Now that SceneKit has been marked as soft deprecated, is there a planned date or timeframe when it will be completely removed from iOS? I’m concerned about how long my existing SceneKit-based game will continue to work, especially as an indie developer without the resources for a quick rewrite to RealityKit.
SceneKit is now deprecated - when it will be removed?
https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/288
this is Apple's official statement on SceneKit.
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Hello,
Removal of a framework is typically the last stage in hard deprecation and that will be announced with ample warning.
The session shared above clarifies (bold added):
- Soft deprecation
- Apps will continue to work
- Maintenance mode
- No date for hard deprecation
Thanks for the clarifications.
Scenekit works on Apple watch, will RealityKit?
RealityKit is not currently available on watchOS. In the Xcode 26 SDK, RealityKit ships for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS — but not watchOS. SceneKit remains the only 3D framework on that platform.
The soft-deprecation terms apply equally to SceneKit on watchOS: your apps will continue to work, and there is no date for hard deprecation.
If RealityKit on watchOS is important to your work, please file a request through Feedback Assistant. That's the best way to signal demand to the teams involved.