In celebration of World Emoji Day, Apple has rolled out a quirky and engaging new brain teaser—Emoji Game, available exclusively to Apple News+ subscribers in the US and Canada. The game transforms our everyday emoji habits into a clever word-guessing challenge and is Apple’s latest effort to expand its interactive content lineup within its news and gaming ecosystem.

What Is Emoji Game?

Emoji Game is a daily puzzle where players complete three short phrases by filling in blanks using emojis and genmojis (Apple’s personalized emojis). For example, the puzzle might give a phrase like “- - - - - of my - - -” with the correct answer being “Apple of my eye,” filled using the emojis.

Each puzzle comes with clues, but there’s a twist—revealing a clue counts as a move, and the goal is to solve the phrase in as few moves as possible. A Game Center leaderboard tracks user performance, encouraging competition among friends and family. Players can also share results via Messages, Mail, and social media platforms.

According to Lauren Kern, Editor-in-Chief of Apple News, “Emoji Game is the perfect addition to the Apple News Plus suite of word and number puzzles, turning the emoji we use every day into a brainteaser that's approachable and fun.”

Where and How to Play

Emoji Game will appear daily in the Puzzles section of the Apple News app and will soon be included in the upcoming Apple Games app—a new hub for interactive puzzles including Crosswords, Quartiles, Sudoku, and more.

To play, users must be:

• Subscribed to Apple News+

• Using a device running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, or macOS 15.4 or later

• Based in the US or Canada

Apple News+ offers a free trial, after which it costs $13/month.

Early Reception and Community Buzz

Although newly launched, Emoji Game is already drawing attention on social platforms. Reddit users in the r/apple community are sharing their excitement:

• “Looks like fun!”

• “I just tried it, it’s pretty fun.”

• “Wish it was available in more countries.”

Why It Matters

As AI-driven personalization and mobile-first experiences become the norm, Apple is clearly investing in micro-entertainment and daily engagement. Emoji Game caters to casual gamers, word puzzle fans, and emoji enthusiasts alike—fitting neatly into the brand’s broader content strategy.

By turning emojis into a daily challenge, Apple not only adds another layer to its News+ offering but also reinforces its mission to blend utility, entertainment, and user creativity into every scroll, tap, and swipe.

Whether you're a Wordle fanatic or just love a good emoji pun, this game might just be your next daily habit.