- Apple may be pushing further into games with a dedicated hub on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV 4K
- It will be a showcase for new titles available directly to platforms and through Apple Arcade.
- It is jerked to be announced on WWDC 2025, right after Nintendo Switch 2 launches
Between Apple Arcade on iPhone and iPad as well as the resurgence of game support on Mac since the debut of Apple Silicon, the Cupertino-based tech giant is eager to drive the growth of games across its various platforms. The saying you can play on Mac has expanded to almost all of its other platforms except for Apple Watch.
Now, a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman states that a dedicated app for video games will soon be advertised for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV 4K streaming box.
The report teases that it will arrive later in 2025 and that it will serve as a one-stop shop for games on these devices, offering easy access to the games themselves as well as “in-game results, leaderboards, communication and other activity.”
The hub acts as a home for Apple Arcade titles, Apple’s $ 6.99 per day. Monthly service that offers a number of mostly family-friendly games. These titles will stay in this new app along with editorial content, probably from the same team that supports the App Store, and it will replace the Game Center.
The latter has been a social networking feature for game titles on iPhone for quite a long time, but never as an independent app – instead it would flash when you first open a game that supports it, or be available when looking for leaderboards.
Given that Mac is included as a platform, and this dedicated game app is allegedly developed into it, it is consistent with Apple’s wider push for the various Macs on the market to be seen as powerful game devices. Baldur’s Gate 3At Lies of S.At Resident Evil 4and Death StrandingAmong many others are some AAA titles launched to Apple Silicon, and Cyberpunk 2077 will eventually arrive.
Given that the report says this dedicated app will also be integrated with the Mac App Store, where many of these titles are sold, Apple could place this as an alternative to Steam, making games more prominent and available on macOS.
The report also describes “A Mac version of the app that can take advantage of games downloaded outside the App Store” – a step that can appeal to players, developers and publishers.
It will be interesting to see if this dedicated app for these platforms arrives with a remarkable extension of titles to Apple Arcade or some other strengthened features for the streaming services.
Perhaps it will be the first time an AAA title will be gathered in, or rather, it will be announced with some other great titles that will be launched on Mac. A day and date release with other consoles has become more common, but it is clear that more work needs to be done to get more games that are being launched on Mac and more people playing.
The same could be said for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K and even Vision Pro – although the latter platform, Visionos, is not mentioned in the report as getting this dedicated app.
Bloomberg reports that although the Gaming app will be announced on Apple’s 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference – set to start on June 9, 2025 – it will not be sent until September 2025 along with the next version of iOS, iPados and MacOS. Of course, these dates can slip and Apple’s plan change, so we will have to track WWDC to see what’s coming to execution.
The timing of this report and the rumored message on WWDC 2025 places it just before and immediately after the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, which is scheduled for June 5, 2025.
However, that will not be the only message that day. We already expect iOS 19 and iPados 19 as well as the next generation of Visionos, MacOS and Tvos. This report also promises a new AI-driven battery tool to help stretch operating times, new health features, a redesigned Translate app and perhaps most exciting, a live translation feature to AirPods. The latter would continue Apple’s tradition of rolling out significant software updates and features for its earplugs at no extra cost.
If you are eager for this dedicated game or new platforms, the good news is that the opening key to WWDC 2025 is only 13 days away.
