Apple is set to bolster Apple Arcade gaming with three exciting new titles in September. NFL Retro Bowl ’25 headlines the additions. It’s an exclusive collaboration between the National Football League and the creators of the popular App Store game Retro Bowl.
Frustrated game developers continue to vent about working on Apple Arcade titles, in a new report citing anonymous sources. In the story, a follow-up to one from earlier this year that noted “the smell of death around the service,” devs complain about poor communication with Apple, slow payouts, and big problems working on Vision Pro games.
The opinions expressed in the new story aren’t entirely negative, but they paint a pretty ugly portrait of Apple Arcade from some developers’ perspectives.
Apple Arcade is set to welcome three exciting game titles in August, further expanding its diverse catalog of over 200 ad-free games. The new titles are Temple Run: Legends, Vampire Survivors+ and, for Vision Pro, a spatial version of Castle Crumble, the iPhone giant said Tuesday.
Outlanders 2: Second Nature, a town-building strategy game, offers new players new tropical and wintery environments to build in, much more resources to work with, and more challenges.
It’s one of three games to launch on Apple Arcade on Wednesday, along with Punch Kick Duck+ and Zen Koi Pro+.
Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse from Ubisoft is a deck building game featuring a crazy collection of characters exploring five outlandish universes. It just launched for iPhone, Mac and more.
It is joined by three classic games that are all now playable via Apple Arcade.
Apple held talks with China Mobile in 2023 to bring Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade to China. If the two parties agree, Apple will gain access to over 200 million of China Mobile’s broadband and TV customers.
It is unclear whether Apple and China Mobile are still in talks and have reached an agreement.
Coming soon to Apple Arcade are five exciting new games, the iPhone giant said Monday. You can look forward to Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse, Return to Monkey Island+, Tomb of the Mask+, Fabulous – Wedding Disaster+ and Vision Pro spatial title Where Cards Fall.
It starts on May 30 with the arrival of 3D puzzle game Where Cards Fall. The other four titles follow on June 6.
Sega’s newest action puzzle game Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop is a falling-object game on which players connect icons to erase them. The latest addition to the Puyo Puyo series is playable on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro, and is an Apple Arcade exclusive.
Plus there are two new classics in the gaming service for young and old.
Backbone updated the Lightning version of its popular game controller for iPhone with new magnetic adapters, a reshaped D-pad, and more. The goal of the second generation Backbone One is “better, faster, and longer gaming,” according to the company.
It now matches the updated USB-C version that Backbone introduced in autumn 2023.
Blofeld, the criminal mastermind and head of Spectre, is once again scheming to defeat James Bond in Cypher 007 from Tilting Point LLC.
I’m a fan of RPGs so I loaded the action game on my iPhone. It’s also playable on a range of other Apple devices.
★★★★☆
The GameSir X2s Type-C Mobile Controller is ready to make your mobile gaming so much better. Wrap the telescope design around your iPhone 15 to be ready for your favorite RPG, FPS and other advanced games.
It boasts Hall Effect sticks and triggers in a familiar arrangement, but is always ready for you to pick it up and go.
I tested it with my iPhone 15 and had quite a lot of fun. It also works with Androids. And if you’re still rocking a Lightning-enabled iPhone, don’t feel left out — GameSir has a version for you, too.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulled the plug on Project Titan, its not-so-secret, decade-long effort to build a self-driving electric car. After spending a reported $10 billion on R&D, the moonshot Apple car project winds up canceled — in favor of generative AI!
Let’s just say we have some opinions.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple Arcade now focuses so heavily on family-friendly titles from well-known franchises that some indie game developers feel abandoned, according to a new report. Some even predict doom — or at least creative stagnation — lies in Apple Arcade’s future if things don’t change.
Cupertino’s shifting priorities leave the developers, who Apple once wooed for the service, with few incentives for creating new Apple Arcade games.
In this week’s Awesome Apps roundup, you’ll find apps for managing files, using AI to boost your writing, and turning an iPad into a creative input device for a Mac.
And if all that productivity wears you out, we’ve got other options. You can relax with a charmingly peaceful Apple Arcade game with a delightful Japanese theme. Or you can blast enemy spaceships in an arcade-style game that’s great on iPhone — but even better on Vision Pro.
Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to download.
Three games designed for visionOS spatial experiences through the new Vision Pro headset will soon join a dozen existing such titles, plus another 250 compatible games already in Apple Arcade, Apple said Thursday.
The company highlighted all the fun Vision Pro users can have, including descriptions of the upcoming versions of Alto’s Odyssey, Gibbon and Spire Blast for Vision Pro.
February brings BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team, a 3v3 online action game with animal heroes piloting powerful mechanized armor, to Apple Arcade.
Adults might prefer Words in Progress, a puzzle game, which is also newly available for iPhone, Mac and more.
A day ahead of Vision Pro’s release, Apple put a spotlight on more than 600 new “spatial” apps and games made specifically for the headset. They join more than a million Vision Pro-compatible apps Friday in the App Store.
“Apple Vision Pro is unlocking the imaginations of our worldwide developer community, and we’re inspired by the range of spatial experiences they’ve created for this exciting new platform,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations.
Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom promises an epic and nostalgic adventure, while Cornsweeper is a reimagined version of a classic. These are two of the latest additions to Apple Arcade’s extensive catalogue, and are now playable on iPhone, Mac and more.
More are on the way, as are content updates to other popular games in the service.
A recent survey shows that what most kids want for Christmas is video games. Let me suggest you give the gift of Apple Arcade this holiday season.
Apple’s game service offers over 200 titles in a wide variety of genres at a single, low price, and it’s especially well suited for kids. But there’s fun for the whole family, too.
And it’s not too late!
Apple listed App Store’s most-popular free and paid apps and games of 2023, citing year-end charts in more than 35 countries and regions.
App Store’s Today hub lists all those popular choices (also below) as well as the 2023 App Store Award Winners.
Sonic Dream Team pits the high-speed hedgehog against an evil mastermind with the power to make dreams real.
It’s one of four additions to the Apple Arcade gaming service, including Disney Dreamlight Valley, Puzzle & Dragons Story and Turmoil+.
All of these and hundreds more and playable with a single subscription fee.
Players can create a soccer club dynasty in Football Manager 2024 Touch. The newest version of the team management simulation game from Sega & Sports Interactive challenges players to be the boss of one of the world’s best clubs.
It launched Monday on Apple Arcade, where its playable on a range of devices, including iPhone and Mac.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition, Football Manager 2024 Touch, Sonic Dream Team and Puzzle & Dragons Story are among the eight games on the way to Apple Arcade in November and December. They’ll join the 200+ already on the service.
In addition, more than 50 of the already available games will get content updates.
Halloween is almost here, making this a great weekend to play some spooky games. Apple Arcade has a nice selection of these to help you enjoy the creepy season.
Here are the best options in Apple’s gaming service to find ghosts, ghouls and goblins.
NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, the latest addition to the long-running esports games franchise, launched a bit earlier than expected. The feature-packed basketball game is now on Apple Arcade for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
This is the definitive basketball game for Apple devices, and each new version adds even more features.