Games Leaving Apple Arcade Soon Won't Be Playable [Updated]

Apple recently added a "Leaving Arcade Soon" section to its Apple Arcade App Store service, signaling that approximately 15 games are going to be removed from ‌Apple Arcade‌ at some point in the near future.

apple arcade orange feature
Apple did not provide details on why the games are leaving or what happens to the games downloaded onto the devices of ‌Apple Arcade‌ customers, but MacRumors spoke to an inside source that was able to offer some insight into what's going on.

When ‌Apple Arcade‌ first launched, Apple signed three-year deals with a number of developers, entering into contracts that provided a fixed payment and ongoing royalties. Those contracts are now ending, and Apple is opting not to renew some of them. Many of the games that are being removed were launch titles or were added to ‌Apple Arcade‌ soon after it debuted.

Developers retain the rights to their games and can re-release them on the ‌App Store‌ and/or through other platforms, but games that are removed from ‌Apple Arcade‌ won't be accessible under the ‌Apple Arcade‌ service.

Games can be re-added to the ‌App Store‌ on the same day that they're removed from ‌Apple Arcade‌, but the games will be uploaded with a new bundle ID. That means ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscribers can redownload the games, but they won't have access to the same game that was available through ‌Apple Arcade‌.

apple arcade games leaving soon
It is not yet clear if saved progress will be able to transfer over from the ‌Apple Arcade‌ version of the game to the new version should the developers choose to reintroduce their games to the ‌App Store‌, as that will depend on whether developers implement support for data transfer.

Games leaving ‌Apple Arcade‌ include Spelldrifter, Projection: First Light, Lifeslide, EarthNight, Cardpocalypse, Dead End Job, and more.

Update: Apple has shared a support document with more details about what happens when games are removed from ‌Apple Arcade‌.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

deathcab Avatar
39 months ago
I bet neither of the 2 paying Apple Arcade subscribers will be happy about this news.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
meetajhu Avatar
39 months ago
This entire subscription based gaming, in-app purchases, loot boxes etc is complete joke in both console and mobile. Steam and Playstation with some exclusives is still the reliable platform true to the original gaming experience. There were many good games on iOS all stopped working due to Apple's lack of backwards compatibility support, a way to force developers to pay the yearly 99$ fee.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
!!! Avatar
39 months ago
This is what happens with subscriptions. You don't own anything, when a company decides they don't care about a particular game/song/movie/show/feature, they just remove it. You have no control over it, and if you like the game or whatever, you're screwed.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jwdsail Avatar
39 months ago

I betcha Apple Arcade will be joining this list within a year:

* eWorld
* me.com
* HyperCard
* ClarisWorks
* Apple Hi-Fi
* iTools

Hey you!

Yeah, you!

Grouping HyperCard and ClairsWorks together with all ...(waves hands around) this other.. crap..

Apologize!

And git off my lawn!


damn kids these days

smfh
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
39 months ago
Imagine paying for Apple Music and then discovering your favourite albums wouldn't be playable...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KaliYoni Avatar
39 months ago
I betcha Apple Arcade will be joining this list within a year:

* eWorld
* me.com
* HyperCard
* ClarisWorks
* Apple Hi-Fi
* iTools
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)