iOS 18 Game Mode aims to make gaming snappier, improve responsiveness for connected devices on iPhone

macOS got its very first dedicated Game Mode with Sonoma last year. As Apple describes, it puts games on priority and aims to offer smoother and more consistent frame rates by freeing up background activity and allocating more resources to the game. The same feature has ended up on the recently announced iOS 18.

Game Mode on iOS 18 works in the same way as it does on macOS. That is, it minimizes background activity to deliver "high frame rates" on your iPhone. Moreover, it aims to "dramatically reduce" the audio latency with AirPods (2nd Gen curr. $189.99 on Amazon) and improve responsiveness with game controllers.

The good part is that you don't need to do anything to set up Game Mode on iOS 18. It will automatically get turned on when you launch a game or a game launcher, and when it is enabled, you will see a notification. Apple hasn't yet offered any performance comparisons, and we don't know if it will work with all games.

However, MacRumors reports that Game Mode on iOS 18 is designed for AAA games. That includes titles like Resident Evil Village, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and the recently announced Resident Evil 7.