For years, mobile gaming enthusiasts have suffered through a wasteland of in-app purchases, lazy cash-ins, and a generally uncurated environment. In fact, My Dpad started as a response to that, and one of our most popular pages is just a list of mobile games that are actually worth your time. Luckily, the dark days are over, because both Apple and Google have come up with their own solutions for all the mobile gamers out there: Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, which are both available right now.
You might have heard of Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, but what are they actually? On top of that, what’s the difference between the two aside from being on different ecosystems? And finally, is Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass worth it? My Dpad is here to help you break it down. Let’s start with Apple Arcade.
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a collection of games that are mobile exclusive to Apple. That means that they might be available on other platforms too (like PC or Switch), but they won’t be available on Android. It seems that Apple Arcade’s strategy is to pay studios to port their games to Apple and not Android, or even help fund their development, and that’s a pretty smart way to get some higher quality titles on the service. Whether you want exclusive mobile games from SEGA, Capcom, Annapurna, or LEGO, Apple Arcade has you covered.
You can start with a free month of Apple Arcade, then it’ll cost you $4.99/month after that.
Google Play Pass
Google Play Pass is a little different than Apple Arcade. First of all, Google Play Pass includes both games and apps, while Apple Arcade only includes games. It also seems that Google Play Pass’s strategy is to bundle a bunch of existing games and apps into a single subscription, rather than trying to get any new or exclusive content. Some of the games are classics though, like the Sorcery! series, Stardew Valley, Terraria, and Pocket City. We’ve also written a list of more than 20 of the best games available with a Google Play Pass subscription.
Click here for a discussion on why Google Play Pass should change its monetization model.
You can start with a free month of Google Play Pass (update: my mistake, it’s only a 10-day free trial, not a month, as I learned this morning when I was charged $1.99), then it’ll cost you $1.99/month for the first year, then $4.99/month thereafter.
No In-App Purchases
Regardless of whether you pick Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, you’ll never have to worry about paying an extra cent with in-app purchases. All of the games designed for Apple Arcade are designed without in-app purchases, while all of the games in Google Play Pass are stripped of all in-app purchases (kind of like how Amazon Underground did back in the day). In other words, whether you have an iPhone or an Android, Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass are both great ways to play all the mobile games you want without breaking the bank.
Are Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass Worth it?
Whether or not you play a lot of mobile games, these are both excellent deals. In fact, you might even find that the reason you don’t play a lot of mobile games is because of their monetization strategies with in-app purchases, which both Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass completely strip out. You can try them both out for a month for free, so there’s no reason not to dip your toes in.
Try a free month of Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, both available now!
