Like many, I am basically a sucker when it comes to Apple tech. I don’t get a new phone every year, or a MacBook, or a watch (I am a games journalist; let’s be reasonable), but I am always eager to get the new AirPods. With the exception of my phone, they are my most-used pieces of technology. I always have a podcast going, or they’re connected to my Switch 2, or my TV – I use them a lot. It’s a roundabout way to say, I got the new AirPods Pro 3 today, which required an update to iOS version 26. I fear change, so I don’t like the way it looks and animates (I will get over it), but I was surprised to see a new dedicated Games app.
I love this conceptually. As it stands now, I have a few folders on my phone labeled things like Apple Arcade, Games, and of course, Games II. I don’t like organizing them, and they have become unwieldy because I download a lot of games on my phone – far more than I actually play. I am fully on board with a separate app that automatically organizes them. It’s functionally like Steam. I don’t know if it will be as good as Steam, but I appreciate that Apple is trying to make a place to organize all of it. It will also, I hope, help with comparing high scores with friends and all that. Those elements have been available for some time, but it’s been hard to track up to this point.
All of this is to say, if you like playing games on your iPhone, don’t be scared of the new update.