The beautiful game just got bolder ⚽️🔥
Here’s your first look at FIFA Rivals gameplay, the fast-paced, arcade-style football game built for mobile 📲
Comment if you’re ready for FIFA Summer 👇 pic.twitter.com/EWMenBnYeO
— FIFA Rivals (@FIFARivals) May 29, 2025
Get the latest web3 gaming news, hear directly from gaming studios and influencers covering the space, and receive power-ups from our partners.
For years, Apple has been trying to convince the world that it’s taking gaming seriously, and with the popularity of IOS gaming and the appearance of AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 on macOS, there’s some truth to the company’s assertion.
Just in case you needed more convincing, there’s a new rumor from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman that Apple will soon launch a dedicated gaming app in iOS 19 to woo players to its platforms. As a Mac-owning gamer, I’m cautiously optimistic about the rumors – even if we still need more affordable hardware and games before it gets anywhere close to being a Windows competitor.
If you missed the news, the app will apparently “serve as a launcher for titles and centralize in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications and other activity,” Gurman said, adding that it will also feature “editorial content from Apple about new titles, offer access to the App Store’s game section and promote [Apple] Arcade.” It’s expected to be revealed on iOS, macOS, iPadOS and tvOS as soon as Apple’s WWDC 2025 event on June 9.
You may like
The move makes sense – after all, the iPhone is a phenomenally popular gaming platform, and announcing a move like this at WWDC could help to cement the popularity of iOS 19 before it’s even out the door. Apple might also be hoping that it will tempt more gamers to switch from Windows to the Cupertino firm’s platforms – but on this point, I’m not entirely convinced.
(Image credit: Apple)
This app might work well in iOS 19, where gaming tends to be a little more casual than on desktop computers. But things might look very different on macOS.
As a gamer who also owns a Mac, I’ve been encouraged over the last few years by Apple’s strides in the gaming world. It’s nowhere near parity with Windows yet, but the situation today is much better than it was just a few years ago.
For a long time, the problem was the chicken-and-egg nature of Mac gaming. Gamers didn’t want to switch to macOS due to the lack of games, and developers didn’t want to bring games to the Mac due to the lack of players. That’s slowly starting to change, with big-name titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Baldur’s Gate 3 helping to dispel the idea that the Mac is a gaming wasteland.
However, the impact of a dedicated gaming app will likely be limited. Beyond my contention that gamers care more about hardware and game availability than launcher apps, Gurman is also skeptical, saying that “testers of the software say it probably won’t change the perception among players and makers of high-end titles.”
Any advance for gaming on Apple’s platforms is welcome in my eyes, and this app could help by making gaming more prominent among users of iOS and macOS. But what’s really needed – on the Mac at least – is a greater number of attention-grabbing titles and more affordable access to components that offer exceptional gaming performance.
Until that happens, Windows will always be the destination of choice for gamers.
A new report has lend further credence to last year’s claims Apple is working on game-focused iOS app that’ll integrate store, social features, achievements and more – with the company now said to be “seeking to sell gamers and developers on the idea that it’s a leader in the market.”
Word that Apple was looking to expand its gaming strategy with a dedicated iOS app first surfaced last year, when news site 9to5 Mac reported efforts were underway at the company to combine the functionality of iOS’ App Store and its long-defunct Game Center service – which previously offered a centralised place to view likes of challenges, leaderboards, and achievements before the app was removed from iOS in 2016.
And now, eight months later, Bloomberg has corroborated 9to5’s story with a similar report, saying Apple is looking to preinstall the new gaming app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV set-top boxes later this year. There’s also talk of a Mac version, capable of displaying games downloaded outside of the App Store. As in 9to5’s earlier report, Bloomberg – citing “people with knowledge of the matter” – says the app will serve as a launcher for games and centralise in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activities.
Apple now owns Sneaky Sasquatch developer RAC7.Watch on YouTube
It’ll reportedly also feature internally produced editorial content highlighting new games available within the app, which will include those from the App Store’s game section and the company’s Apple Arcade game subscription service. Bloomberg says the app is due to launch as part of Apple’s next iOS version, iOS 19, and will be showcased during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference on 9th June ahead of a September arrival.
Apple’s push to create a prominent games destination for iOS users does, of course, follow the EU’s mandate last year that Apple must allow sideloading and alternate marketplaces on its devices to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Since then, a number of third-party marketplaces have taken advantage of the EU’s new rules, most notably the Epic Games Store.
A new game-focused iOS app from Apple would mark another small step in the company’s slowly evolving gaming strategy, which has so far included the launch of its Apple Arcade games subscription service in 2019, new tools to help developer easily port their Mac games to iOS, and even a push to woo major publishers like Capcom and Ubisoft onto its platform in recent years – although efforts to sell full-price AAA games such as Resident Evil 7, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage to iOS users have reportedly proved disappointing.
Reports of Apple’s new app come as the company announces its first video game studio acquisition. It now owns RAC7, the two-person studio responsible for Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch – although an Apple spokesperson told Digital Trends the move was a “unique circumstance”, as it saw an opportunity to help the team grow its game further.
Fortnite, Epic Games’ mega-popular battle royale, is back on the iOS App Store in the U.S. nearly five years after being removed. Apple kicked Fortnite off the iOS App Store in 2020 after Epic added its own payment system, violating Apple’s at-the-time rules and preventing Apple from receiving kickback fees.
However, after the court in Epic’s case against the iPhone maker ruled in favor of Epic last month, preventing Apple from taking kickback fees from purchases made outside of apps in the U.S., the game has finally returned to the iOS App Store. It’s also available in the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU now.
You can see the game in the iOS App Store here. Players jumping in on mobile will find the battle royale in the middle of a shortened Star Wars season featuring characters like Jar-Jar Binks, Darth Jar-Jar, General Grievous, and more. Check out a trailer of the Star Wars action below:
Are you going to play Fortnite on your iPhone now that you can again? Let us know in the comments below!
Spotify is continuing to add more ways for listeners to directly make purchases within its iOS app. Following on the streaming service’s changes to make purchasing subscriptions easier earlier this month, there’s now an an option for users to buy audiobooks in Spotify.
“Spotify submitted a new app update that Apple has approved: Spotify users in the United States can now see pricing, buy individual audiobooks and purchase additional ‘Top Up’ hours for audiobook listening beyond the 15 hours included in Premium each month,” the company said in its updated blog post.
The wave of changes stem from the ongoing court case between Apple and Epic Games surrounding fees for purchases made outside the App Store. While things appear to be swinging in favor of app and service providers, Apple is likely to continue challenging the rulings even as it makes changes to allow for external payment options.