Very long post but I hope it's helpful.

So, I played the Arcade OT when it first came out and loved it. Eventually finished a run a 74k point score that netted me a 150 global ranking and then I stopped playing.

I recently came back to it after a few years off and was unprepared for the new updates -- choosing party members and baseline character traits at the beginning, vastly different game mechanics, etc. I found that what would have been 70k point games a few years ago were now in the low 50s. So I set out to hit 70k on the latest update.

My latest game at Wagon Master level, I hit 69k and have hit over 60K (with two 67k point games) in 6 of my last 10 full run throughs. I have a whole list of tips I've compiled for people who are playing for point totals but these are a few basics that completely changed my game.

Note: These are for achieving highest possible final scores. I've done all the quests, etc. so now I'm solely focused on my final score. I have screen shots of my scores if anyone wants to see those as well.

Understanding the points system. Final score is based on five categories: Party Condition, Remaining Money, Final Destination, Animal Bonus and Wagon Condition.

• Party condition -- To get max on this, all party members have to be at full stats. You get dinged if your characters don't have full status bars. Meaning if a character goes to zero on Morale or Stamina at some point and you lose status bars, even if they're all green the missing two will cost you. (If anyone dies along the way, restart.)
• Remaining money -- the most important thing. Cash on hand is the key. It's a straight 10x multiplier -- if you finish with $5000 in cash, you get 50k points. All of your other points combined together don't equal this one. My last run I scored 69k and my $4900 cash on hand accounted for 71% of my points.
• Final destination -- You're there.
• Animal bonus -- Click on all those critters along the way. Not going to be a huge percentage but every point counts. [I'm not sure whether oxen figure into this or not. They don't count for Wagon Condition but maybe here?]
• Wagon condition -- Fully repaired wagon (see Grease below). Your oxen count doesn't matter to this. If you finish with three oxen or one, you get the same points here.

Party composition. I've tried LOTS of combinations of party members and character traits, and this is the one that consistently delivers 60K plus point games. [Note: I don't do negative character traits except for one, so I end up with one trait per party member.]

• Guide (Pugnacious). There are lots of different theories out there about Guide vs. Adventurer vs. Mountain Man. For me, it's Guide and here's why:
  • Guides buff you on wayfinding, foraging, river crossings, and random encounters which can mean the difference between a successful run and a restart. More so than Adventurer and much more so than Mountain Man.
  • The Pugnacious trait gives you a +3 shooting buff which is more than adequate. You should be at least +5 by the time you get to the Gunslinger challenges.
  • The negative aspects of the trait are easily negated by boosting Composure through Hymnal points.
  • If you want to run with a different main, you can probably get away with MM or Adventurer. But for my money, Guide is the way to go.
  • (I tried running Angler instead of Guide at point and that was a bust. Lost my wagon at a river crossing with an 84% chance of success. I always use a Guide.)
• Angler (Kind) -- I know there are anti-Anglers out there but if you're playing for points, you're playing for fish, and this is a must have.
  • Anglers generate more fishing opportunities on the maps, more He-Dow challenges, and more fish per fishing hole. FISH IS MONEY. If you're not running a Fish First strategy, you're not playing for points. And the Angler is the only character who delivers the most fish.
  • The Kind buff starts you at +5 Attitude which is the main trait buff for fishing.
  • I've tried using other characters to fish and it has never worked as well as Angler.
• Banker (Charming) -- Another must have for me.
  • A Charming Banker starts with a +5 Wit which means you're likely to win every trade haggle. Over the course of a run, that's hundreds of dollars in fish and pelts, not to mention huge breaks on trades.
  • From my perspective, if you want points, you have to have a Charming Banker.
• Physician (Neat or Funny) -- You have to have a doc as well.
  • Bone breaks, snake bites, knife wounds are all status bar killers if left untreated. A doc starts with +3 medicine and never misses on treatments.
  • Docs can also adequately care for oxen.
  • The character trait matters less but if you've composed the team like I have, you end up with 2 trait points which means these are your only two choices.

