September is just a few weeks away, and so is the launch of the next generation of iPhones. Traditionally, Apple launches a new series around the same time each year. Simultaneously, iOS 26 will be coming to iPhones around the world, which will be accessible on multiple generations of the smartphone. Besides Liquid Glass, there will be something special — the new Apple Games app, a new way to engage those who love gaming. It will be the new all-in-one destination for all the games you play across iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Quick look at the app

We have been playing with the developer beta of iOS 26 for quite a few weeks, and now the first public beta is also out, while the full public version is expected in September.

Apple Games works as a central hub for all your gaming needs. It’s much more than just an evolved version of Apple’s Game Centre.

From the Home tab in Apple Games (left), players can get game recommendations based on play activity. Plus, with the app, it’s easier to compete and play with friends than ever before (centre). Also, Challenges in the Apple Games app are a new way to compete with friends in scorebased showdowns

The home screen offers plenty of relevant information around gaming, whether it’s promoting new games or showcasing your recent achievements or what your friends are up to.

There is a tab dedicated to Apple Arcade, which is similar to going to the tab dedicated to the gaming subscription service on App Store. But having it within the Apple Games app makes it appear seamless.

Another interesting tab is Play Together, which highlights all the challenges you are working on. It shows the challenges you have completed and how you stack up next to your friends. You can also hop over to multiplayer games.

Finally, there is the ‘library’ tab. You can dive into Apple Arcade or filter into the games you have installed or games that require controller support.

If you play mobile phone games, this can be a helpful app. It offers a sense of community and makes it easy to jump into any of your games.

A system-level hub

You may feel Apple is at the moment highlighting apps like Rodeo Stampede+ and NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition. What about AAA games? Also, some may compare the app to Razer Nexus hub or the Backbone app.

Apple Games (left) will be the best place to experience Apple Arcade and access over 200 award-winning and highly rated games. Also, players can see every game they have ever downloaded from the App Store, and dive back in where they left off

First, the perception of Apple hardware continues to evolve as it gets more powerful. The Mac is becoming a promising destination for AAA games, all because of the advancements that are being made by Apple’s M-series chips; it’s miles ahead of competition.

On the one hand, iPhone offers the most powerful gaming hardware for mobile games. There are over one billion gaming customers for the App Store, and this is a figure we are looking at from 2019. Gaming companies earn billions of dollars from Apple users.

Can the Mac address the PC gaming market? Yes. There have been plenty of gaming efforts from Apple in the last few years, particularly with its silicon improvements and developer tools. Recently, we’ve seen plenty of A-list titles arrive on the Mac, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Civilisation V11, Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil.

Take the case of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Mac. It includes all free content and updates. With support for features like frame generation and Mac exclusives such as built-in head-tracked Spatial Audio, the game brings Night City’s rich and complex streets to life. Different default presets are available, dependent on the hardware, to better tailor the experience for each Apple silicon chip.

Players using everything from M1 models to the recently released Macs with M4 and M3 family of chips — including the new iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and Mac Studio with M3 Ultra— can expect an experience optimised to their hardware and finely tuned to bring out the full capabilities of the Mac lineup.

For casual gamers, Apple Arcade offers a curated fix. But something new is needed to threaten Xbox, PlayStation or Steam.

The new Games app is not an update or a widget. It’s a system-level hub for every game you have ever played or downloaded across every Apple device you own.

It is a big shift in Apple’s approach to gaming and it might be exactly what the ecosystem needs.

Unify the gaming experience

Players can connect any compatible game controller for easy navigation around the Apple Games app

It can automatically pull games you own into one place. Download a game or launch it once, and the App would know. Even if the game is an old classic, the app will add it to the library. The app is not a re-skin of Game Centre. It’s a true cross-device gaming hub, but there is no Vision Pro or Apple TV support just yet. Hopefully, that will change soon.

If you have an Apple Arcade subscription, the app highlights top picks based on your habits. So you are always a tap away from something new.

Where it gets interesting is what it means for Mac users. For the first time, your entire Mac gaming history, no matter where the game came from, will be recognised. Apple is aiming to unify gaming and make it as seamless as it is on other platforms.

The app is clean, automatic and integrated into the OS. But it’s not just a library because it leans into social. Your friends and groups are all in one place, so you can see who is playing what, set up multiplayer sessions, or just flex your achievements. You can compete with friends.

The killer feature could well be Challenges. Developers can create time-limited score-based showdowns. Even if you are playing a single-player title, you can compete with friends to see who is at the top of the leaderboard and get notifications each time someone topples your high score.

At the backend is the discovery feature. The Games app personalises your recommendations based on what you actually play, not just what’s trending in downloads. For indie developers, this can be an important aspect, allowing hidden gems to be discovered.

Hardcore gamers are saying it’s about time Apple came up with the app. What about sceptics? They are asking for more AAA titles, which is rolling out

The Games app is a good shot at changing perceptions about the company’s relationship with the gaming community. Games will be way more easily discoverable, and play sessions will be more social. The whole experience will become more console-like. Your game library can travel with you, multiplayer is not an afterthought, and Mac gaming finally feels like something you can take seriously. If Apple plays it right, it can shift the narrative around gaming on Apple devices.

Features we hope to see

What the app can look at before the final version appears soon is a filter option for offline games. It would be helpful to go beyond just games with “controller support”, “installed games” and Apple Arcade. Any game should be able to designate the “offline” metadata, and that would get recorded under the filter.

Also, a screenshot sharing library would be helpful. If Apple can add metadata to screenshots, separating gaming screenshots from others, those can appear on the Games app.

Finally, hopefully the app will be available on Apple TV.