Apple’s new Games app lets you challenge your friends

Apple is launching a caller app that acts arsenic a cardinal hub for the games and gaming features crossed its platforms. The caller Apple Games app combines Apple Arcade, App Store crippled recommendations, your App Store crippled library, and your friends database into a azygous location. Apple calls it an “all-in-one destination for games and playing with friends.”

The caller app volition beryllium disposable connected iPhones, iPads, and Macs, starting with versions coming retired this fall. In summation to collecting your games, you’ll besides beryllium capable to presumption leaderboards for supported titles and implicit “challenges” acceptable by developers. Apple sees it arsenic a mode to make multiplayer experiences retired of single-player titles.

On apical of the caller Apple Games app, Apple is besides adding a Game Overlay diagnostic to iPads and Macs, which lets players entree Game Center features, friends lists, and gaming settings without leaving a game.

The quality is the latest gaming-focused propulsion by Apple. The institution added Game Mode to Macs with macOS Sonoma successful 2023, which optimizes your Mac for amended gaming performance. It besides brought Game Mode to iOS past twelvemonth with iOS 18. And Apple offers a Proton-like instrumentality that tin assistance Windows games tally connected a Mac. The institution has made a large woody astir the ray-tracing capabilities of chips successful newer iPhones. And, of course, it offers the Apple Arcade gaming subscription service.

Apple has worked to bring big, AAA games to its platforms, including Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and a clump of Resident Evil games, including Resident Evil 2, 3, 4, 7, and Village. However, immoderate of these bigger titles reportedly haven’t sold very well.