YouTube Launches 'Playables' Mobile Games for iOS - MacRumors
Skip to Content

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

General YouTube Feature Redux

YouTube Bringing Free Picture-in-Picture to iPhone Users Outside the U.S.

Wednesday April 29, 2026 5:01 pm PDT by
YouTube's picture-in-picture mode on the iPhone and iPad is expanding to more users worldwide, YouTube said today. Picture-in-picture (PiP) will be rolling out globally, so it will no longer be limited to those in the U.S. and Premium subscribers. Non-Premium users worldwide will be able to use PiP for longform, non-music content on iOS and Android. This has already been available in the...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
26 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
26 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)
26 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)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
26 months ago
Every bit as baffling as Netflix getting into mobile gaming.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mansplains Avatar
26 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)
dampfnudel Avatar
26 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)