Apple Unveils Unified Games Hub for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Apple has announced a standalone Games app, launching this autumn, to serve as an integrated gateway for gaming across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Displaying a curated selection of titles, social features and gameplay updates in one centralised spot, the app aims to elevate gaming engagement and streamline discovery across Apple's ecosystem.
The new Games app will host five main sections: Home, Arcade, Play Together, Library and Search. Users will now see their entire App Store game library alongside Apple Arcade titles within a single interface. The Home tab surfaces timely events and update notices, while Arcade consolidates access to Apple's subscription service, which offers over 200 premium games. Customized recommendations will draw from past play habits, friends' activity, and Game Center leaderboards.
Apple is emphasising social engagement in the Play Together section, which brings Game Center friends into the spotlight. Users can track friends' playtime, compare achievements and invitation codes, and start challenges directly from the app. Challenges allow users to invite friends to beat each other's high scores in supported titles, effectively converting solo gameplay into competitive shared experiences. A Game Overlay feature will also allow players to access these tools while mid‑game on iPad and Mac.
ADVERTISEMENT
Developer reception has been positive: designers from Puzzmo, Doghowl Games and Triband have praised the app's social and discovery features, saying it offers 'a window back into their gaming worlds' and has potential to 'deepen player engagement'. Apple frames the app as an improved mechanism for studios to showcase in‑app events, leaderboards and notifications designed to retain players.
On the technical front, Apple is supporting the Games app launch with enhancements to its developer tools. At WWDC 2025, the company introduced the Metal 4 framework featuring AI‑driven frame interpolation and denoising for smoother performance on Apple Silicon, comparable to DLSS in competing platforms. It also demonstrated a Game Porting Toolkit designed to simplify the migration of Windows titles to Mac, signalling a renewed push to bring AAA content such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman to Mac users.
But Apple's ambitions extend beyond hardware and software improvements. While the new app is poised to replace the legacy Game Center interface, Apple has yet to confirm whether it will also extend to Apple TV or Vision Pro devices. The company's prior launch of Game Mode on macOS Sonoma and iOS suggests this package fits into a wider strategy to bolster device gaming capability.
Still, some commentators have questioned the app's impact, noting that it largely repackages App Store gaming features rather than introducing wholly new tools. Apple will need to leverage its design, developer support and AI enhancements to appeal to discerning gamers, particularly when competing with dedicated platforms.
Launch timing remains tethered to Apple's broader OS updates. The company plans to roll out iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe this autumn, coinciding with pre‑installing the Games app across device updates. Activation is expected to align with the annual iPhone launch cycle, traditionally in September, positioning gaming as a core feature in their next generation of devices.
Apple's renewed focus on gaming underscores its services-driven business model, with gaming representing one of the few remaining growth sectors amid declining hardware revenue. The integration of Apple Arcade, Game Center, and streamlined discovery tools reflects a strategy to deepen user engagement and capture a greater share of in-app spending.
