What Happens to a Game After It Leaves Apple Arcade?

Apple recently added a “Leaving Arcade Soon” section to the App Store, which begs the question: What happens to Apple Arcade titles when they leave Arcade?

Apple has probably been asked that question thousands of times since introducing the new section, and as MacRumors reports(Opens in a new window), a new Apple support document(Opens in a new window) is now available to answer it.

If a game is flagged as leaving Arcade, such as the 15 titles currently marked for removal from the service, Arcade subscribers can continue to download and play the game until it’s removed. Once it’s gone, Apple guarantees you can continue to play the game for at least two weeks. After that, trying to launch the game will eventually result in a “No Longer Available” message appearing instead.

What happens next is up to the game’s developer. They can choose to make the game available on the main App Store, but it could vary from the version that was available as part of Arcade. Remember that Arcade titles don’t contain ads or offer in-app purchases, but both could be added to a non-Arcade version. Alternatively, a developer could choose to keep the same experience, but require iOS users purchase the game.

It’s also up to the developer if existing save games are supported. If you played a game when it was on Arcade, the developer can decide to allow saved progress to be recognized by the non-Arcade version of the game. That would allow you to continue playing from where you left off, but this likely won’t be the case for all games.

So there you have it. If there’s an Arcade title you love that’s set to disappear, find out who the developer is and ask them what the future holds for the game. Telling them how much you enjoy the game may be all the encouragement they need to make sure it remains available through the App Store.