Apple Launches Exclusive Emoji Game for Subscribers

Apple has officially released its newly announced Emoji Game in time for World Emoji Day this week. However, the game is not accessible to everyone.

Typically, Apple does not frequently develop its own games. While there has been a classic chess game included with each Mac for years, and a special version of 'Paper Boy' was created as a gift for Warren Buffett, Apple primarily funds and promotes titles from third-party developers through its Apple Arcade service. Recently, the tech giant also acquired a small game studio. Now, however, Apple has introduced an 'original game': the Emoji Game, released in conjunction with the international celebration of emojis.

Distribution of the game is quite unique: it is only available in English-speaking regions (with French support in Quebec, Canada) and requires a subscription fee. Unlike typical applications, Emoji Game is not listed in the standard App Store; instead, it has been integrated into the Apple News app.

Apple News+ is the company's subscription service that aggregates various magazines, newspapers, and other media content into a single offering. However, the service has not been widely adopted and is still only available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In the U.S., consumers pay approximately $13 per month for access. The Emoji Game joins a collection of other mini-games that evoke nostalgic memories of newspaper puzzles, including Sudoku, crosswords, and the game Quartiles.

The Emoji Game is a guessing game where players are presented with words or phrases featuring blanks that they must fill in based on emoji descriptions. This format allows users to explore the varied meanings and interpretations of emojis.

Initially showcased at Apple's WWDC 2025 developer conference in June, the game was anticipated to be part of the upcoming iOS 26 release. However, its launch was expedited to coincide with World Emoji Day. It remains uncertain if the game will eventually be available in Europe.

To access the game, users must have an active Apple News+ subscription and run at least iOS 18.4. The Apple News app is available only on devices set to English or French (for Canada). Players have reported that the game also functions on iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 or higher devices within the News app.