Apple Arcade just added 30 games, including some old iOS favorites. But what is Apple Arcade actually trying to be?

Apple Arcade is Apple’s game subscription service. For a $5-a-month subscription, you get access to over 180 games, many of which are worth playing. There are no in-app purchases and no ads. The focus is on “casual” pick-up-and-play games, but there are plenty of deep titles as well.

The problem with Apple Arcade, though, is that it’s unclear what it wants to be. Is it a premium tier, above the clutter of the App Store? Is it an attempt to carve out Nintendo Switch territory? Will Apple remake the Apple TV as a home console? Or is this just Tim Cook’s attempt to grab a bigger slice of all that sweet recurring gaming revenue?

“I think it's a bad bet to believe that Apple Arcade can compete with traditional gaming consoles,” Gadget Review CEO Rex Freiberger told Lifewire via email.