Apple to Charge $4.99 Per Month for Apple Arcade

Monday August 19, 2019 9:37 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple is going to charge $4.99 per month, according to details about the service discovered by 9to5Mac. Screenshots of an early Apple Arcade test were found over the weekend, and now prospective pricing has also been leaked.

The $4.99 price point is apparently listed in one of the APIs used in the App Store app. A promotional message says that ‌Apple Arcade‌ will cost $4.99 per month, with one-month free trial available.

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Apple previously said that the monthly subscription price for ‌Apple Arcade‌ will provide access to all members of the family who participate in Family Sharing, which means that up to six people will be able to play games for the $4.99 fee.

$4.99 per month is very affordable for a subscription service that provides access to dozens of games. Apple has said there will be somewhere around 100 games available at launch, with no ads or additional in-app purchases.

Apple hasn't officially announced ‌Apple Arcade‌ pricing, so the price could be changed ahead of when it becomes available. ‌Apple Arcade‌ games will be available on iOS devices, Macs, and the Apple TV.

There's no word just yet on when ‌Apple Arcade‌ will launch, but an ongoing employee internal test is set to end when iOS 13 launches, so that could be when Apple plans on rolling out the service.

Tag: Apple Arcade Guide

Top Rated Comments

mnsportsgeek

54 months ago

This is a good price. I remember having so much fun with mobile games before they became an IAP war zone. Angry Birds for 99 cents was a blast. I even had a lot of fun with the $10 Mario game before Nintendo went the IAP route. If this brings back that same experience, this will be an easy buy for me.

I'd still like to see an Apple Music (Family), ATV+, News+, and Arcade bundle for like $29.99.

Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)

zombierunner

Actually decent pricing. Wow.

Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)

User 6502

I don’t think it’s particularly cheap for what it’s going to be. Xbox game pass costs 10 dollars and the quality and size of the games is not even close to what Apple Arcade will offer.

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Wow! The $4.99 is just a drop in the bucket when added to the 700 other subscription services, cable TV, cell phone service, &c., the average user pays out! Go for it! Long live subscription services! WooHoo!

Cord Cutters in 2010: "We want low cost options!"

Cord Cutters in 2019: "We have too many low cost options!"

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Unity451

Eh... i liked $.49 a lot better.

realtuner

Waiting for all the complaints that $4.99 is far too much for what will obviously be a bunch of crappy "not real" games.

Now let's see an A13X powered Apple TV that includes a free year of Arcade with purchase.

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