Apple Arcade is the best Apple service you're not using

If you like to play games on your iPhone or iPad, Apple Arcade is worth the money—and your time.

- BY JASON CROSS

I know what you're thinking...I'm not going to spend eight bucks a month on a subscription gaming service just full of mobile games! That's half the price of Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus Extra where I have access to hundreds of real games!

But if you spend a fair amount of time playing games on your iPhone or iPad—even if your “real” gaming time is on a PC or console—you should probably give Apple Arcade (fave.co/4IcR08i) a shot. It has grown into a big service with an impressive catalog, and perhaps most importantly, it breaks the economic engine that ruins mobile game design.

PLENTY TO CHOOSE FROM

Just to be clear: The caliber of games on Apple Arcade is decidedly mobile. You're not going to find a lot of stuff that would compete with your home console or high-end gaming PC. And if you're looking to play those kinds of games on your Mac, you'd probably get more out of a streaming gaming service.

But there are lots of top-tier games on Apple Arcade now that would be worth every penny if you bought them on the App Store. Sure, you get mobile classics like Cut the Rope 3, Fruit Ninja, Bloons TD, Threes!, or Crossy Road. But did you know it’s also full of bona fide indie hits like Slay the Spire (fave.co/3GtnJqu), Stardew Valley (fave.co/3I444xX), Return to Monkey Island (fave.co/3ZUCY2p), Dead Cells (fave.co/4lwzYBt), Vampire Survivors (fave.co/3Te9AR3), and a handful of great Final Fantasy pixel remasters?