Apple could soon take on Discord with a new App Store-like app for gamers

3 hours ago 2

The Apple Arcade app welcome page is seen on an iPhone, resting on a MacBook

(Image credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock / Apple)

Over the past few years, Apple has been building its devices’ gaming reputations, with Mac gaming finally taking off and the iPhone becoming an incredibly popular handheld for gamers of all stripes. Now, it looks like the company could be taking things a step further with an all-new app that would work as a kind of gaming App Store.

According to “reliable sources familiar with the matter” cited by 9to5Mac, Apple plans to launch a new app that “combines functionality from the App Store and Game Center in one place.” This could let you download games, discover new titles, message your friends in-game, and more.

The report from 9to5Mac states that the app will have a “Play Now” tab with “editorial content and game suggestions” from both the App Store and Apple Arcade. The new app will house challenges, leaderboards, achievements and information about upcoming gaming events, and would also integrate with your existing Game Center profile. Developers may even be able to distribute mini games using App Clips.

The article compares Apple’s gaming app to Microsoft’s Xbox app for iPhone, which lets you set a status, see your friends’ activities, find new games and browse your game library. The idea is that it could become a gaming hub that integrates features found in several other apps from Apple.

A new Discord rival?

Fortnite edited to be running on an iPhone

One of the more interesting features mentioned by 9to5Mac is one that might end up rivaling the Discord chat and calling app, which is very popular with gamers. The report states that Apple is “experimenting with some kind of integration with FaceTime and iMessage in its new gaming app – possibly to help players communicate with each other.”

Apple has tried various gaming strategies in the past, with the most prominent being Apple Arcade. This subscription service lets you pay $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$9.99 a month to gain access to a large library of ad-free games that work across multiple Apple devices.

Yet despite its promising premise, Apple Arcade has never really taken off or attracted AAA titles to its roster. That’s possibly because all of its games must work across a range of Apple products, from the iPhone to the Mac. Without being able to optimize for Apple’s more powerful systems, games are inevitably constrained in what they can do, which isn’t great news for Mac gamers.

It sounds like the gaming app unearthed by 9to5Mac would be a different beast, though. Offering a native way to communicate with other gamers might be the ace up its sleeve, but whether it will be able to convince people to ditch the incredibly popular Discord app is another matter.

It’s not clear if this app will be limited to the iPhone or brought to other devices like the Mac as well. However, 9to5Mac says it’s unknown whether Apple will release it as part of a future iOS 18 update or save it for iOS 19, suggesting it will come to Apple’s mobile devices at the very least. Whatever the case, it could help to strengthen Apple’s position as a company that takes gaming increasingly seriously.

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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