How to play with friends in the Apple Games app on iPad

Thursday October 15, 2026 10:31 pm EAT by Chris Smith

With the Apple Games app, you can send friend requests, compete on leaderboards, and play with friends during a FaceTime call.

Supported games with Game Center leaderboards let you challenge friends for a high score or a specific goal, and you choose the number of tries and how long it lasts. You can also use AirDrop to invite friends.

Here’s how to play with friends in the Apple Games app on iPad.

Challenge friends

Supported games with Game Center leaderboards let you create a challenge and compete with friends for a high score or specific goal. A challenge turns single-player games into friendly showdowns, with a shared competition within your group. You pick the game and the friends you’d like to invite. Everyone’s results are yours to track as they complete the challenge.

Open the Apple Games app on your iPad.
Tap Friends, then tap Challenge Your Friends.
Select a game and then choose any of the following options:
- Number of tries: Tap 1 Try, 3 Tries, or Unlimited.
- Challenge duration: Tap 1 Day, 3 Days, or 1 Week.
- Add Players: Tap Players, search for a contact or a friend’s Game Center nickname and select the player. Then tap Continue.
Tap Start.

To leave a challenge, select the game, tap the More button, tap Leave Challenge, then tap Leave Challenge again.

Play games with friends during FaceTime calls

You can find and download games in the App Store that support multiplayer gaming with Game Center during a FaceTime call using SharePlay. During the call, open a supported multiplayer game, tap Start SharePlay, then follow the onscreen instructions. See Use SharePlay to watch, listen, and play together in FaceTime.

FaceTime’s screen sharing feature also lets you play any game while on a call. Read our guide, Share your screen in a FaceTime call.

Use AirDrop to invite people to a multiplayer game

To invite nearby friends to multiplayer games that support Game Center, use AirDrop.

Open the game you want to play on your iPad.
Go to the screen where you invite friends.
Hold the display of your iPad a few centimeters from the top of the other person’s iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.

A glow emerges from both devices to indicate a connection is being made.
Continue holding your devices near each other until the game appears on the other person’s screen.