I have been making an attempt to make use of my iPhone as a transportable gaming machine for years, however I usually hit the identical roadblocks when making an attempt to have it change my Nintendo Switch after I journey. And it isn’t for lack of Apple and different firms placing within the effort, as there are tons of video games obtainable for the iPhone, between titles that run straight from the system to more-intensive video games that I can stream over a robust web connection.
Gaming on the iPhone is extra convoluted than it needs to be, and it is frankly simpler to do on Android. For instance, the openness of Android’s working system makes it simple for me to put in alternate shops just like the Epic Video games Retailer. There’s additionally an extended historical past of firms creating Android telephones which can be optimized for gaming, providing high-refresh shows and responsive screens which can be simpler to make use of for fast-paced video games.
However Apple seems to be refining its gaming expertise with iOS 26, partly with a brand new Video games app that serves as a devoted hub just like what I see on gaming telephones from RedMagic and Asus.
Nevertheless, it should take greater than including a flowery gaming menu to make the iPhone really feel extra like a Steam Deck or a Change. Listed here are just a few of the problems I expertise when making an attempt to game on the go with the iPhone, and what I feel Apple might do with the iPhone 17 and iOS 26 to supply a extra compelling various to extra conventional platforms.
The Spine One gives an excellent grip for taking part in video games however at $100 it is costly.
The iPhone 17 wants an excellent controller
There are such a lot of choices for connecting gaming controllers to an iPhone, however none match precisely proper. I’ve bought clips that permit me tether my iPhone with an Xbox controller, that are comparatively low cost and straightforward to seek out between $10 and $30. These are nice for letting me use my console controller with the iPhone, and I can select to both use a Bluetooth connection or hardwire my controller to the iPhone. But they don’t seem to be nice to be used whereas on a prepare or for lengthy durations, as a result of they begin feeling heavy, as they assist the whole iPhone’s weight. To not point out my concern {that a} bumpy second on the prepare may shake the cellphone out of the clip, probably resulting in an unwelcome fumble for my cellphone.
In order for you a extra snug gaming expertise, controllers just like the Spine One allow you to slot your iPhone in prefer it’s a Nintendo Change. These are essentially the most best as a result of you’ve gotten a stable grip in your system, have console-like controls, and — within the case of the Spine — you are hardwired into the controller to scale back latency. However at $100, the Backbone One particularly is kind of costly (I used to be thrilled when a colleague had a evaluation unit I might borrow). The iPhone itself is an costly system, and I do not need to should spend an additional $100 on a controller simply to make it higher for gaming.
Apple has dodged the matter of getting an excellent gaming controller by lending its endorsement to a wide range of merchandise. Generally you may even see the Apple TV paired up with Sony’s DualShock controller at an Apple Retailer for Apple Arcade demos. Whereas I do recognize the iPhone’s common compatibility with totally different gaming controllers, it’d assist if Apple had been to formally accomplice with not less than one controller for what the corporate would take into account an “best” expertise for gaming on the iPhone. Maybe it might be a controller grip that makes use of MagSafe as an attachment, or perhaps a controller created in partnership with a third-party like 8BitDo. The objective would not be to interchange the liberty of utilizing any controller you need however to maybe convey a coherent expertise to what could be essentially the most best solution to even get began with taking part in video games in your iPhone.
Sayonara Wild Hearts launched on Apple Arcade and may be performed on the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV (pictured right here) with the subscription. Or you might purchase it on a console and simply personal it.
Apple Arcade’s subscription is good however not versatile
When the Apple Arcade subscription service launched in 2019, it promised a library of high-quality video games that may largely be exclusives and run regionally on the iPhone. Six years later, Apple Arcade continues to be right here however has turn out to be a spot the place some video games turn out to be trapped. As an example, Sega launched Sonic Dream Workforce in 2023 on Apple Arcade to largely positive reviews. Two years later, Sonic Dream Workforce continues to be solely obtainable on Apple Arcade and there is not even an possibility to only purchase the sport a la carte.
Whereas streaming exclusives are frequent on video companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime, for gaming it isn’t best for me to solely have the ability to entry a title whereas I’ve an active subscription. I wish to play by way of plenty of video games briefly doses. Whereas Sonic Dream Workforce is not a protracted recreation, it is one which I might most likely play over a span of months in between Fortnite matches or taking part in Sonic Mania.
As a result of Apple Arcade focuses solely on cell platforms, a few of these titles do get launched on consoles and the PC. As an example, Sayonara Wild Hearts launched on Apple Arcade and on all three main consoles. It is a recreation that I nonetheless take pleasure in — particularly the narration by Queen Latifah and its beautiful artwork type — and it is one which I merely bought on Nintendo Switch to make it simpler to entry than on sustaining an Apple Arcade subscription.
Xbox Recreation Move streaming runs inside an internet app, which does certainly look so much like a local app downloaded from the App Retailer. However there are small quirks that remind you that it’s working inside an internet browser.
Let streaming apps run natively on the iPhone 17
Apple has a sophisticated relationship with recreation streaming companies. As an example, when Microsoft wished to convey Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (then known as Xcloud) in 2020 to the iPhone, Apple apparently blocked the attempt and required Microsoft to individually record every recreation on the service as a separate app within the App Retailer. Microsoft responded by creating an internet app that circumvents the necessity to get Apple’s approval, which continues to be in use in the present day for streaming titles from the Xbox Recreation Move library. It is a related scenario for Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service and the defunct Stadia service from Google.
I have been utilizing Xbox Recreation Move Final on the iPhone by way of this internet app for years and, whereas it largely works, there’s undoubtedly some kinks to this workaround. I usually must log again into the online app if it has been just a few days since I’ve final used it, and despite the fact that the app is designed nicely, I am unable to assist however assume that the online app introduces some extra latency to the expertise. Whereas this isn’t one thing I can check, I can say that cloud gaming continues to be highly-dependent on a robust web connection, and even with a 5G web sign it is usually difficult to make use of a cloud gaming service for a protracted time period.
I might wish to see Apple dial down a few of these necessities as a result of it simply serves as a barrier for me from accessing video games that I play by way of a subscription I pay for. A cloud gaming service like Xbox Recreation Move would possible have the ability to take higher benefit of the iPhone by working as an area app, and hopefully present higher efficiency as a result of utilizing such a service is bandwidth-intensive. By limiting these companies additional to only a internet app, it is blocking them.
Apple does permit some recreation streaming in restricted circumstances on apps you possibly can obtain from the App Retailer. You may stream a recreation that is in your console utilizing Microsoft’s Xbox app or Sony’s PS Distant Play app, which is then reliant on the power of your house web connection to stream to your cellphone. You too can use Nvidia’s GeForce Now to stream some video games you personal from shops like Steam.
Now is a superb time for Apple to make the iPhone a gaming system
With the price of know-how fluctuating proper now partly due to tariffs, it is a notably opportune time for Apple to make the iPhone a extra pleasant place to recreation. We’re already seeing costs rise throughout all Xbox consoles and older Nintendo Switch handhelds. If Apple might place the iPhone as a simple solution to play console-quality titles while not having to purchase extra {hardware}, an argument might be made that your cellphone might be sufficient for transportable gaming.
We’ll possible discover out extra about Apple’s plans for gaming every time the corporate announces the iPhone 17, which is presumed to happen this fall. You too can try early impressions of the Games app in iOS 26, which my colleague Zachary McAuliffe has been testing.
