Apple Arcade launch date and price finally revealed

At its big iPhone launch event on Tuesday, Apple dropped details about Apple Arcade. The mobile gaming subscription service launches Sept. 19 for a price of $4.99 per month for a family subscription. Apple is also giving users a one-month free trial at launch.

Apple initially revealed Apple Arcade during its entertainment-focused event earlier this year. Subscribers pay a monthly fee to get unlimited access to more than 100 mobile games curated by Apple itself. That includes exclusive titles like Konami’s Frogger in Toy Town and Capcom’s Shinsekai: Into the Depths. 

The former is a modern spin on a retro classic and the latter is an original, underwater adventure from the company behind Resident Evil and Street Fighter. Apple also showed off the mobile version of Sayonara Wild Hearts, which is also available on Nintendo Switch.

Apple Arcade is an interesting gamble for the iPhone maker, as it has traditionally taken a laissez-faire approach to gaming. This is despite the fact that mobile gaming exploded in the U.S. a decade ago largely thanks to iPhones. As such, the App Store has grown to be so full of free or cheap games that it can be hard to tell what’s worth checking out.

A curated storefront that lets players cut through the fat is a decent idea, but it remains to be seen if people will pay for it. Apple has certainly put together a nice-looking list of exclusive games for the service. We’ll see if Apple is able to keep the momentum going after launch.