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

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...

Top Rated Comments

Rychiar Avatar
84 months ago
how about some real games?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maclver Avatar
84 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
84 months ago
Apple is so greedy charging beta testers.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Totemsflare Avatar
84 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
84 months ago
how about some real games?
Define "real games".
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCCL Avatar
84 months ago
They are real games
Look at the PS4, Xbox One or Switch's catalog, those are real games (and even some good quality indies, not only AAA releases).

Why would anyone who has access to those kind of games would be interested in this?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)