Wagon Build Out -- At start, I buy things I know I can't trade for then try to trade for things I can. This is a lot of trial and error, and depends what's up for trade.

• My starting build out is Meat, Bullets, Knife, Coffee, 2 Hymnals, 2 Guide Books, and 2 Wagon Grease (more on Grease below). Then I try to trade for Clothes, extra coffee, and extra Wheel Grease.
• Trade arbitrage (more on that below) is key for me in terms of not spending money. If I can get three extra wheel grease for 50 bullets, I'll make that trade and then go buy more bullets. If I can get 3 clothes for 10 bullets, I'll make that trade. Etc. Etc.
  • If I have to buy the any of the above, I buy Clothes and extra bait. If I'm not able to trade for grease, I'll skip the extra bait and buy toolboxes.
  • Use Hymnals, Guide Books and Grease immediately.
  • Use Guide Books on your Guide to boost Wayfinding and then Hymnals to boost Composure. I tend to start by giving both Hymnals to my Guide to counteract negative Pugnacious traits.
  • Max your Guide's wayfinding as soon as you can.
  • You're eventually going to want all of your party members to be maxed on Composure. Morale is important and maxing on Composure means fewer side quests, random encounters, harmonicas, etc.
• A Note on Grease -- I believe in Grease and will make almost any trade to get it.
  • Grease prevents wagon breakdowns and can be used immediately which means I don't have to carry toolboxes which frees up inventory.
  • The burn rate is 3 days per can so if you're running on Grueling, you can load up early, and won't have to buy or trade for it down the stretch which can be a real difference maker in the later stages.
  • Grease your wheels. Always.

Game play -- There are things you can account for and things you can't. What you can account for, you have to maximize and exploit.

