Apple Arcade Is Getting 15 New Games

If you have an Apple Arcade subscription, there are a bunch of new games on the way. Apple announced a list of 15 new titles heading to the service on Wednesday, all slated to debut between December and the beginning of January. While many of them are remakes and ports (some of which are denoted by the “+” at the end of their name), it’s quite a diverse offering in terms of genre.

Here’s what’s coming soon to Apple Arcade, and when you can expect them to be added to the service:

Dec. 5

Apple is kicking things off with an initial rollout of six games on Dec. 5. These aren’t the most exciting adds of the bunch, but there’s probably something for most gamers to check out here:

• Talking Tom Blast Park: A casual cartoony shooter set in a theme park. Talking Tom is a series of games from developer Outfit7, in case you, like myself, were unaware.

• Barbie Color Creations+: This game lets you customize Barbie dolls, design outfits, and play Barbie-themed games and activities. It also specifically calls out its lack of in-app advertisements, which most (if not all) Apple Arcade games also lack.

• Hot Wheels™: Race Off+: A multiplayer racing game with 30 upgradable Hot Wheels cars and 60 tracks boasting “insane” physics.

• PAC-MAN 256+: This version of PAC-MAC is actually nearly 10 years old, and reinvents the game most of us know well at this point. It’s still PAC-MAN, but it feels a bit more like Crossy Road, in that you are running through an endless maze trying to stay alive as long as possible.

• Boggle: Arcade Edition: As the name implies, this is an arcade version of Boggle. You can either play by yourself, with specific objectives and challenges, or jump into online multiplayer to play against friends, family, or strangers. It even works with SharePlay, so you can play over a FaceTime call.

• Little Cities: Diorama: This last game, exclusive to Vision Pro, lets you build an island city in mixed reality (XR). It’s the latest from developer nDreams, which has made other city builders for XR before.

Dec. 9

Four days later, Apple Arcade subscribers will get not one, but two Final Fantasy games to play:

• FINAL FANTASY IV (3D Remake)+: The original Final Fantasy IV came out in 1991, while this 3D remake debuted back in 2007 on the Nintendo DS. It was the first Final Fantasy game to add the series’ now iconic Active Time Battle system. Apple says this version has updated graphics, “improved gameplay,” and new voice acting.

• FF IV: The After Years+: If you finish FFIV, or you already played the remaster on DS back in the day, you could check out The After Years+, a direct sequel to the fourth Final Fantasy that starts years after the story in the original.

Jan. 9

Come January, you’ll have a third Final Fantasy game to play, plus six other titles when you finish that:

• FINAL FANTASY+: If you’ve never played the first game in the Final Fantasy series, here’s your chance. This is a remastered 2D version of the OG game, with an updated UI and new features not present in the original, like auto-battle.

• Skate City: New York: This looks like it could be a good choice for any fans of the Skate series, or even people looking for a zen Tony Hawk experience. The game takes place in New York City, and finds you skating through city streets, subways, while performing tricks. Straightforward, but an interesting execution of the genre.

• Gears & Goo: Here’s another Vision Pro XR exclusive, this one a cartoony strategic shooter. You command an army that is battling an army of, as the name implies, goo.

• Three Kingdoms HEROES: This one’s a strategy game, with what Apple calls “tactical chess-like duels.” You can either play single-player, or online against strangers, using generals from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series.

• Trials of Mana+: This is the mobile port of the remake of the original 1995 game, which was the third in the Mana series. (Seeing a pattern here?) It rounds out a long list of RPGs you can sink your teeth into with your Apple Arcade subscription.

• Rodeo Stampede+: If you’ve never played Rodeo Stampede, the premise is simple: You ride around on various animals trying to wrangle up other various animals for your zoo. It’s simple, but addicting.

• It’s Literally Just Mowing+: The name isn’t wrong. This is a lawn mowing simulator, in the same vein as the ubiquitous farming simulators you’ve likely seen on the market. Happy mowing.