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Apple plans to announce a dedicated video game app for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS at WWDC next month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.
The app will reportedly come pre-installed on devices and replace Game Center, serving as a central hub for launching games and tracking in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activities.
The app will feature editorial content for new games and promote Arcade, the company’s $6.99-a-month subscription that provides access to a curated collection of premium games. It will also provide direct access to the App Store’s game section. On Mac, it will allow users to download games outside the App Store.
Overall, the move aims to improve the gaming experience on Apple devices. Currently, many gamers find better performance on Windows PCs and other gaming systems.
According to Gurman, Apple’s new app is expected to be announced on June 9, just days after Nintendo’s Switch 2 console launches. It will debut on Apple devices with iOS 19 in September, which is also when the iPhone 17 series is expected to be released.
Notably, Gurman’s report arrived on the same day that Apple confirmed its first-ever gaming studio acquisition. Apple now owns RAC7, the studio behind Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch.
“We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the 2-person RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work on it with us,” Apple tells Digital Trends. “We will continue to deliver a great experience for Apple Arcade players with hundreds of games from many of the best game developers in the world.”
Gurman’s rumors also align with a 9to5Mac report from last year, which stated that Apple was prepping a dedicated app for games.
Apple's annual developer conference is reportedly also set to unveil a major, uniform UI overhaul for all of its operating systems.