Apple Employees Testing Apple Arcade Ahead of Launch - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Employees Testing Apple Arcade Ahead of Launch

Apple Arcade, Apple's upcoming subscription-based gaming service, was first introduced in March and is set to launch this fall.

Ahead of the upcoming launch, Apple has debuted an early access program for its employees, with screenshots and details shared by 9to5Mac this morning. Apple employees are able to access ‌Apple Arcade‌ for $0.49 per month, with a one month free trial available.

applearcade1
‌Apple Arcade‌ games will be available on the Mac, iOS App Store, and Apple TV, with the screenshots shared today sourced from the Mac App Store. The ‌Apple Arcade‌ tab in Apple's App Stores will feature a selection of highlighted games and different game categories.

Many of the games in development for ‌Apple Arcade‌ have been previously announced, but here are a few Apple is highlighting, along with their descriptions:

Way of the Turtle: "Play as two curious turtles lost on a cursed island in the middle of nowhere. Obtain shells containing special powers such as dash and attack to defeat enemies and overcome different challenges."

Down in Bermuda: "Adventurous aviator Milton left his loving wife and daughter to voyage across the Atlantic on the journey of a lifetime."

Hot Lava: "Hot Lava transports you back to your childhood imagination. Relive those moments of excitement, joy and chaos. Run, jump, climb and surf in first person across nostalgia-packed environments flooded with hot molten lava."

According to 9to5Mac, most of the games right now are still in-development builds, and other titles available to employees include "Sneaky Sasquatch", "Kings of the Castle", "Frogger in Toy Town" and "Lame Game 2."

applearcade2
Apple hasn't shared details on what ‌Apple Arcade‌ will be priced at when it debuts, but it looks like there may be a one-month free trial available for those who would like to try it out.

Apple has said there will be somewhere around 100 games at launch, with no ads and no additional in-app purchases. A single subscription will also allow for up to six family members to access games.

There's no word on when ‌Apple Arcade‌ will launch, but the internal employee test is set to end when iOS 13 launches, so that could potentially be when ‌Apple Arcade‌ will be made available.

For more on ‌Apple Arcade‌, make sure to check out our Apple Arcade guide.

Popular Stories

apple arcade august 2026

Two New Games Coming to Apple Arcade's Growing Puzzle Catalog

Tuesday August 11, 2026 8:09 am PDT by
Apple today announced that "Block Blast!+" and "Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+" are coming to Apple Arcade on September 3, adding two more puzzle games to the service's catalog. Block Blast!+ is the Arcade edition of "Block Blast," a chart topping block clearing puzzle game. Players fill a grid with block shapes to clear full rows and columns, chasing bigger combos as they go, and the Arcade...
All Screen iPhone 2030 Feature Sans Text

iPhone 18 Pro: Nine Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 7, 2026 5:01 am PDT by
Apple is set to unveil new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models on Wednesday, September 9, and the devices are expected to feature a design that's largely similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a peppering of enhancements inside. Major changes are not expected until next year, when Apple is expected to introduce a radically redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone. If you're thinking of...
iPhone 18 Pro Dark Cherry Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Reportedly Starts With 256GB of Storage

Thursday September 3, 2026 9:22 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro has double the base storage compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, there will apparently be no further increase this year. Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today again reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models will start with 256GB of storage, like the iPhone 17 Pro models. Minimum storage capacities by model:iPhone 16 Pro: 128GB iPhone 17 Pro: 256GB iPhone 18 Pro...

Top Rated Comments

Rychiar Avatar
92 months ago
how about some real games?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maclver Avatar
92 months ago
Apple is so greedy charging beta testers.
Lol how is .49 greedy??!! They are probably doing that to test out the billing portion?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
92 months ago
Apple is so greedy charging beta testers.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Totemsflare Avatar
92 months ago
I’ve been a gamer all my life but lately have no energy or will to play any of the high-profile games and my PS4 pro is laying dormant. I think the quirkiness of a whole bunch of indie games available in all Apple devices could be a cure. Can’t wait to try this.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Janichsan Avatar
92 months ago
how about some real games?
Define "real games".
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
92 months ago
Define "real games".
Apple is making casual games available- “casual” being games with little to no story line, easy to pick up and play, simple mechanics, no complicated settings or button layouts, short gameplays, requiring no special skills to play, no cutscenes, minimal hardware demands etc.
Opposite being “real games” - longer game play, usually with big storylines, more complicated settings, cutscenes, takes some tome to get into how game works, demands deeper dive into virtual world in general, not just tapping screen in one place for Mario to jump.
Hope my definition clears this clears this up lol.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)