Apple Arcade goes live in macOS Catalina GM ahead of public launch

Apple Arcade is due to arrive alongside macOS Catalina this October.

Developers and public beta testers evaluating the macOS Catalina golden master now have access to Apple Arcade, Apple's cross-platform subscription gaming service that went live on iOS 13 in September.

Mac access to Apple Arcade arrived on Friday, one day after Apple released the macOS Catalina GM to developers for testing.

Similar to a slow rollout to tvOS 13 beta testers last week, Apple appears to be taking Apple Arcade live region by region.

On Mac, the gaming service is accessed through the Mac App Store in a special section called "Arcade." Like its iOS, iPadOS and tvOS counterparts, the macOS version boasts immersive preview screens, game videos, screenshots, synopses and more. A full-pane splash screen currently displays featured content accompanied by a "Try It Free" button that grants users a one-month trial pass to the gaming service.

A separate "welcome" screen provides information about the subscription product and can be found in the Arcade tab of the Mac App Store.

The product launched as part of iOS 13 in September with a handful of original games from some of the world's top studios, as well as select choices from indie developers. Game options on Mac appear to mirror those on iOS, iPadOS and tvOS.

Apple Arcade promises subscribers wide access to more than 100 games from over 35 gaming studios for a monthly fee of $4.99. That price covers all compatible platforms — iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and Mac — as well as support for up to six users through Family Sharing. Wide access to the service on Mac is slated for October.