At the same time, Apple's move supports developers by offering new avenues for monetisation through in‑app events and challenges. With over half a billion iPhone users identified as gamers by Apple, the company sees a vast, under‑tapped audience that could be mobilised via improved discovery and social connectivity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
19 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Apple executives held internal talks about buying Perplexity: Reports
Apple executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer, the report said, adding that the tech behemoth's executives have not discussed a bid with Perplexity's management. "We have no knowledge of any current or future MA discussions involving Perplexity," Perplexity said in response to a Reuters' request for comment. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Big tech companies are doubling down on investments to enhance AI capabilities and support growing demand for AI-powered services to maintain competitive leadership in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Bloomberg News also reported on Friday that Meta Platforms tried to buy Perplexity earlier this year. Meta announced a $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI last week and hired Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence unit. Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has weighed the idea with services chief Eddy Cue and top AI decision-makers, as per the report. The iPhone maker reportedly plans to integrate AI-driven search capabilities, such as Perplexity AI, into its Safari browser, potentially moving away from its longstanding partnership with Alphabet's Google. Banning Google from paying companies to make it their default search engine is one of the remedies proposed by the US Department of Justice to break up its dominance in online search. While traditional search engines such as Google still dominate global market share, AI-powered search options including Perplexity and ChatGPT are gaining prominence and seeing rising user adoption, especially among younger generations. Perplexity recently completed a funding round that valued it at $14 billion, Bloomberg News reported. A deal close to that would be Apple's largest acquisition so far. The Nvidia-backed startup provides AI search tools that deliver information summaries to users, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
16 billion passwords leaked in largest data breach, find researchers
In what is being touted as the largest data breach ever, 16 billion login credentials were found exposed. Researchers from Cybernews have discovered a number of supermassive datasets, with billions of login credentials. The findings were the result of an ongoing investigation that the team started at the beginning of 2025. So far, they've discovered 30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each. The leak includes billions of login credentials from social media, VPNs, developer portals and user accounts for all the major vendors. According to the report, most of the information followed a clear structure: URL, followed by login details and a password. They said that this is exactly how most modern infostealers – malicious software stealing sensitive information – collect data. Which services are affected? Researchers state that the the leak opened the door to 'pretty much any online service imaginable, from Apple, Facebook, and Google, to GitHub, Telegram, and various government services.' 'With over 16 billion login records exposed, cybercriminals now have unprecedented access to personal credentials that can be used for account takeover, identity theft, and highly targeted phishing' the researchers said. They emphasized that it is especially concerning alarming that these aren't just old breaches being recycled. 'This is fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale,' researchers said. How can you protect yourself? The researchers say that maintaining basic cyber hygiene is essential. You can use a password manager to generate strong, unique passwords, and update them regularly. Users should also review their systems for infostealers, to avoid losing their data to attackers.
Arabian Post
2 days ago
- Arabian Post
Massive 16 Billion Credential Leak Exposes Global Risk
Security researchers have uncovered an enormous password cache comprising 16 billion unique login credentials spanning major platforms such as Apple, Facebook, Google, Telegram, GitHub, VPN services and even government portals—making it the largest credential leak known to date. These credentials were harvested via at least 30 substantial datasets, some containing up to 3.5 billion records, indicating multiple infostealer malware operations operating at a large scale during 2025. Researchers found that the leaked datasets were transiently exposed in unsecured Elasticsearch and object‑storage instances, allowing brief public access before being shut down. Structures within the datasets included URLs, usernames and passwords, often accompanied by metadata such as tokens or cookies—making them ripe for phishing, credential stuffing and account hijacking. Analysts emphasise that the data is not a collection of old, recycled breaches: most records appear freshly harvested, enabling cybercriminals to exploit current and valid credentials in automated attacks. As one expert warned: 'This is not just a leak – it's a blueprint for mass exploitation… fresh, weaponizable intelligence at scale'. ADVERTISEMENT Infostealer malware—distributed through phishing links, fake software and compromised websites—has evolved into a pervasive threat under the malware‑as‑a‑service model. Such malware silently extracts browser‑stored credentials, cookies and session tokens before packaging and selling dumps on underground markets. The consequences are widespread. Cybercriminals can initiate credential stuffing across hundreds of services; craft highly convincing phishing emails; and mount identity theft, ransomware and business‑email‑compromise attacks. Records tied to Apple, Google and Facebook enhance the ease and effectiveness of targeted campaigns. It remains unclear how many unique users are affected, as overlapping credentials are present across the datasets. With over 5.5 billion internet users worldwide, many may have multiple accounts compromised. Security experts recommend immediate action. Users should deploy password managers to generate and store unique, complex passwords; enable multi‑factor authentication where available; and transition to passkey-based login systems, especially offered by Apple, Google and Microsoft. Regular system scans for infostealer malware and the avoidance of downloading cracked or unauthorised software are also advised. Organisations are under pressure to strengthen internal cybersecurity measures, including enforcing MFA, conducting regular training on phishing awareness and credential hygiene, and adopting zero‑trust frameworks. Endpoint protection and proactive threat monitoring have become essential amid this evolving threat landscape.
