Apple is replacing the Game Center app with a much more comprehensive solution that’ll also house titles from its Apple Arcade subscription platform.
Announced as part of iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe during the WWDC keynote, the app is a central repository for games on the best iPhone models.
It’ll feature quick access to the user’s library of downloaded games and has a dedicated tab for the 200+ games available with Apple Arcade.
There’ll also be the ability to jump into multiplayer experiences through the Play Together tab, enabling users to challenge friends and family. Meanwhile, the games you’ve been enjoying will appear within a Continue Playing menu on the home page.
There’ll also be an element of the App Store’s Games page with menus like “New Games We Love”, which will encouraging users to download some new titles.
Familiar features from the Game Center app, like leaderboards and challenges, will also be integrated within the Games app.
“Apple Games is a new app that gives players an all-in-one destination for their games. It helps players jump back into titles they love, find their next favourite, and have even more fun with friends,” Apple says in a Newsroom post. “They’ll find out what’s happening across all their games, including major events and updates, so they never miss a moment. The Games app is also the best way to experience Apple Arcade, Apple’s game subscription service with more than 200 award-winning and highly rated games for the whole family.”
The new Games app also be available for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. On Mac a tap on a controller will bring up a new game overlay that enables users to customise their favourite settings. Although it wasn’t mentioned during the keynote, we’d expect it to be on tvOS too.
Opinion
Given Apple is likely to be under pressure to allow the likes of Xbox and Epic to set up their own game repositories on the iPhone, this move makes plenty of sense.
It looks like a good way for users to access all of their games rather than swiping through multiple homes screens to find individual game icons scattered around the OS.
Game Center never really hit its potential and had an odd place within the OS, so it makes sense that Apple would incorporate it within a central app that guides users to the best of gaming and iOS and beyond.
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