YouTube Launches 'Playables' Mobile Games for iOS

YouTube is the latest company to introduce mobile games that are available outside of the App Store, today announcing the official launch of "Playables" in the YouTube app.

youtube playables
Playables are free games that can be played on the YouTube website or in the YouTube app for iPhone and iPad. There are more than 75 games available, including Angry Birds Showdown and Cut the Rope.

YouTube is focusing on "lightweight, entertaining games," so many of the options are games that are meant to be played for a short period of time rather than longer games that you might find on the ‌App Store‌. Game progress is saved, and YouTube keeps track of all-time best scores.

Playables have been available for a small number of users in select markets as YouTube has tested the feature, but as of today, the games are rolling out to everyone and are more widely available. Playables can be accessed in the iOS app by going to the Explore menu and choosing the Playables section.

Netflix has offered a selection of in-app games since 2021, and has started testing games on the Apple TV as well. Other companies like The New York Times also offer dedicated games.

Tag: YouTube

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3.1 Update for iPhones Coming Soon as 'Apple Experience' Nears

Sunday February 22, 2026 5:29 pm PST by
Apple's software engineers are testing iOS 26.3.1, according to the MacRumors visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.3.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, and it will likely be released within the next two weeks. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.2.1 with bug fixes and support for the second-generation...
tim cook data privacy day

Tim Cook Warned by CIA That China Could Move on Taiwan by 2027

Tuesday February 24, 2026 4:03 am PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook was among a handful of top tech executives who attended a classified CIA briefing warning that China could attack Taiwan by 2027, according to a sweeping investigative report by The New York Times ($). The previously unreported briefing was apparently held in a secure room in Silicon Valley in July 2023. The meeting is said to have been arranged at the request of the...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
23 months ago
I saw this cluttering up my YouTube app and immediately thought "WTH is this junk?"

Ugh..
Just more unwanted distracting clutter

(and I'm a YT Premium sub!)

Now I get to click "not interested" on both Shorts and these games .... all the time because they keep showing up
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlexJaye Avatar
23 months ago
I have deleted YouTube apps from my iPhone & iPad. Safari is fine. In fact, I've been slowly deleting most apps when the website provides the service as well.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
23 months ago
Definitely more important than fixing a several year old bug where comments you write get auto deleted after exactly 20 seconds for no reason…
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mansplains Avatar
23 months ago
This type of bloat pushed me to uninstall YT years ago. Using Safari & Vinegar or Brave aren't perfect, but they aren't riddled with performance issues. My main gripe is inability to set and forget a default playback speed. Never paying for YT Red (yes, not pReMiUm) again.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
23 months ago
Every bit as baffling as Netflix getting into mobile gaming.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dampfnudel Avatar
23 months ago
The last thing I need when I open up my YouTube app. More clutter to degrade the experience which I hope is short lived.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)