New Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, and more AAA games coming to iPhone—but there’s a catch

Apple’s latest Wonderlust keynote introduced the world to the latest in the tech company’s iPhone range, and alongside significant performance upgrades, a bunch of AAA games will be coming to the mobile device—but not everyone with an iPhone will be able to play.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, a native version of the Resident Evil 4 2023 remake, and Death Stranding headline an assortment of AAA games making their way to Apple’s mobile devices in the coming months, the phone developers said on Sept. 12. Unfortunately, for those with older models, an iOS update won’t save you; only those who purchase the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be able to play the lineup.

The games’ iPhone versions were developed with Apple’s new A17 chip in mind and coupled with the introduction of hardware-accelerated ray tracing, older models of the mobile device simply cannot keep up with the power and performance demanded by the titles.

While it’s a blow to consumers unwilling to upgrade to the new line straightaway, it’s a significant leap forward in mobile gaming as competitors in the space, such as the Nintendo Switch, bit heavily into the handheld console market share.

The games performed flawlessly on the iPhone’s new 6.1-inch 120hz screen throughout the demo, but the question on everyone’s minds will undoubtedly be the phone’s battery life. According to Apple’s specs page, the iPhone 15 Pro’s battery is identical to that of the 14 Pro released last year.

Throw on battery degradation under high load, and gamers pumping out multiple sessions of Assassin’s Creed might find their maximum charge capacity depleted a lot faster than using the phone as standard.

Time will tell whether the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can withstand months of heavy gaming under high load, but the advancement of handheld technology has piqued our interest. The iPhone 15 line will be available for purchase on Sept. 22, while the AAA titles are expected to arrive on the App Store in the coming months.

Apple has said Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, and Death Stranding will be available by the end of 2023, while those hoping to catch Assassin’s Creed: Mirage in October alongside the title’s official launch on PC and console will need to wait until next year.