In this guide
Before you start.
- Cancel a trial at least 24 hours before it ends. Apple states this explicitly, and Arcade trials attached to a new device are the most common source of an unexpected first charge.
- Check which Apple Account is being billed. Arcade does not appear in the subscription list of an account that did not pay for it, so find the receipt email first if it is missing.
- Know that Arcade games are not purchases. They are playable only while the subscription is active, so cancelling ends access to the whole catalogue rather than leaving you the games you downloaded.
- If Arcade came bundled, cancel it where the bundle is managed. Arcade included in an Apple One plan is not a separate subscription, and a plan sold through a carrier or a device promotion is managed by whoever sold it.
- On Family Sharing, the organiser pays and everyone shares the same subscription, so cancelling removes Arcade for the whole family at once.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Apple Arcade, step by step.
Cancel on iPhone or iPad
Apple bills the subscription, so the cancellation happens in iOS Settings rather than inside any game.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select Apple Arcade from the list.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm. You may need to scroll down to find the button.
If there is no Cancel Subscription button, or you see an expiration date in red text, the subscription is already cancelled and will not renew.
Cancel on a Mac
The setting sits inside the App Store app rather than in System Settings, which is the usual reason people cannot find it on a Mac.
- Open the App Store app.
- Click your name in the sidebar, or sign in if you are not already.
- Click your name again on the page that opens.
- Click Subscriptions.
- Select Apple Arcade and click Cancel Subscription.
Cancel without an Apple device
Useful when the subscription was bought on a device you no longer have, or you are on a Windows PC.
- Go to account.apple.com and sign in with the Apple Account that was charged.
- Open the subscriptions section of the account page.
- Select Apple Arcade and follow the cancellation instructions shown.
What happens next?
- Access continues until the end of the billing period you already paid for, then Arcade games stop opening.
- Arcade titles are not bought, so none of them stay playable. The apps remain on the device but ask for a subscription when you open them.
- Game progress is not wiped the moment the subscription ends. Apple holds Arcade save data for a period after a subscription lapses, so resubscribing reasonably soon usually restores where you were. Do not rely on it for a long gap.
- In-app purchases do not exist in Arcade games, so there is nothing separately bought to lose.
- Cancelling Arcade on its own does not affect iCloud, Apple Music or anything else on the account.
Cancelling a Apple Arcade free trial.
How do I cancel an Apple Arcade free trial?
Cancel it the same way as a paid subscription, at least 24 hours before the trial ends, which is what Apple recommends. Access continues for the rest of the trial.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
Apple Arcade is not in my subscriptions list
The list only shows what the signed-in Apple Account pays for. Check the receipt email to see which account was charged and sign in with that one. If Arcade came as part of an Apple One bundle, it is not listed separately: you manage the Apple One plan instead.
I got Arcade free with a device and was charged anyway
A free period attached to a new iPhone, iPad or Mac rolls into a paid subscription unless it is cancelled first, and Apple asks for cancellation at least 24 hours before it ends. The charge is the trial converting rather than a separate purchase. Cancel in Subscriptions, then take any refund request to Apple, which decides case by case.
My games will not open after cancelling
That is expected. Arcade games are licensed for the length of the subscription, not sold, so they stop working when it ends even though the app is still installed. Subscribing again makes them open normally.
I cancelled but I am still being charged
Check for a second subscription on a different Apple Account, which is common where an old Apple ID is still signed in on another device. Also check whether the charge is Apple One rather than Arcade alone, since the bundle bills as one line item.
A family member cancelled and I lost access
Family Sharing gives everyone access through the organiser's single subscription. When that ends, Arcade ends for every member at once. Anyone who wants to keep it has to subscribe on their own Apple Account.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel How to cancel an app subscription
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel Apple Arcade?
On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, select Apple Arcade and tap Cancel Subscription. On a Mac, open the App Store, click your name in the sidebar, click it again, choose Subscriptions and cancel there. You can also use account.apple.com from any browser.
Do I keep my Apple Arcade games after cancelling?
No. Arcade is access to a catalogue rather than a set of purchases, so the games stop opening when the subscription ends. Nothing in the catalogue becomes permanently yours.
Does my game progress disappear?
Not straight away. Apple keeps Arcade save data for a period after a subscription lapses, so returning before too long normally restores your progress. Treat a long gap as a real risk of losing it.
Can I get a refund for Apple Arcade?
Apple handles refunds for its own charges through reportaproblem.apple.com, and decides each request individually. Cancelling and requesting a refund are separate actions, so cancelling first stops the next charge either way.
Provider resources
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Apple Arcade. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
