Sources: Apple plans a dedicated app for video games to replace Game Center that will come preinstalled on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices later in 2025
here's what we know Isa Muhammad / PocketGamer.biz : Apple to launch dedicated gaming app across all devices this year Anshuman Jain / Beebom : Apple Developing an Xbox-Like Gaming App for iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV Ryan Parreno / Gameranx : Rumor: Apple Replacing Game Center With Xbox App-like Gaming App Rasmus Larsen / FlatpanelsHD : Apple to level up gaming strategy with Xbox-like app for Apple TV, other devices José Adorno / BGR : Apple's response to monopoly allegations might be... a gaming App Store Adamya Sharma / Android Authority : Apple's new gaming app could do what Google Play Games never did Naomi Li Gan / Tech in Asia : Apple to launch new dedicated gaming app this year Ayushi Jain / Digit : Apple may launch dedicated gaming app in 2025: Here's all you need to know Jordan Middler / Video Games Chronicle : Apple to launch ‘dedicated video game app’ around Switch 2 launch Bradly Shankar / MobileSyrup : Apple to reveal gaming app at WWDC 2025: report Wesley Hilliard / AppleInsider : Dedicated Apple Games app could be revealed during WWDC 2025 Jacob Krol / TechRadar : Apple might be close to launching a dedicated hub for gaming on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad Chance Miller / 9to5Mac : Report: iOS 19 to include new app dedicated to gaming PYMNTS.com : Report: Apple to Add Dedicated Video Game App to Devices Asma Hussain / iThinkDifferent : Apple to launch all-in-one gaming app with social features at WWDC 2025 Max Buondonno / The Shortcut : Apple gaming app to launch as Nintendo Switch 2 release looms, says report Scott Duwe / Destructoid : Apple is reportedly launching its own dedicated gaming app this year, but who really needs it? Jason Cross / Macworld : iOS 19 will reportedly include a dedicated gaming app Neil Long / Mobilegamer.biz : Apple to reveal new games app as it gobbles up Sneaky Sasquatch dev Austin Blake / iPhone in Canada : Apple Plans New Gaming App as Next Big Thing, Says Report Matt Wales / Eurogamer.net : More claims of Apple dedicated iOS gaming app surface as company acquires first game studio Johanna Romero / PhoneArena : Apple is getting serious about gaming — and it's coming at a very strategic time Dennis Sellers / MacTech.com : Apple plans to introduce a new platform app for games at WWDC iClarified : Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App Across All Devices [Report] Juli Clover / MacRumors : Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App in iOS 19 Bluesky: Chiaki Mitama / @terrible.moe : I'll take any of this seriously when I hear a non smart-phone dev make an indie game for macosx [embedded post] @knoebel : Apple is ready to launch (another) deticated app for gaming “seeking to sell gamers and developers on the idea that it's a leader in the market.” — They also acquired the two person studio RAC7 Games. — www.bloomberg.com/news/article... [image] Giovanni Colantonio / @marioprime : Interesting timing here with what I reported earlier this afternoon with Apple acquiring RAC7. Have to imagine that Sneaky Sasquatch will be front and center in whatever this ends up being. www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/ apple... [embedded post] @papapishu : It is 2010. I am reading in the newspaper that apple claims it is taking games seriously. — It is 2018. I am watching a video where apple claims it is taking games seriously. — It is 2025. I am reading an article that says apple is planning on taking games seriously. [embedded post] Adam Rosenberg / @geminibros : I'll reserve judgment until the facts are clearer but this would be a tough case to make with Arcade having barely visible marketing and audience-unfriendly “features” like zero save portability (i.e. your Arcade saves don't work with non-Arcade versions of the exact same game). [embedded post] X: Aaron / @aaronp613 : Close enough. Welcome back Game Center [image] Quinn Nelson / @snazzylabs : Real problem, wrong solution! Option 1: work with Valve/CodeWeavers to bring Proton/D3DMetal support to the Mac and have Steam be the default store Option 2: buy studios and/or exclusives to offer AAA Mac games at loss-leader prices as part of Apple Arcade+ to build marketshare Brad Sams / @bdsams : I'm curious if this is a reaction to the regulatory changes and all the big players having ambitions to launch a games store “Dont buy from Xbox/Epic/Steam” and buy from Apple Games Quinn Nelson / @snazzylabs : Apple continues to believe that they can apply their mobile games strategy to the AAA/console market. They cannot. It doesn't matter how good your tech or storefront is. You will lose. As you have continued to for many years. Open your wallet, Tim, or shut up. Derek Strickland / @deeketweak : Now that Apple can't just passively make ~$15 billion from gaming thanks to recent antitrust rulings, the company has: - bought its first games studio - planned to release an all-in-one gaming app for all Apple devices Interesting times. Apple has to compete now. Paul Tassi / @paultassi : Can't defy a court order about the App Store if you make App Store 2 Parker Ortolani / @parkerortolani : interesting news in concert with them acquiring a literal game studio today Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia : bahahahAHAHAHAA the GALL of this company [Collection of recent headlines about the App Store contempt ruling] Thomas Maxwell / @tomaxwell : @markgurman @ParkerOrtolani Apple is making itself a laughing stock Mark Gurman / @markgurman : NEW: Apple is planning a dedicated app for video games on its devices, seeking to sell gamers and developers on the idea that it's a leader in the market. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Forums: Hacker News : Apple to Debut Dedicated Gaming App Within Days of Switch 2's Arrival r/TwoBestFriendsPlay : Apple to Debut Dedicated Gaming App Within Days of Switch 2's Arrival r/apple : Apple to Debut Dedicated Gaming App Within Days of Switch 2's Arrival r/macgaming : Apple to Debut Dedicated Gaming App Within Days of Switch 2's Arrival r/SneakySasquatch : Apple acquires RAC7, its first-ever video game studio MacRumors Forums : Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App in iOS 19
Context & Ripple Effects
This report advances Apple’s gaming push from platform-level improvements toward a dedicated consumer entry point. It follows a renewed Mac-gaming effort built around Apple silicon features and a 2024 report that Apple was developing an App Store-like games destination tied to Game Center.
The cross-device scope matters because Apple can present games as a single ecosystem across its hardware rather than as isolated App Store categories. That comes as distribution on iPhones and iPads has faced more scrutiny, including Apple’s approval of the Epic Games Store in the EU.
First-order effects
- If launched as described, the preinstalled app would replace Game Center as Apple’s primary games-facing interface, giving players one place to find titles, activity, and social features across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
- Developers would gain a more prominent Apple-controlled discovery surface beyond standard App Store browsing, while Apple Arcade and other selected games could receive more coherent placement across devices.
Second-order effects
- A unified games hub would raise the value of titles that work across Apple devices and can sustain social engagement, pushing publishers to weigh Apple-specific integration and multi-device support more heavily.
- The move could sharpen competition for game discovery: third-party storefronts and subscription services would still reach Apple users, but Apple would have a default, preinstalled destination at the operating-system level.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues pairing hardware gaming capabilities with a first-party service layer, its gaming strategy could evolve from selling capable devices to operating a more integrated distribution, discovery, and retention system.
- That integration may also keep platform-control questions salient where alternative stores are permitted: the long-term contest is not only access to installation, but who owns the default route through which players discover and return to games.
The trend: Apple is building gaming into a cross-device platform service, using default software surfaces to connect hardware, game discovery, and recurring engagement.