Data on a Mac separate articles.

How to reduce the size of Other/System Data on an iPhone

You can’t get rid of Other/System Data entirely, but you can sometimes reduce its size.

First, let’s try clearing your Safari caches. Open Settings > Safari and choose Clear History and Website Data. If you have a lot of Safari tabs open on your iPhone, you might want to close most of them, too.

You might also want to change Messages to save fewer old messages. Open Settings, then Messages, and scroll down to the Message History setting. By default, Keep Messages is set to Forever, but you may want to change it to 1 Year or even 30 Days to reduce the data that the Messages app caches. Just beware that doing this will mean old messages will be deleted–so if you have any messages you want to keep find a way to back them up.

Finally, go back to iPhone Storage and look at the apps list. Most of the apps store data that is categorized as Apps, but some will keep caches that are categorized as Other/System Data. If, say, the Podcasts app is taking up a couple of gigabytes of space, it’s likely mostly cached data. Deleting the app and re-downloading it might put a dent in the Other/System Data category.

The nuclear option: Backup and Reset your iPhone

You can go through your iPhone trying to delete every little cache that could grow the size of Other/System Data storage, but if you really want to make it as small as possible, you need to back up your phone and reset it. This can take a little while. The best way to do this is to use your Mac or PC.

On a Mac running macOS 10.15 Catalina or later:

1. First, connect your iPhone to your Mac with the bundled USB-C-to-Lightning cable.
2. When prompted on your iPhone, tap “Trust” and enter your passcode.
3. In the Finder sidebar on your Mac, select your iPhone under Locations.
4. Click the General tab.
5. Select “Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.”
6. To encrypt your backup data and protect it with a password, check the “Encrypt local backup” box.
7. Click Back Up Now.
8. Note: You can also connect your iPhone to your computer wirelessly if you set up syncing over Wi-Fi.

On a Mac running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier, or a PC

On a PC or a Mac with macOS 10.14 or earlier you can use iTunes to back up your phone. After you connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC, select your iPhone by clicking the little phone icon in the upper left, and under Backups, choose “This Computer” and check the “Encrypt local backup” box to protect your backup with a password. Then click the button to Back up now.

Reset and restore

When the backup is done, disconnect your iPhone and head to Settings > General > Reset, and select Erase All Content and Settings. This will return your iPhone to an out-of-the-box state. When it restarts and it’s in the initial setup process, re-connect it to your computer with iTunes open, and follow the instructions on the screen to restore your device.

This is the longest and most involved way to reduce the size of Other/System Data storage, but it’s also the best. There’s just no way to get it any smaller than it will be after a fresh reset and restore.

iOS, iPhone