Apple Arcade Games Can Be Played Offline; iPhone Event Coming Soon

Apple's latest big product announcement event takes place later today, September 10. It's expected to reveal the iPhone 11 line of devices, possibly among other pieces of hardware, but the company is increasingly focused on its various services. Those include the upcoming Apple Arcade, which is slated to launch this fall but hasn't been discussed in much depth since it was revealed earlier this year. We could hear more about Arcade during the Apple event today, but in the meantime, you can catch up on the original announcement and what the company shared at the time below, or check out our list of all the Apple Arcade games.

During an entertainment-focused presentation, Apple announced a new game subscription service called Apple Arcade. The monthly subscription rate will give you a selection of roughly 100 exclusive games, with more to be added regularly. But it's one feature the service is lacking that acted as a direct answer to Google.

During the presentation, Apple specifically mentioned that Apple Arcade isn't a cloud-based streaming service. And since it isn't streaming, the company emphasized, you can download and play the games offline. This is in very direct contrast to Google's cloud-based Stadia game streaming platform, which the company said can't run offline.

Apple Arcade includes game developers like Sega, Konami, Disney, Sumo Digital, and Cartoon Network. Any game included in Arcade will be updated with updates or DLC as part of your subscription cost. You can also pick up your games on other devices, and Apple promises more games will be added "all the time."

Among the games confirmed for Arcade so far are Sonic Racing, Lego Brawls, Oceanhorn 2, and a project from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.

Apple Arcade will have its own tab on the App Store when it launches in 150 countries this fall. Apple didn't detail pricing options for the subscription. The company also used the presentation to announce its own TV streaming platform, complete with exclusive original shows.