A new Apple Games app is coming to iPhone and iPad later this year

At long last, Apple has finally revealed its upcoming Games app. Rumors surrounding the standalone gaming app have been swirling for months now, but during the brand’s WWDC 2025 keynote, we finally got a look at the new software coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and beyond.

The Games App features four tabs: Home, Arcade, Play Together, and Library. On the home page, you can find recommendations based on what you play or find out about upcoming in-game events. The Apple Arcade tab, unsurprisingly, features the ever-growing Apple Arcade games, including indie hits such as Balatro and Vampire Survivors. The Play Together tab enables you to challenge your contacts to try and beat your high scores or jump into some multiplayer action, a feature I’ve been begging Apple to deliver for what feels like years. Then, there’s the Library tab, which keeps track of every game you’ve ever downloaded.

While the big reveal of Apple Games is pretty exciting, we’ve sadly still got a while yet before we can check it out for ourselves, with the update not coming until the launch of iOS 26 later this year. New Apple operating systems tend to launch around the same time as new phones. Considering we’re anticipating an iPhone 17 launch in early September, it’s likely to be a few months before we jump into some of the picks from our guide to the best iPhone games in the Games app on iPhone, iPad, and beyond.

For me, Apple’s Games app is long overdue, especially in terms of the new social features available via the Play Together tab. Considering how many users game on their iPhones – half a billion, according to the tech giant itself – it seems like gaming has long been an App Store afterthought when it comes to the iPhone and iPad experience. Combine this latest update with the news that Apple has recently acquired RAC7, the studio behind Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch, and it seems that Tim Cook and the gang aren’t taking gamers for granted anymore.

Finally, in terms of compatibility, the Games app and iOS 26 are coming to devices from the iPhone 11 series lineup and any model newer than that, so if you’ve got an iPhone 10, it might be time to upgrade. For more from the last week of tech and gaming, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review in progress and Mario Kart World review. Or, if you’re looking for some new hardware to check the Games app out on when it arrives, see our guides to the best iPhones and the best iPads for gaming.