# Designing for games

Source: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-games
Skill: hig-platforms
Snapshot: 2025-02-02

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<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->
> **Source**: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-games.
> This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.
> Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

# Designing for games

## Jump into gameplay

**Let people play as soon as installation completes.**

**Provide great default settings.**

**Teach through play.**

**Defer requests until the right time.**

## Look stunning on every display

**Make sure text is always legible.**

**Make sure buttons are always easy to use.**

**Prefer resolution-independent textures and graphics.**

**Integrate device features into your layout.**

**Make sure in-game menus adapt to different aspect ratios.**

**Design for the full-screen experience.**

## Enable intuitive interactions

**Support each platform’s default interaction method.**

**Support physical game controllers, while also giving people alternatives.**

**Offer touch-based game controls that embrace the touchscreen experience on iPhone and iPad.**

## Welcome everyone

**Prioritize perceivability.**

  * Text sizes

  * Color and effects

  * Motion

  * Interactions

  * Buttons

**Help players personalize their experience.**

**Give players the tools they need to represent themselves.**

**Avoid stereotypes in your stories and characters.**

## Adopt Apple technologies

**Integrate Game Center to help players discover your game across their devices and connect with their friends.**

**Let players pick up their game on any of their devices.**

**Support haptics to help players feel the action.**

**Use Spatial Audio to immerse players in your game’s soundscape.**

**Take advantage of Apple technologies to enable unique gameplay mechanics.**

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For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-games