Apple Unveils New Games App With Social Features and Cross-Device Support

Apple unveiled its new Apple Games app during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on Monday, a dedicated hub designed to unify the gaming experience across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The app, which will come preinstalled on Apple devices, integrates and expands on the features of Game Center to create a more cohesive and social gaming ecosystem.



The new app will serve as a central library for games, showing all titles users have ever downloaded from the App Store on iPhone and iPad, and bringing together all games on the Mac. It's designed for easy navigation with a compatible game controller and lets you jump straight into your titles. Beyond just a library, the Games app aims to be a discovery tool, offering personalized recommendations based on what you've played, what your friends are playing, and which games support Game Center. Editorial collections will also highlight titles like Balatro and DREDGE from the broader App Store, not just Apple Arcade.




A major focus of the new app is social interaction. A 'Play Together' tab will provide a dedicated space to see what friends are playing, view shared gaming history, and send invite links or party codes through any messaging app. Apple is also introducing 'Challenges,' a new feature that lets developers of games with Game Center leaderboards add score-based competitions. This allows single-player games to become shared experiences with friends. "The introduction of challenges and a new social layer marks a major leap forward for both developers and players," said Glib Platonov, cofounder of Doghowl Games. "These features bring people together in just a few taps, effortlessly deepening player engagement."



The Games app is also positioned as the best way to experience Apple Arcade. It will feature curated collections to highlight top titles from the subscription service, helping users get more value from their subscription. Game pages will also be more dynamic, with updates and events for games a user is actively playing surfaced front and center.




Apple Games will arrive this fall as a free software update with the release of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26. A developer beta is available now, with a public beta to follow next month.