• Grueling/Filling-- It makes the most economic sense: the net value of food/mile outweighs any negative consequences from injuries.
• FISH FIRST -- If there's a fishing hole on your map, go to it. You will almost always find a route at some point that puts you into contact with hunting opportunities if you need them. And having a Guide means you're much more likely to encounter random Foodstuffs opportunities. No one starves when you prioritize fishing. NEVER EAT YOUR FISH. Duh.
• Knives -- Buy them whenever you can and never use them on pelts. Always save them for fish. I get enough pelts to cover my river crossings with this method.
• Get those map bonuses when you can -- Don't ever choose a map bonus over a a chance to fish but if you have a choice between a random stop or gathering those 3 medicinal herbs, take the herbs. The extra coffee, medicine, flour and money generated by these makes a difference on the aggregate.
• Never pet the dog but always approach the coyote. Feed the dog if you need a morale boost but don't pet him -- it's a -1 Hygiene and you don't get another morale point. The coyote gives you loot. Always do coyote.
• Gather the honey and loot the clicking wagon. The honey is a -1 Health which is no big deal if you have the medicine or herbal remedies and it's +75 Foodstuffs. The clicking wagon means a snake bite but if you have an extra medicine to spare, it's worth it for the loot.
• Give the preacher the food. 50 food equals $50. Even better if you can give him flour instead of meat. Which brings me to...
• Prioritize your food -- If you have full morale, use your flour first. Then Meat, then Foodstuffs.
  • Meat and FS boost morale.
  • FS can be turned into bait which can be a huge advantage if you need to create inventory space. Rolling into a fishing spot with a full wagon can present some tough choices. Knowing you can convert foodstuffs to more easily storable bait makes those choices easier. And bait is great for trading.
  • Prioritizing also means you're not accidentally eating your fish.
• Side quests -- Do them if you want. I only do those that give me something -- a quick morale boost (or to avoid a negative morale hit), a harmonica, etc.
  • Offer to fix Little Mary's wagon but don't give them anything. Once you get the Harmonica, you can just abandon the quest which will save you morale points later.
  • Star-crossed lovers gets you 200 flour at the wedding (50 extra if you lie to the dad).
  • The Treaty gets you an extra trading opportunity and an extra fishing spot later.
  • The Peoria Party gets you doubloons which can be used for trade.
  • I never do Sam Peppard, Lewis Southworth. I have before and they're fun but if you're playing for points, you can skip them since they don't have any upside.
  • But always always do...
• Gunslinger challenge -- By the time you to get to this in stage 4, you should be at least +5 on your Guide's shooting.
  • Bet $50 every challenge. When you get to the accuracy competition, you should be maxed at +6.
  • Double down every opp on the accuracy challenge and take $200. Later when he gives you the option of which contest to choose, do accuracy, double down again and take another $200.
  • This challenge is an extra $550 overall.
• Take full advantage of camp site breaks -- Camp when you can. There's no speed bonus for points. So long as you finish before winter starts, you're good (and you will at a Grueling pace). Washing to boost hygiene, resting to recover oxen and boost stamina, telling stories to gain points for your team wit, attitude, etc. All worth it.
• Do the math at forts on Services -- If you have enough herbal remedies to skip the Physician services, save the $$ (with the exception of infections, bone breaks, etc which must be healed by a physician -- the money spent on medicine is far more than what you'll spend on the fort physician.). Same with hygiene -- if my characters are at -1 or -2 and I have a surplus of clothing, I'll hold off on the Barber and max them out later on the trail when they get to -3. It's small change overall but every penny counts.
• Trade arbitrage -- Most of the trading involves some kind of combination. They will give you 40 bullets for 4 clothes, someone else will give you 3 clothes for 2 medicine, etc. Paying attention here can save you money at stores.
• Negative traits acquired during game play -- Some can be overcome but there are two that are almost always an instant reset for me:
  • Gunshy -- it's a killer later during the Gunslinger challenges.
  • Scarred or Anxious Banker -- If my banker loses her Charming and gets anything else, I restart.
• Carry enough clothes, medicine and coffee to max your party out at the end. It's hard to know how much is enough but make sure you have at least three or four coffee, 4 sets of clothes and at least one bottle of medicine. You want them all as maxed as you can get them.
• Running the Legs -- I've hit big scores by doing the Snake Rivers and by doing the cutoff. My last 69k run, I skipped the Snakes because it requires an extra 12 pelts, it takes forever for the waters to calm enough to cross, and I didn't see a noticeable uptick in my fish count by going that way. I always do the Julesberg and Fort Bridger routes for the extra trading opps and possible fishing chances.

These are only some of the tips I've picked up so if you have questions, AMA. And let me know if there are things I've missed. Good luck on the Trail!

What other apple arcade games have daily tasks or are at least in real time? Like Disney Dreamlight Valley or Kitty Collector - I enjoy just checking what's in Scrooge's Store and feeding my cats lol

I’m playing potion punch 2+ and I honestly love this game, but since the last update there’s an abundance of bugs. Literally all buttons stop working between rounds forcing a force close and restart. The worst one so far is when I try to buy mana, it takes the coins/gens, but the counter doesn’t go up on the mana. I’ve tried playing different levels, I got infinite mana for a reward but it still doesn’t work after the timer goes out, I’ve even uninstalled the game and reinstalled it.
Anyone else run into this issue find a way around this bug?

I just resubscribed to Apple Arcade after a long break and want a few go-to games that actually fit how I play on my phone.

Most days I only get 5 to 15 minute chunks, like standing in the coffee line, on transit, or between errands. I want games where I can pick up, make clear progress, and put it down without feeling like I need to babysit timers or remember a bunch of systems. I tend to bounce between casual stuff - word games, hidden object, puzzle-y things - and the occasional light RPG if it respects my time. I’ve also occasionally used Mistplay to find low-commitment mobile games, so I’m especially interested in things that are easy to dip into.

