Malcolm Owen
Apple Games brings Game Center, matchmaking, and the App Store game section into one app that can be navigated via a game controller.
Rumored for years but becoming a reality during the WWDC 2025 keynote, the Games app is essentially a dedicated App Store, launcher, and social tool for mobile gaming. Breaking out from the tab within the App Store, Games is now its own separate app with Game Center.
The Apple Arcade subscription is also accessible through Apple Games, with games included in the service browsable and accessible in the app.
It also provides access to Game Center, Apple's social gaming service, which provides access to leaderboards, achievements, and profiles. These are common features found and done better in other gaming services, but hopefully Apple improves Game Center's offering as part of this new app beginning.
The social features improve with a Play Together tab where users can invite friends to play a game together. The app also functions as a game launcher.
End users will be able to access the new Games app with the release of iOS 26 and the other milestone operating system releases, this fall.
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3 Comments
TV OS could do with this too but I did not notice mention of it in the Keynote.
I hope the invite friends feature adds the ability to set game play on the calendar. This would also allow notifications that it is almost time to play with friends. Using the new poll feature of messages would also hopefully let you vote on what game a group should play.