Gaming Subscriptions · pricing · Updated September 2026
Apple Arcade pricing (2026)
Apple Arcade starts at $4.17/mo (Apple Arcade — Annual) as checked on 2026-09-02, read from Apple Arcade's own pricing page; 2 plans. Best for Apple device households wanting premium, curated games without ads or in-app purchases. Every figure below links to its source and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Entry price: $4.17/mo (Apple Arcade — Annual)
- Free tier: No · 30-day trial
- Compliance: HIPAA — · SOC 2 — · GDPR —
- Best for: Apple device households wanting premium, curated games without ads or in-app purchases; Parents looking for a safe, ad-free gaming environment for children; Families — up to 5 members covered under one subscription; Casual and mid-core gamers on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV; Players who want offline play without needing a console or PC
As of · every figure below links to its source STALE · 2026-09-02
Apple Arcade plans & pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Billing | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Arcade — Monthly STALE · 2026-09-02 | $6.99 | −40% | Flat monthly | 200+ exclusive games across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV. Family Sharing included (up to 5 additional family members at no extra cost). New device purchasers may receive a 3-month free trial. | apple.com |
| Apple Arcade — Annual STALE · 2026-09-02 | $4.17 | — | Flat monthly | Billed as $49.99/yr ($4.17/mo effective). Month-to-month rate is $6.99/mo. Discount ~40% vs monthly. Same content as monthly plan. | apple.com |
Last verified 2026-09-02. STALE marks a plan we have not re-checked at its source in over 30 days. Every plan above is marked — we flag rather than silently retain. Primary: official page https://www.apple.com/apple-arcade/ fetched 2026-06-14 — returned monthly and annual USD pricing. Corroboration: Wikipedia Apple Arcade article confirmed identical prices ($6.99/mo, $49.99/yr). Cross-checked against en.wikipedia.org. This note predates a correction to the plans above, from 2026-09-11; the table holds the corrected figures.See the corrections.
Price changes
Price on record
$4.17/moFirst on record 2026-06-27
A new dated entry is stamped here each time the price moves — the record builds itself.
Tracked since June 2026. No change record has cleared two sources yet, so nothing is published on the wire.
Corrections to this record
Changes we made to our own record of Apple Arcade, newest first: a figure read again on the vendor's page, a plan it no longer lists, a note. None of them is a price change by Apple Arcade. Every correction on the site is in the corrections log.
-
Apple Arcade — Annual. Correction 2026-09-11: The annual discount of 40% moved off "Apple Arcade — Annual" onto "Apple Arcade — Monthly". "Apple Arcade — Annual" records $4.17/mo, which is its own note's $49.99 yearly total over 12 months — the annual price, with the saving already in it. The page prints the percentage as a discount off the figure in the same row, so the pair offered a reader $2.50/mo, a rate the vendor does not publish. The note names $6.99/mo month-to-month and "Apple Arcade — Monthly" records exactly that, so the saving is true of that row and now sits there. No price moved on either row.
Capabilities
Integrations: Apple One bundle (Individual, Family, Premier tiers), Apple Games app (personalized recommendations), Game Center (achievements and leaderboards), iCloud (cross-device save sync), Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro.
Key features: 200+ exclusive games with no ads and no in-app purchases across all titles; Arcade Originals — exclusive titles (Sneaky Sasquatch, Sonic Dream Team, What the Golf?, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Hello Kitty Island Adventure); App Store Greats — premium mobile games curated for Arcade; Full offline play supported — no internet connection required during gameplay; iCloud sync across all linked Apple devices; Family Sharing — up to 5 family members included at no extra cost; Game Center integration — achievements, leaderboards, social features; Controller support — DualSense, Xbox controller, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, Joy-Cons (iOS 16+); Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro.
Plan limits: No free tier — paid subscription required; 1-month free trial (standalone); 3-month trial with eligible new Apple device purchase; One offer per Apple Account — ineligible if previously redeemed a trial; Game progress stored in iCloud — lost if iCloud account is unlinked after cancellation; App Store Greats category limited to iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro (not all platforms); Game controller support varies by individual title; Regional content availability restrictions apply.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Apple Arcade cost?
Apple Arcade starts at $4.17/mo (Apple Arcade — Annual); it has 2 published plans. Verified 2026-09-02.
Is Apple Arcade cheaper billed annually?
Yes. Apple Arcade publishes a 40% discount for paying annually (on the Apple Arcade — Monthly plan). Verified 2026-09-02.
What are cheaper alternatives to Apple Arcade?
Cheaper gaming subscriptions than Apple Arcade (entry $4.17/mo) include Nintendo Switch Online at $1.67/mo, EA Play at $3.33/mo. Verified 2026-09-02.
Does Apple Arcade support HIPAA?
Apple Arcade's public pages do not say whether it supports HIPAA.
Does Apple Arcade have a free plan?
No — Apple Arcade publishes no free tier; it offers a 30-day free trial.
Apple Arcade vs alternatives
Cheaper gaming subscriptions alternatives
- EA Play from $3.33/mo
- Nintendo Switch Online from $1.67/mo
More gaming subscriptions tools
Related categories
This standing as a plaque
Apple Arcade currently holds a bronze deskmark here — Rank 5 of 7 · Gaming Subscriptions. Anyone may show it. There is nothing to apply for, nothing to pay, and displaying it changes no score: the standing comes from the published algorithm, which never reads commission data. We never ask anyone to show it, and its link carries rel="nofollow".
The image is drawn from our live data, so it follows the standing rather than freezing it: if Apple Arcade moves up or down a tier, the plaque on your own site says so at our next publish. Nothing is tracked beyond the ordinary web-server log that records any image request.