Apple set to show at GDC 2026 with a coordinated push across hardware, flagship game ports, and App Store strategy.
GDC Festival of Gaming, formerly Game Developers Conference (GDC), is set to take place on March 9 through the 13 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. Pretty much anyone who is someone in game development will be there — and that includes Apple.
In fact, Apple will be leading three separate sessions during the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming. All three events will be held on Wednesday, March 11, in room 3014 of the West Hall.
The first session, "Built for games: Explore Apple Hardware and Software for Game Developers," is set to run from 10:10 am to 11:10 am. This session will help developers discover how they can create gaming experiences across the whole of Apple's ecosystem — including Vision OS — with Apple tools and technologies.
It will give an overview of unified architecture and system features that allow developers to create games that run on multiple platforms. Additionally, developers will gain helpful insight on how to boost performance, streamline launches, and create seamless gameplay.
This lecture-based session will include Apple's Allan Schafer, Alexey Vinogadov, and Rich Forster, and covers the Game Production Technology and Production tracks.
Shortly after, starting at 11:30 am and running through 12:30 pm is "Bringing Cyberpunk 2077 to Mac."
A behind-the-scenes look at what it took to bring Cyberpunk 2077, developers explain how they leveraged Apple's hardware, software, and development tools to bring the project to completion.
Bringing 'Cyberpunk 2077' to Mac
CD Projekt Red's Oleg Shatulo and Pawel Sasko are set to speak, as will Apple's Charlyn Keating. Like the first session, it covers Game Production Technology and Production tracks.
The third session, "Maximize Your Game's Potential on the App Store," takes place fifteen minutes later, running from 12:45 pm until 1:45 pm. Speakers include Apple's Abhishek Radhakrishnan and Kelly King, along with cofounder and CEO of Black Salt Games, Nadia Thorne.
This marketing and business-themed lecture helps developers discover best practices for bringing their games to the App Store. Black Salt Games will provide insight on how it brought its Apple Design Award-winning game Dredge to Apple platforms.
