The Most Popular Phone Game Right Now Is Getting an Ad-Free Version

Apple said on August 11, 2026 that an ad-free version of the puzzle game Block Blast! will join its Apple Arcade subscription service on September 3, 2026. The new version, called Block Blast!+, is coming alongside five other games: Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+, NFL Retro Bowl '27, Coloring Games for Families+, and Let's Play! Oink Games+ (Apple Newsroom).

Block Blast! was the most downloaded mobile game of 2025. Apple's own data confirmed it was the most downloaded free iPhone game in the United States that year (TechCrunch). Business of Apps separately named it the most popular mobile game with 300 million downloads, passing Roblox, the previous holder of that title (Business of Apps). The game stayed at No. 1 into early 2026, according to its developer Hungry Studio and research firms including Sensor Tower.

The total number of times the game has been downloaded depends on who you ask. Appfigures reports about 725 million lifetime downloads, while other estimates put the number at 868 million. As of mid-2026, the game had 70 million daily active users and 300 million monthly active users worldwide. Downloads hit their highest point in late 2024 at nearly 50 million per month and went down after that.

Hungry Studio, which calls itself "a global developer and publisher of mobile games" on its website, has pushed Block Blast! into the mainstream. The studio promoted the game at Coachella in 2026. Apple's newsroom described Block Blast!+ as "bringing one of the most popular daily puzzle games to Apple Arcade." On the App Store, Block Blast! is listed with the description "A perfect mix of block and jigsaw puzzle games."

The free version of Block Blast! shows ads after every loss, something players have complained about for a long time. The Apple Arcade version removes all ads. That is the main appeal of Apple Arcade: over 200 games with no ads and no extra in-game purchases, for $6.99 per month. Apple Arcade can also be bundled into Apple One plans starting at $19.95 per month for individuals.

Apple's newsroom listed the announcement as an UPDATE rather than a formal press release, placing it alongside other routine additions to the platform. The headline named both Block Blast!+ and Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+ as the main additions for the September 3 release.

The broader context here is worth examining. Apple Arcade launched in 2019 with a simple idea: pay one monthly fee for mobile games with no ads and no in-game purchases. What has changed is the size of the games Apple can get for the service. Block Blast! already has hundreds of millions of active players. That is a different situation from adding a small indie game or an older title. This is a massively popular free game being placed behind a paywall, and the question is simple: how many of those 300 million monthly players will pay $6.99 a month to remove ads they have been living with for free?

The difference between the two download estimates — 725 million versus 868 million — comes down to how different research firms count installs. Some try to avoid counting the same person twice across multiple devices or when someone reinstalls the game. Neither number is necessarily wrong; they just measure slightly different things. To put the gap in perspective: the difference between the two estimates, about 143 million downloads, is larger than the total downloads of most mobile games.

What we do not know from this announcement is why Hungry Studio is doing it. The ad-supported version of the game has been making money at a huge scale with 70 million daily players. The ad-free version on Apple Arcade creates a second source of income rather than replacing the free version, which stays on the App Store. This two-track approach — free with ads, paid without — is the same pattern we have seen with music streaming and other subscription services. The free and paid versions coexist, and the company earns money from both.

For Apple, the addition serves a clear purpose for its game catalog. Apple Arcade becomes more attractive when it can offer a game that a large share of its potential subscribers already know and play. Whether that brings in new subscribers or just keeps current ones from leaving is the number that will determine whether this deal was a meaningful acquisition or just a routine refresh.