gaming

Are you ready for some football?! Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition is now available on Apple’s game subscription service, bringing EA Sports’ blockbuster football franchise to iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro without ads or in-app purchases.

It’s the first time the Madden series has been offered through Apple Arcade, giving subscribers a premium version of one of gaming’s most popular sports franchises.

“Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition is a chance to bring the most authentic NFL experience to a new audience of football fans, letting them play and compete as the league’s most elite players, or take control as GM and shape a franchise,” said Evan Dexter, EA’s vice president of Franchise Strategy and Marketing.

Got a game idea but no idea about how to code it? Roblox just made that far easier. The company is now rolling out Build, a new AI game creation tool for iPhone and iPad. Simply type a prompt in plain English, and Build turns it into a playable — no desktop editor required.

Roblox is betting that generative AI can dramatically lower the barrier to game development.

Mac gaming has a complicated history — years of sparse game libraries and hardware that PC gamers dismissed out of hand. But something shifted with Apple silicon, and the Cult of Mac Setups archive has tracked it in real time. Here are the best Mac gaming setups from the past several years.

The new Serafim S3 Universal Mobile Game Controller is an Apple MFi-certified accessory that aims to bring console-level gaming to iPhone users with Hall effect magnet-based joysticks and more, the company said Monday. Priced at $89.99, S3 is available now on Amazon and the Serafim website.

The Ohsnap Mcon doesn’t just rethink the mobile gaming controller — it practically throws the old playbook in the trash, delivering one of the most flexible and genuinely portable ways to play on the market today.

Even better, you can easily use it with your iPhone, but also your iPad and Mac.

I spent many hours playing games with the innovative controller — here’s why I love it.

Update: Apple Arcade subscribers can now get access to one of gaming’s most legendary franchises — Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Arcade Edition, arriving on the service Thursday. It’s a first for Apple Arcade, though it joins some other civ- and sim- game options on the App Store.

And other new titles join it at the same time on Apple Arcade: the Retrocade collection of classic arcade games, the whimsical adventure Felicity’s Door and the I Love Hue Too+ puzzle game.

The OhSnap Mcon mobile gaming controller magnetically attaches to an iPhone to add joysticks, buttons, triggers and a D-pad. It’s very portable and uses an innovative design that includes flip-out grips for more comfortable play.
OhSnap unveiled the Mcon a year ago, and it finally reached customers on Tuesday.

Looking to level up your Apple ecosystem? The Mac mini packs serious punch in a pint-sized package that’ll make you wonder how you ever lived without it. Apple users love the little desktop machine — as our roundup of best Mac mini setups below shows.  

Early benchmark scores for the A19 Pro chip in the just-announced iPhone 17 Pro show a whopping 40% increase in graphics performance compared to last year’s model. The boost in overall performance isn’t nearly so dramatic, however.

We also have a preliminary benchmark for the A19 in the base model iPhone 17, and it’s apparently going to be just slightly faster than its most recent predecessor.

The new Maono DM40 Pro Wireless Gaming Microphone brings professional-grade audio quality and cool features like AI voice effects, the company said Tuesday. Also sporting Apple-esque design sensibilities, the new mic looks like a great companion for your Mac gaming and streaming setup. And you can get 10% off right now, too.

The Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro is a retro-style gaming console preloaded with more than 70,000 classic games. It also lets you use your favorite streaming apps to watch videos. It’s great for any household — and a perfect gift for any gamer on your list.

This retro games and streaming console is on sale now for just $89.97 with free shipping. However, that deep discount won’t last much longer.

Sennheiser’s latest offering are the new HD 550 open-back headphones, designed to bridge the gap between audiophile-grade sound quality and gaming performance, the company said Wednesday. For Mac users who demand great audio whether they’re working with Logic Pro, enjoying Apple Music with lossless audio or diving into the latest Apple Arcade titles, these headphones promise to deliver a compelling listening experience.

“Audiophiles looking for featherlight headphones with honest voicing and deep bass extension are in for a treat,” said Sennheiser Audiophile Product Manager Klas Hanselmann. “While the HD 550’s airy detail is obvious, customers will fall in love with its delightfully polite touch — perfect for listening for hours on end.”

