When the most-downloaded mobile game of 2025 trades its free-to-play model for a subscription home, the move says more about the evolving economics of mobile gaming than about the game itself. Block Blast!, the puzzle sensation with hundreds of millions of installs, is making that leap this fall. Main Developments Apple announced on Tuesday that Block Blast!+ will join Apple Arcade on September 3. The ad-free version arrives alongside Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+, a 2025 App Store Award winner, and other titles. Appfigures data puts Block Blast! at roughly 725 million lifetime installs, while other estimates climb to 868 million. Apple's internal metrics show it was the most downloaded free iPhone game in 2025. Read also: Rivian CEO's Triple Bet: EVs, Robots, and Autonomy—Disrupt 2026 Background The game's developer, Hungry Studio, has watched it hold the No. 1 spot into early 2026, according to Sensor Tower and other third-party trackers. Its popularity built on a simple block-puzzle formula that resonated globally. Apple Arcade has increasingly courted proven free-to-play hits, offering ad-free, premium versions to subscribers. This move continues that strategy, pairing mass-market appeal with a curated subscription catalog. Why It Matters For players, the ad-free version eliminates interruptions that often punctuate free mobile games. For Apple, landing the year's biggest free title strengthens Arcade's value proposition against rivals. The shift also highlights a broader industry trend: top free games are finding new revenue streams through subscription platforms rather than relying solely on ads and in-app purchases. What's Next Block Blast!+ arrives on September 3, when subscribers can download it alongside the other new additions. Whether this sparks a wave of similar ad-free conversions remains an open question as Apple Arcade continues to expand its lineup.