Worms are everywhere. I know and accept this, but I hate those little critters and they freak me out. Their wriggly bodies make my skin crawl, and I actively avoid them at all costs. But Apple Arcade added Worms Across Worlds, the next installment in the award-winning Worms series, and I’ll play it because the game’s cartoony style make these worms palatable for me.

Apple Arcade is filled with familiar and classic games, alongside exclusive titles, that you can play for $7 a month (£7, AU$10). You can find many of these games in the App Store, but they may have paywalls and ads that hinder your gaming experience.

An Apple Arcade subscription gives you access to games without paywalls and ads, a feature usually denoted by «Plus» in the name. Here are all the games Apple brought to the service recently. You can also check out the games Apple added in July, like Angry Birds Bounce. 

Worms Across Worlds

Developer: StoryToys and Behaviour Interactive

I’m not a fan of worms, but I’ll play Worms Across Worlds for the animation and quirky humor. The invertebrate warriors are back to stop Professor Wormwinkle’s reality-threatening experiments in this turn-based strategy game. The worms will chase the professor through five different dimensions to bring an end to his path of destruction. You can play solo or team up in four-player multiplayer mayhem. 

Play-Doh World

Developer: Scary Beasties

This Apple Arcade exclusive game is a great way to introduce your kids to learning, crafting and gaming. You can sculpt, squish and squash Play-Doh creations while exploring an ever-expanding world. And the more you interact with this world, the more special Play-Dohs you’ll collect, so you can give your creations unique looks and styles. 

Let’s Go Mightycat!

Developer: Ponos Corporation

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s the galactic hero Mightycat! In this 3D block-busting puzzler game, you’re on a quest to stop the Super Cat God from conquering the whole galaxy — and maybe pushing it off a ledge. You’ll rescue friends, collect stylish new capes and decorate your own room in between saving the galaxy of course.  

Everybody Shogi

Developer: AltPlus Inc. 

This game is based on the Japanese strategy board game Shogi, or Japanese chess, which anyone can pick up and play. Players can learn this traditional game, enjoy daily challenges, unlock unique piece designs and take on other players from around the world. 

You can access these games and others on Apple Arcade now for $7 per month or $50 annually. You can also try Apple Arcade free for one month with your first sign-up, or you can get a three-month free trial when you buy a new Apple device. To access Apple Arcade, open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad, and tap the joystick in the menu bar.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise is one of the biggest series in gaming today. Ubisoft, the publisher of the series, said in 2023 that it has sold more than 155 million copies of Assassin’s Creed games, making it one of the bestselling franchises in history. And Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play one of the most recent entries in the series, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, right now.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new ones, like Doom: The Dark Ages, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Here are the games Microsoft is bringing to Game Pass in August. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in July, including early access to Grounded 2.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.

Travel back in time to 9th century Baghdad in this 2023 installment of the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise. You play as Basim, a cunning street thief who joins an ancient organization known as the Hidden Ones. Through this organization, you’ll become a deadly master assassin and change the course of the world.

Rain World

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.

In this survival platformer, you’re a slugcat — both adorable and dangerous — in a broken ecosystem filled with overgrown plants and industrial waste. You have to survive in this world with nothing but your wits and trusty spear. But there are larger enemies out there who think you look like their next meal, so watch your step.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

New to Game Pass Standard.

Game Pass Standard subscribers can now join the fun of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, a few months after Microsoft brought this title to Game Pass Ultimate. This sequel to one of 2022’s most popular RPGs launches on Game Pass on Day 1. You play as a sleeper, an emulated human mind in an artificial body, as you try to outrun the corporation that made you and the gang that wants to control you. You’ll commandeer a ship, recruit a crew and take on contracts as you try to build a better future for yourself in this dice-driven sci-fi game.

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

New to Game Pass Standard.

Get ready to fall down over and over again as you learn to master the snowy terrain in Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders. This is the sequel to Lonely Mountains: Downhill, but up to eight players can join cross-platform multiplayer matches, so you and your block-headed friends can enjoy the fresh powder together. That doesn’t sound lonely at all.

MechWarrior 5: Clans

New to Game Pass Standard.

Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could play MechWarrior 5: Clans in November, and Game Pass Standard subscribers can now play it as well. Step into a towering mech and battle your way across the galaxy in this latest installment of the MechWarrior series. Your territory is being invaded in this game, and you lead a squad of five other mech pilots to turn the invasion back. But this is no run-and-gun game. You’ll have to coordinate your moves with other units to create the perfect opportunities to attack.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap

New to Game Pass Standard.