For people who have only used membrane keyboards in office and at home, whether Magic Keyboard or similar wares from the likes of Logitech, mechanical keyboards can be a tempting world to check out — especially for gamers (because mechanical keystrokes hit at the same time won’t cancel each other out). And mech-keeb customization can be fun. But where to start? Today’s MacBook Pro and gaming PC setup puts forward an excellent candidate for an affordable mechanical keyboard.

The updated version of Capcom’s classic Resident Evil 2 horror game can now be played on recent iPhone, iPad and Mac computers. And the cost has been slashed by 75% for a short time.

It’s the latest in the long-running series to hit Apple devices.

Apple is set to bolster Apple Arcade gaming with three exciting new titles in September. NFL Retro Bowl ’25 headlines the additions. It’s an exclusive collaboration between the National Football League and the creators of the popular App Store game Retro Bowl.

The new Scuf Nomad makes playing advanced games on your iPhone much more fun by adding physical buttons, triggers and sticks. It’s designed to go where you go, and works on nearly every iPhone.

The controller emphasizes customization, allowing you to change what the buttons do even if the game itself doesn’t support that. And there are rear paddles in addition to all the usual controls.

I happily played hours of games on the Nomad — here’s what it’s like to use.

VPNs are beneficial for gamers and streaming viewers, but they also enhance security and ensure privacy while you’re online, making them useful for all internet users.

Below we look at whether Mac users need to use a VPN device. We also provide information for those questioning VPN safety and wanting to how to choose a service that improves online security and privacy. One big question many users have is whether a free service offers the kind of protection you’re looking for while online. According to software reviews expert Aleksander Stevanovic, free VPNs don’t necessarily enhance security but might actually compromise your system. So, should you use a paid alternative? Let’s find out.

Aiming to maximize your mobile gaming setup? You’ll need the right monitor to do that. And for a limited time, we’re offering special pricing on an impressive upgrade. Featuring a 144Hz refresh rate, this 16-inch UXbox 2K portable monitor is currently available for only $219.99 (regularly $329) with no coupon required.

That’s more than 30% off a product that is primed to provide immersive gameplay on the go via versatile connectivity.

Not being huge PC gamers, we aren’t particularly familiar with NZXT, a company based in Los Angeles that makes high-performance gaming PCs and the gear that goes with them. So when we saw today’s M1 Mac mini setup looking like a giant ad for NZXT, we thought we’d give it a look. The user loves his NZXT Relay lineup of gear, including powerful speakers and a wired headset with a surprisingly functional stand.

Serious gamers will soon have a compact and highly equipped new input device to try — the Logitech Pro X 60 Lightspeed Gaming Keyboard. The Swiss peripherals giant said this week it designed the sleek board with leading gamers.

Drop, owned by gaming powerhouse Corsair, rolled out the compact new CSTM65, a 65% mechanical keyboard, the company said Wednesday. It allows a high degree of personalization much like the larger, recently released CSTM80.

Believe it or not, a video game you know and love could turn into a fulfilling, lifelong career. And we’re not just talking about esports, where pro gamers compete for cash and prestige. For instance, driving simulator Gran Turismo could set you up for success on a real racetrack. Or factory simulator Satisfactory could prepare you for a role in project management.

The Apple A3 series processors make the latest Macs into powerful gaming machines. And macOS Sonoma includes tools to make porting PC games to Mac much easier. As a gamer myself, these are very welcome moves.

But right now, Apple is taking a “build it and they will come” attitude. History shows there’s an important step needed to turn Mac into a serious competition for PC and gaming consoles: CEO Tim Cook and Co. need to put their money where their mouths are and financially encourage top game developers to bring their products to macOS.

That might even include buying one or more game developers.

Apple said Tuesday it will add four new games and more than 30 updates and events to Apple Arcade in August.

New games include a revival of Sega’s classic rhythm game Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go, puzzle games Nekograms+ and Kingdoms: Merge & Build, and indie puzzle-remix game finity.

“Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go is coming soon to Apple Arcade with exciting new songs and a series first Story Mode only found on the service,” said Ian Curran, president and chief operating officer of Sega of America.

Razer, known for gaming gear, sounded off Tuesday with its first in-ear monitors (IEM) — Razer Moray.

Designed for gamers and streamers, the new wired earbuds emphasize THX-certified audio, natural noise isolation and lightweight comfort for long gaming and streaming sessions, the company said.