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Apple Arcade kicks off the holiday season with two big names. Football Manager 27 Touch is playable now. Four more games will follow on December 3rd, including a complete version of Prince of Persia and a remake of Plants vs. Zombies.
Apple unveiled its holiday lineup for Apple Arcade on November 10th. Football Manager 27 Touch kicks things off and is available in the catalog starting today. On Thursday, December 3rd, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, solitaire(ish), Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown+, and LEGO DUPLO Play World will be added.
All games on Apple Arcade are ad-free and have no in-app purchases. One subscription covers a family of up to six people.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Football Manager 27 Touch is now available on Apple Arcade.
- Four games will follow on December 3rd, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown+ with all expansions.
- All five games support German.
- Apple Arcade costs €6.99 per month or is included in every Apple One package.
Football Manager 27 Touch arrives as an update to the existing app
Football Manager 27 Touch is developed by Sports Interactive. Apple highlights an improved match engine, new tools for scouting and match preparation, and a redesigned, thumb-friendly interface for the iPhone. According to the App Store description, new features also include tactical adjustments during the match, such as the ability to switch wingers.
The game will not be released as a new app in the App Store, but rather as version 27.0.0 of the existing app. Anyone who has Football Manager 26 Touch installed will therefore receive the new version via an update.
The game runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro and requires at least iOS 16. The download is 3.3 GB, and PlayStation, Xbox, and MFi controllers are supported. German is one of the 17 supported languages.
Football Manager 27 Touch expands the sports games on Arcade, which already includes NBA 2K27 Arcade Edition, Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition, NFL Retro Bowl ’27, PGA TOUR Pro Golf and Retro Bowl College+.
Four games on December 3rd
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted from PopCap Studios brings back the tower defense classic with new levels and modes. Two people can play together or against each other on the same device. Party mode is exclusive to Apple Arcade.
Solitaire(ish) comes from Playstack, the publisher of Balatro. The game combines solitaire with roguelike deckbuilding: card stacks award points, and more than 150 special cards modify the rules.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown+ From Ubisoft, this is an action game featuring time powers and sword fighting on Mount Qaf. It will be released on Arcade with all downloadable content, including the story expansion Mask of Darkness, plus new challenges and quests.
The LEGO DUPLO play world from StoryToys is aimed at the youngest children. Kids can build their own figures and play worlds with DUPLO bricks.
| Game | Age rating | Devices | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted | 9+ | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro | iOS 16 |
| solitaire(ish) | 4+ | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro | iOS 16 |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown+ | 13+ | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | iOS 16.4, A12 Bionic, Mac with M1 |
| LEGO DUPLO play world | 4+ | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro | iOS 16 |
Prince of Persia is the exception in this group: it doesn't run on Apple TV, and it's also excluded for iPhones prior to the iPhone XS and XR. All four games offer German as a language option.
Prices in Germany
Apple Arcade costs €6.99 per month, with the first month free. Anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV gets three months free. Alternatively, Arcade is included in all Apple One plans: Individual for €19.95, Family for €25.95, and Premium for €34.95 per month.
In over 100 countries, Apple Arcade is now included in iCloud+ at no extra cost. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are not among them; in these countries, it remains available as a standalone subscription or through Apple One.
What the December round is good for families and football fans
I think the group is unusually broadly based because it covers almost every target group: football managers, families with young children, card players, and action fans. At €6.99 for up to six people, the subscription is particularly worthwhile for families with multiple devices in the household.
The strongest argument for me is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown+. The game comes as a complete edition with story expansion and also runs on the Mac. Furthermore, there are already dedicated screenshots for the iPhone Duo available in the App Store – a clear indication that the game is adapted to the foldable display, and one more reason for Duo owners to try it out.
For Football Manager fans, the update process is convenient: the new edition lands in the familiar app, eliminating the need for a second installation alongside the old one.
Which of the five games will you download first – Football Manager for your own career or Prince of Persia for the holidays? Let us know in the comments which one you'll be kicking off the arcade holiday season with.