The orcs are back in the latest entry in this tower-defense series, but your goal remains the same: Kill every last one of them. Each hero in this game has their own unique play style, so pick the one most fun for you. And team up with others in four-player co-op to obliterate the chaotic cartoonish hordes. Microsoft brought this title to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in February, and Game Pass Standard subscribers can get in on all the orc-smashing fun now.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on Aug. 12.

Microsoft is bringing this game back to Game Pass after removing it from the service in December 2022. In this survival shooter, you join an elite team of hardened marines as they fight through hordes of xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. You can customize your character and gear as you take on the ever-evolving threat and try to stop it from spreading.

9 Kings (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Aug. 14.

This game takes kingdom builders, deck builders and roguelikes and smashes them together to make something new. You’ll build your kingdom from a humble village to a huge citadel, but you’ll also have to defend your realm from other rulers. So you can use knights, warlocks, sentient mushrooms and more in major battles to fend off others. And you can loot your enemy’s deck to grow your empire and become the King of Kings.

These games are leaving Game Pass on Aug. 15

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass soon, the company is also removing a few others from the service on Aug. 15. So you still have some time to finish any campaigns or sidequests before you have to buy these games separately.

• Anthem
• Persona 3 Reload
• Farming Simulator 22

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.

I’ve tested dozens of smartwatches over the years, and whenever I’m done with a review, I like to go bare-wristed for a few days to have a bit of a reset. But after I finished my review of the Apple Watch Series 10, I found that I didn’t want to take it off. And it’s been on my wrist ever since.

I’ve always been on the lookout for a hybrid watch that strikes the right balance between a traditional wristwatch and a smartwatch. Plenty of wearables over the years have promised just that, including the Withings Scanwatch range. The Series 10, which tops our list of the best smartwatches for 2025, and is a CNET Editors’ Choice Award winner, strikes the perfect balance. It’s the perfect combination of wireless connectivity, fitness tracking features and aesthetics.  And right now, Amazon will sell you one for just $299.

For me, the Apple Watch Series 10 is the perfect combination of functionality and looks. That’s because of the LTPO 3 technology that lets the screen refresh at 1Hz and gives the Series 10 a ticking second hand on a few watch faces, even when the display isn’t actively being used. It makes Apple’s device feel like a regular watch when I’m not actively using it, which is different from any other smartwatch I’ve tested. 

I like being able to change up the look by switching between the Reflections watch face, with its sweeping «analog» second hand, and Activity Digital, with its digital seconds counter. I wish there were more watch faces that supported this ticking second hand. There is Flux, but I’ve found myself siding with Redditors who think it’s kind of goofy. (If you’ve found a color combination that makes it feel less comical, let me know!)

The ticking second hand isn’t just an aesthetic choice, or for the times when I’m anxiously checking to make sure I’m not too early for my next meeting. It’s also practical for folks in different professions, like health care workers who need to have a second hand even after the display times out.

More than the ticking second hand, it’s the display itself

I was skeptical that the Series 10’s wide-angle OLED display would make that much difference to the viewing experience. Apple says it’s up to 40% brighter than earlier watch displays when you’re looking at it off-axis. So of course I had to compare it to every other Apple Watch in my review cabinet, including the Series 9. 

When using my eyes alone I’m not able to quantify how much brighter it appears as a percentage, there’s no question the Series 10 is easier to see and looks brighter than other Apple Watch models with the same watch face. 

The Series 10 doesn’t have the same battery life or rugged construction, but I miss its display when I have to switch to the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2. 

Apple Watch Series 10 specs

• Case sizes: 42mm, 46mm
• Battery life: Up to 18 hours
• Screen: LTPO3 OLED Always-On Retina display
• Refresh rate: 1Hz
• Brightness: Up to 2,000 nits
• Water resistance: Up to 50m

Why I never want to take it off 

It’s not just the display that’s made it hard for me to remove the Series 10 from my wrist. There’s almost every health and fitness tracking feature I could want, from a range of cycling tools to sleep apnea notifications, which is part of the reason this watch tops our list of the best smartwatches for 2025.

Then there’s WatchOS 11, which brings helpful safety tools like Check In to my wrist, so I no longer have to manually send the «I’m home!» message to friends and family. If only it worked with recipients who don’t use iMessage: I truly hope Apple will add compatibility for RCS messaging for this indispensable safety tool, just like FaceTime works on Android through a web link.

I now understand what people mean when they say they feel naked when they leave their house without their phones. Except for me, it’s a watch.

The Apple Watch Series 10 with cellular connectivity is normally listed at $499, but you can get one for as much as $100 off right now, so it’s a great time to snatch one up for yourself or to give as a gift. Prices vary quite a bit depending on case size, finish and band type, so be sure to click around to see all your options, and double-check the price of your selected configuration before finalizing your purchase. If you’re looking for more gift ideas, don’t miss our favorite tech gifts under $100.