Is the iPhone Finally a Serious Gaming Machine?
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Apple’s iPhone has come a long way in gaming over the past two decades. When the first-generation iPhone came out in 2007, we were limited to web-based games like Bejeweled. Now, in 2025, we can play AAA games on our handsets, like Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Can Your iPhone Replace Your Xbox, PS5, or Switch?
But, does a decent selection of AAA games make the iPhone a serious gaming machine? Can your iPhone replace your favorite PC or gaming console as your favorite way to play games? Can you get the same gaming satisfaction by tapping your iPhone’s screen that you can from pushing buttons on an Xbox or PlayStation controller? (Yes, I know they make iPhone-compatible controllers, which we’ll discuss later).
Has the iPhone finally come into its own as a gaming machine, or is it merely a good way to pass time when you forget your Switch or Steam Deck, or until you get back home to your gaming console?
The iPhone and Gaming
In the nearly 20 years the iPhone has been around, game developers have created some impressive games, most of these without any real assistance from Apple.
Thankfully, Apple has remedied that in recent years by adding new features like Game Mode, which optimizes gaming performance by minimizing background processes and reducing Bluetooth latency for gaming controllers and headphones.
Apple’s most recent generations of iPhone models are powered by Apple Silicon-based processors that have close to the same computing power as the Mac’s M-Series chips, providing more than enough processing and graphical power to deliver impressive graphics and intelligent opponents in games.
The A18 chips that power the current iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineups provide hardware-accelerated ray tracing for the same type of lighting and graphical fidelity you see in PC and console games. This allows for more realistic graphics and definitely makes mobile gaming on the iPhone more attractive to “real” gamers.
It’s likely that the upcoming A19 chip (or A26 chip if Apple decides to use their new OS naming convention for its chips) will offer even more raw power and improved graphics capabilities.
iOS 26 and the Apple Games App
Apple unveiled iOS 26 last week, which should be released to the public in September. The upcoming software update brings new features that make the iPhone even more attractive to gamers.
The Apple Games app, which will debut in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26, will act as a destination for gamers, allowing them to easily find games, jump back into games they’ve been playing, and share their favorite games with their friends and family.
The Games app will act as a central location that provides access to the games in the App Store, the Apple Arcade games subscription service, and more. Game Center connections will carry over to the Games app, so all of your friends and groups will still be there for you. It will also be easier to share your achievements, send friend invites and party links via Messages, and jump right into challenges or head-to-head matches.
Remember when I mentioned using controllers with your iPhone? iOS 26 will make it possible to use familiar game controllers, like the PS5 controller, with your iPhone. Plus, several third parties make controllers that are compatible with the iPhone (and iPad and Mac) that can be used via Bluetooth or that connect directly to your iPhone via its USB-C port.
Is Apple Really Getting Serious About Mobile Gaming?
Most reports I’ve seen indicate that two-thirds of Apple’s App Store revenue comes from gaming. So it is definitely to Apple’s advantage to get serious about mobile gaming. While the iPhone isn’t ready to compete head-to-head with Nintendo’s recently released Switch 2, the advancements it has made in both iPhone hardware and software do show that Apple is ready to get serious. Now we’ll just have to wait and see if developers and gamers are also ready to make the iPhone a serious gaming machine.
