Apple did reveal a new gaming app at WWDC 2025: Apple Games. Announced on June 9 and detailed by Apple on June 10, the free app brings game launching, discovery, updates and Game Center social features together. It is a destination for games—not a new game, and not an app that requires an Apple Arcade subscription.
What Apple Games does
Apple Games gathers games in one place so players can launch them, find new ones and keep up with updates and in-game events. Its recommendations can draw on games you have played, games your friends are playing and games with Game Center features. Apple also said the app would feature editorial collections.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - US Version | $52.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Mario Kart™ World (Nintendo Switch 2) | $79.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Super Mario Galaxy™ + Super Mario Galaxy™ 2 | $64.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The app adds a social layer through Game Center, including friends and groups, shared play history, achievements, invite links and party codes. For supported games, players can take part in score-based Challenges built on Game Center leaderboards. These can turn some single-player games into competitions among a smaller group of friends.
Which games appear in the app
The library differs by device. Apple’s current Games app FAQ says iPhone and iPad show games downloaded from the App Store or Apple Arcade. On Mac, Games can also show games downloaded from other sources.
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#1 Best Overall
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
Not every game supports updates, events or social features in Games. Apple says feature availability can depend on Game Center accounts, privacy settings and whether a game supports the relevant feature. Some content may also be unavailable in certain regions.
What you need to use it
Apple announced on June 10, 2025, that Games would arrive as a free software update with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26. Apple’s current FAQ describes Games as a product, but the announcement’s release-plan wording is specific to that date.
Rank #2
- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. Game
- Challenge others anytime, anywhere, whether you're on the couch or on the go
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
- Face off in 2-4 player battles, or play against the computer
Apple Arcade is optional. It is a subscription service surfaced in Games, not a requirement for using the app or accessing games from other sources. Apple described Arcade as having “more than 200” games in its June 10, 2025 announcement; its current FAQ uses the broader description “hundreds,” so the older figure should not be treated as a current catalog count.
A controller is optional, too. Apple says compatible controllers can navigate Games and launch games, while controller play is supported only in select games. Controllers are sold separately; check both the controller maker’s compatibility information and the game’s requirements before buying one.
Rank #3
- Race from one course to another through interconnected paths that span the world
- Traverse mountains, forests, cities, and more—with shifting weather patterns and a day/night cycle
- Ride on rails, jump off walls, skim across water, and more as you race for the finish line
- Take on the adrenaline-packed Knockout Tour—a fierce 24-driver elimination mode
- Explore courses at your own pace and wander the world to discover fun surprises in Free Roam
How Games fits into Apple’s wider gaming push
Apple discussed other gaming changes at WWDC25, but they are platform and developer technologies rather than features of the consumer Games app. In its Platforms State of the Union, Apple covered Metal 4 for Apple silicon, updates to the Game Porting Toolkit, tools for evaluating and optimizing game ports, Windows-based development, updated controller and touch input support, GameSave for cross-device saves, and a Game Center Challenges API. Apple cited Cyberpunk 2077 as an example of a Mac port; Games itself does not port or run games.
For developers, Apple’s Game Center session describes integration using a Game Center entitlement and GameKit, with additional configuration in Xcode 26 using GameKit bundles. Apple says integration can give games visibility in more system surfaces, including Games. That is Apple’s stated rationale, not a guarantee of more downloads or player retention.
Rank #4
- Journey through space in two Super Mario adventures, now improved for the Nintendo Switch system!
- Travel the stars with enhanced resolution, improved UI, and additional content
- Learn more about the Lumas from additional Storybook chapters, groove to a bit of additional music
- Get additional Health and fall recovery in Assist Mode
- Join Rosalina and the Lumas to restore the Comet Observatory and rescue Princess Peach in Super Mario Galaxy.
What developers said about the announcement
Apple’s announcement included endorsements from three developers. These are comments Apple selected for its own announcement, not independent evaluations. Puzzmo cofounder Zach Gage said Games could help him see what distant friends were playing and bring Puzzmo’s social features into players’ routines. Doghowl Games cofounder Glib Platonov praised the new social layer and Challenges as ways to bring players together. Triband creative director Tim Garbos said the app’s group features and Challenges felt natural for the studio’s Apple Arcade games, including WHAT THE CLASH?.
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