Google Stadia arrives on iPhone and iPad in new beta

Google Stadia is today launching a new beta for iPhone and iPad, that will allow users to enjoy the service over Safari.

From The Verge:

Google Stadia has finally made its way to iOS over a year after launch. The company's mobile web beta for the iPhone and iPad, first announced last month, is launching today. That means any Stadia user on either its free tier or its paid Stadia Pro subscription will be able to access their library of Stadia games on Apple devices.

Google, like other competing cloud services, is using mobile Safari due to Apple's restrictions on cloud gaming apps that mean platforms like Stadia can't exist in their current form on the App Store. Unlike Nvidia's GeForce Now or the planned mobile web version of Microsoft's xCloud, however, Google Stadia has a free tier without restrictions and now offers two free-to-play games available (Destiny 2 and Super Bomberman R), with more to come. That means anyone with a Gmail account looking to try Stadia can give it a shot on an iPhone or iPad with minimal effort.

As per the report, it means users will be able to enjoy titles like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077 on iPhone and iPad. The Verge says that through a week of testing the service works "remarkably well", even with touch controls.

iOS and the App Store's restrictions have been a sticking point for cloud gaming services like Stadia and xCloud. As explained by Google, you'll be using Stadia through the iOS Safari web browser, it's not an app you can download. You can however pretend it's an app by adding the Stadia webpage to your Home Screen as an icon.

Google announced the new Stadia web app for iPhone and iPad a few weeks ago.