Apple takes gaming seriously at last – separate Games app coming to iOS 26

Apple has announced a dedicated Games app for iOS and its other platforms.

Incorporating Apple Arcade, the app will also list all of the games you've ever bought or downloaded from the App Store, including an easy way to update them or play them again.

There will also be a new Play Together tab that connects you to the games your friends and family are playing, with the ability to invite them to play multiplayer titles, and even challenge them to beat your high scores.

This all works in addition to the Game Center, and is essentially a new hub for all of gaming on Apple devices.

When will Apple Games launch?

We first heard about a new gaming app/platform from Apple a few weeks ago, then a new site (games.apple.com) was discovered. It still doesn't have anything on the webpage, but was a good hint that something was on the horizon.

Now we've learned about the new service during the WWDC 25 keynote address, although we don't yet know when it will launch.

It's likely that it'll be part of the first iOS 26 release – which will probably arrive shortly before the iPhone 17 series handsets this September. That update will also include Apple's biggest OS redesign in a decade, with a new design language it calls "Liquid Glass".

This is a more interactive look with see-through backgrounds and icons. It's not clear (pardon the pun) whether Apple Games will get a similar aesthetic. From what we've seen so far, it might not.