In recent years, Apple has slowly been making games less of a second-hand thought. Even though mobile games have been prevalent since the early days of the iPhone, they've always been just there, floating in the aether, as part of the App Store. However, with Apple Arcade and now the launch of the Games app, well, Apple is looking to be the place to play your favorite mobile titles.
Finding something decent to play, unless you already know the best mobile games, is already hard enough on the App Store, but Apple's new Games app makes it even easier to find normal, worthwhile titles to play. Apple Arcade also has a discovery problem, despite its own menu in the App Store, but it's another issue that the best iPhones no longer suffer from.
The best Apple Arcade games feature plenty of recent additions, but there are plenty of older ones in the library that will be harder to find unless you know what you're looking for - there are over 200 games, and not all of them can get a spotlight at the top of the list. The Games app recommends games based on what you've already played, allowing you to get more value out of Apple Arcade. Love Disney Dreamlight Valley? Well, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is also one of the best cozy games, and it'll certainly fit your vibe.
With iPhone 17 pre-orders now live, this gives Apple a chance to put gaming into focus. Sure, I'm not expecting Apple to sell iPhone bundles with the best mobile controllers included, but the Games app is a way to tell developers that there's a dedicated home for players to find your titles, and you no longer have to struggle your way through 1000s of asset flips that fill the App Store.
It also removes the requirement for third-party apps. I love Razer Nexus, and while the Backbone app is great, the subscription behind it keeps me from using it, but neither will be as sleek as opening the first-party Games app and finding all of your favorites there, waiting to launch. If you're interested in joining Apple Arcade, you can use this link to get one month free.
Personally, I'm very anti-social and play the best single-player games, but the Play Together feature is brilliant alone. It's not an Apple Arcade-exclusive feature, but you can find your friends and invite each other to play some co-op games, which is worth keeping the Games app on your iPhone for alone.
It turns a standard iPhone into the best gaming phone and, paired with the right peripherals, makes it a great handheld console in its own right - so Apple Arcade is an even better value with the new Games app. However, we'll soon be testing out the new iPhone models, so make sure to join our Pocket Tactics Discord for our thoughts on those.