DMM’s iOS store to offer R-18 games

On September 1, the iPhone version of “GAMES STORE” listed nine game titles and a “video player.” EXNOA, which operates DMM GAMES under DMM.com, launched the iOS version the previous day, August 31. The store distributes R-18 (adult-oriented) games without going through the App Store.

The system is known as an alternative app marketplace. On iOS, apps could previously be distributed in principle only through the App Store. But after Japan’s Smartphone Software Competition Promotion Act, known as the smartphone law, took full effect in December 2025, distribution channels outside the App Store became available in Japan. High fees and the platform’s monopolistic structure had been the subject of legal and regulatory disputes: Epic Games sued Apple over the distribution of “Fortnite,” while the EU moved to regulate major platforms through the DMA (Digital Markets Act).

Users must change their settings to use the store. EXNOA advises users to update iOS to the latest version. The listed “video player” requires iOS26.2 or later and supports VR videos, downloads of new releases, and the ability to mark favorite titles.

The video player appears to be the successor to the “DMM Video Player app,” which Digital Commerce, the operator of the adult-oriented “FANZA” site, distributed through the App Store until April 2025. In August 2025, Apple also told EXNOA that its game “Twinkle Star Knights” contained content that could make some users uncomfortable, and requested revisions to images and other materials that had previously passed the review process.

So what exactly changes? DMM GAMES users can now access an environment on iPhone similar to the R-18 versions of titles that were already available on Android. Apps that can no longer be distributed through the App Store also appear to have gained a new distribution channel. However, only nine game titles and the video player had been confirmed at launch, and users must change their settings. The expanded convenience comes with a condition users should understand: some are concerned about the service’s security.