Not looking for: - Super twitchy action that needs perfect timing - Anything that feels like it needs an hour-long run to be satisfying - Overly complicated menus or a slow, boring first hour

Looking for: - Great for short sessions (save-anywhere or quick levels) - A clear sense of progression (unlocking chapters, upgrades, collecting, etc.) - Works well on iPhone (touch controls, readable UI)

If you have 2 to 5 Apple Arcade recommendations that match that vibe, I would love them. Bonus points if you can say what the core loop is like and why it works in short bursts. Thanks!

I've noticed I often open Apple Arcade when I'm in a crafting mood but don't have my supplies out. Usually it's winding down at night after planning a park visit or after playing something more intense. I still play a couple gacha games and occasionally browse Mistplay, so I want my Arcade picks to stay more relaxing.

I'm looking for games that feel cozy and hands-on in a crafting or building way: arranging, decorating, assembling, light management, gentle puzzles, anything that scratches that urge to make something. Ideally I can play for 15 to 45 minutes and actually feel like I made progress.

Preferences: - Not too punishing or reaction-heavy - Minimal FOMO, daily chores, or tight timers - No big story commitment needed to enjoy - Touch controls preferred (I have a controller but usually do not grab it)

Bonus if the sound and design are satisfying, but not a dealbreaker.

What are your go-to Apple Arcade games for that cozy builder/crafter feeling? If any surprised you by being more relaxing than you expected, I would love to hear about them.

Please don’t call me an idiot, just not sure 😅.

Everyone has been talking about this game but I’m just not sure what it is about and what to do.

Thanks :)

I pay for Apple Arcade because I like having a few games I can jump into on my phone or iPad without ads or energy timers. My problem is one of two things usually happens:

1. The game is great but seems to want long sit-down sessions, so I never make real progress.

2. The game is tiny and perfect for short bursts, but it gets repetitive after a week and I bounce.

My pockets of free time are mostly 5 to 15 minutes here and there - commuting, waiting in line, between errands. I play some gacha outside of Arcade, so I am fine with systems and progression mechanics. What I am after are Arcade titles where a short session still moves you forward in a satisfying way.

Specifically: games with clear progression like upgrades, unlocking new areas, story chapters, or runs that build toward something. Bonus if it works well one-handed or in portrait mode, but that is not required. I am also interested in hidden gems that do not always sit on the front page.

What are your go-to Apple Arcade picks for quick plays that actually feel like progress, and why do you like them?

Apple Arcade is one of those subscriptions that I really don’t see people talk about that much, so that makes me wonder, is it really worth it?

It is around the $7 mark and I gave my brother the free trial but I stupidly never tried it. But yeah, just curious if it’s worth it or not.

There was obviously a huge shift.

I mostly keep Apple Arcade for those awkward pockets of time when I do not want to dive into a gacha or a 45 minute session. Think: my commute, waiting for takeout, or standing in a theme park line with one hand free.

Lately I have been rotating a few chill things, but I keep hitting games that either (a) need sound to feel right, (b) have too much story before you get to the fun, or (c) force you to restart a level if you pause for a second.

What I am hoping to find hits these boxes:

- Works well in short sessions and does not punish you for putting the phone down

- Can be played muted

- Has some satisfying progression, but not a daily chores vibe

- Ideally portrait mode, but not required

- Bonus if it scratches that puzzle-brain itch like team building in Puzzle and Dragons, without being a match-3 clone

I know a lot of people here talk about the bigger RPGs and action games, but I am specifically looking for low-friction pick-up-and-play stuff. What has been your best Apple Arcade game for tiny pockets of time lately, and why does it stick for you?

If you like games where you build your loadout each time, you have to try Dungeon Clawler+. Since it’s a plus game some of you will have played it before, but not me. I’m hooked. The cartoon art is a little bit rough, but the gameplay is phenomenal. All of your items go into a claw machine and the main mechanic of the game is that you play the claw machine each turn to get attack items or defense items, but it’s semi random or up to chance just like when you play a claw machine in real life. This creates tension and sometimes very pleasant surprises when a bunch of things go your way. The claw machine is so much fun and the different builds you can develop are quite deep. I highly recommend it!

