Apple might be close to launching a dedicated hub for gaming on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Date:
Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Description:
A new report says that Apple is close to announcing a dedicated gaming hub
app for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K and it signals a deeper push into gaming for the Cupertino-based tech giant.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Apple might push further into gaming with a dedicated hub on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K It'll be a showcase for new titles available directly for the platforms and through Apple Arcade. It's rumored to be announced at WWDC
2025, right after the Nintendo Switch 2 launches

Between Apple Arcade on the iPhone and iPad, as well as the resurgence of
game support on the Mac since the debut of Apple Silicon, the Cupertino-based tech giant is eager to drive the growth of gaming across its various platforms. The adage that you can game on the Mac has extended to nearly all its other platforms aside from the Apple Watch.

Now, a new report from Bloombergs Mark Gurman indicates that a dedicated app for video games will be announced soon for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple
TV 4K streaming box.

The report teases that itll arrive later in 2025 and that it will serve as a one-stop shop for gaming on these devices, offering easy access to the games themselves as well as in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activity. (Image credit: Future)

The hub will serve as a home for Apple Arcade titles, Apples $ 6.99-per-month service offering a variety of mostly family-friendly games. These titles will reside in this new app alongside editorial content, likely from the same team that supports the App Store, and it will replace Game Center.

The latter has been a social network feature for game titles on the iPhone
for quite some time, but never as a standalone app instead, it would flash when you first open a game that supports it, or be accessible when you look for leaderboards.

Considering the Mac is included as a platform, and this dedicated gaming app is supposedly being developed for it, it aligns with Apples broader push for the various Macs on the market to be seen as powerful gaming devices. Baldurs Gate 3 , Lies of P , Resident Evil 4 , and Death Stranding , among many others, are some AAA titles that have launched for Apple Silicon, and Cyberpunk 2077 will eventually arrive.

Given that the report states this dedicated app will also integrate with the Mac App Store, where many of these titles are sold, Apple could be
positioning this as an alternative to Steam, making gaming more prominent and accessible on macOS.

The report also describes a Mac version of the app that can tap into games downloaded outside of the App Store a move that could appeal to gamers, developers, and publishers alike.

Itll be interesting to see if this dedicated app for these platforms arrives with a notable expansion of titles for Apple Arcade or some other bolstered features for the streaming services.

Maybe, itll be the first time a AAA title gets bundled in, or rather, itll be announced alongside some other major titles launching on the Mac. A day and date release with other consoles has become more common, but its clear that more work needs to be done to get more games launching on the Mac and more people playing.

The same could be said for the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, and even the Vision Pro though the latter platform, visionOS, isnt mentioned in the report as getting this dedicated app. (Image credit: Apple/Future)

Bloomberg reports that while the gaming app will be announced at Apples 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference set to kick off on June 9, 2025 it wont
ship until September 2025, alongside the next version of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Of course, these dates slip and Apples plan could change, so well need to track WWDC to see what comes to fruition.

The timing of this report and the rumored announcement at WWDC 2025 places it right before and immediately after the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 ,
which is scheduled for June 5, 2025.

It wont be the only announcement that day, though. Were already expecting iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 as well as the next generation of visionOS, macOS, and tvOS. This report also promises a new AI-powered battery tool to help stretch runtimes, new health capabilities, a redesigned Translate app, and, maybe
most exciting, a live translation feature for AirPods . The latter would continue Apples tradition of rolling out significant software updates and features for its earbuds at no additional cost.

If youre keen for this dedicated gaming app or new platforms, the good news
is that the opening keynote for WWDC 2025 is only 13 days away. You might
also like Apples next big event is officially coming in June heres what to expect from WWDC 2025 5 things I want from the iPhone 17 or Im out and back to Android iOS 19: new features, a new design, and everything you need to know



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/mac-os/apple-might-be-close-to-launching-a -dedicated-hub-for-gaming-on-the-mac-iphone-and-ipad


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