Apple Arcade Needs Fewer Kids Games and More Real Hits

I’ve been a fan of Apple Arcade for a while now. I get it through Apple One along with iCloud storage, Music, and Apple TV, and it has become a surprisingly convenient way for me to keep gaming in my life. Most of the Arcade titles run across my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, and the seamless sync makes it feel effortless. I can play a bit of Hello Kitty Island Adventure on my phone and then continue the same session on my Mac or the Apple TV without any fuss.

Now that I’m in my late thirties and a dad to a one year old, long stretches of dedicated gaming are rare. Apple Arcade, along with my Nintendo Switch, lets me dip in and out of games whenever I find a pocket of free time. It fits naturally into my day without demanding hours of commitment. That said, I do have one recurring annoyance with the service. A huge chunk of its new releases are clearly designed for kids. I get that this is a big demographic for Apple, but with the power of their devices and the way Apple has been talking about gaming lately, it is frustrating that the Arcade lineup keeps leaning toward basic children’s titles.

For me, the last really interesting wave of releases was around August and September of 2024 with Tomb of the Mask, Return to Monkey Island, Outlanders 2, Vampire Survivors and Balatro. After that, most of the monthly drops were easy passes. This year we did get a few fun ones like Trials of Mana, Skate City New York, What the Clash from the creators of What the Golf and What the Car, along with Lost in Play, and those were refreshing. But outside of that handful, I usually see the announcement list and shrug.

Now it finally feels like things might be picking up again with PowerWash Simulator and Cult of the Lamb coming to Arcade. Both are fantastic games and getting portable versions without ads or in app purchases is a real win. I hope Apple keeps this momentum going and brings more popular indie titles into the service because their hardware can absolutely support it.

Netflix dipped into gaming too and at first it looked promising with titles like Hades, Death’s Door, and the GTA classics. Then they started removing games and the whole effort now feels half hearted. That’s why I want Apple to push harder here. They have the platform, the devices, and the user base. Arcade could easily become a real place for great games if Apple leans into it.