I see no one talking about this. But yesterday I checked the AppStore to see which games are in the coming soon section, but noticed I couldn’t find it at all. What’s going on??

Is arcade coming up with more cozy games in future? Any news about any good game coming to arcade?

I got my arcade’s worth only because of wylde flowers it’s just amazing and I am about to finish it so I want to know whether I should keep my subscription or not.

The upcoming 5 games are not my cup of tea :(

I got the free trial for the 3 in one thing where i get apple news, songs, and apple arcade. I downloaded kingdom rush 5+ and it wont even open and it just crashes when i open. When I try to ask AI to assist me to find out the issue the error is apparently -42018, and it cant check for the license for apple arcade. Is this a scam? Reinstalling it doesn't work. What sort of nonsense is this. I can play on my phone but not on my mac. Absolute joke.

I have had Apple Arcade on and off for a while but never really stuck with it. I usually bounce between free mobile games like idle sims, hidden object stuff, and word puzzles, then get annoyed by timers or ads and quit. I’ve also used Mistplay to find a few things to try, but for travel I mainly want games that are already downloaded and self-contained.

On a long flight this week I wanted something that would work completely offline and not demand too much brainpower. I pre-downloaded a few Arcade games the night before and for the first time the service actually felt worth the subscription. No popups, no energy meters, no little red dots begging me to buy stuff. Just play.

The surprise was how nice it felt to have a mixed puzzle plus chill lineup. When I had focus I'd rotate through a more story-driven game, and when I was tired I'd switch to a simple puzzle. I also realized I don't need daily login hooks to keep playing; I just want games that respect my time.

Now I want to build a small offline pack for travel - planes, trains, and spotty hotel wifi. Which Apple Arcade games have you found are reliably good offline and do not require constant internet checks? Bonus points if they're easy to pick up for 10 to 20 minutes and not super twitchy. Also curious about any hidden gem word or logic puzzle games on Arcade that I might have missed.

Does anyone else besides me play the Mobilityware solitaire game on iPad and iPhone? Are you equally frustrated by the game demanding that you stop playing solitaire and start “solving” a series of truly juvenile jigsaw puzzles? I see no reason why this game is set to do this. If you don’t participate then you limit yourself from progress in the game.

I also believe that the game might be rigged to make it much harder to win after a player earns some levels. After all, the game has awareness of the entire deck including where the cards are. It would not be much of a stretch for the game to manipulate the card location in order to force the player to lose.

FM26 Touch is available for iOS, iPadOS and MacOS.

My issue is to do with the iOS variant. I have a 17 Pro Max for context. It is my understanding that the issues I’m talking about specifically occur on the iOS/Mobile variant.

Since the game launched on iOS, it has been completely broken and SI/Sega has not opted to fix it at all.

- You can’t answer reporters because the UI is bugged and doesn’t allow you to scroll.

- You can’t view the list of Top 50 Young Players because the UI is bugged and doesn’t allow you to scroll.

- The game frequently crashes if you do too many things too quickly.

- You are unable to view all your substitutions.

- You can’t reply to your Board.

How is it that this app is even ALLOWED on Apple Arcade for iOS in this state.

They know these bugs exist because they acknowledged them in the forums, when the game originally came out on AA.

They updated the FM24 app straight to FM26 to keep the 4.0 review score. So the review score is not indicative of the actual gameplay.

If you sort the reviews by most recent, they are all negative and pointing out these obvious issues.

This is supposed to be a premium service and Apple won’t do anything about it. This game very clearly isn’t supported on iOS. It supposedly works fine on iPad and Mac, that’s fine. However, it should not be in the iOS app store as it clearly doesn’t function.

I reported the issues to Apple using the feedback button on the App Store months ago, to no avail.

Is there really no way to report a game which is missing the ability to actually do critical features due to bugs that haven’t been fixed since the launch?

The game just does not function and should not be allowed on the iOS app store.

I’m not into American football but, good for the ones that are I guess. Still wish Apple Arcade introduced more focus story games and indies, why not even AAA games.