Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with cloud gaming coming to iOS and iPadOS in spring 2021

Microsoft will expand its cloud gaming efforts to mobile Safari on the iPhone and iPad as promised, with an expected launch in spring 2021.

Cloud gaming is the next frontier on mobile and while Apple's rules restrict these games to streaming in Safari platforms are still jumping on board. Microsoft previously promised to push its project xCloud to iOS and iPadOS, and now we have a timeline.

Xbox Vice President Jerret West shared the plans for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in a blog post. The post covers how quickly Xbox Game Pass is being adopted and how this will push their initiative to expand to more devices.

Starting in spring 2021, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will arrive on iOS and iPadOS devices in beta. Users will access the service via the Safari web browser, which is a requirement set by Apple's game streaming guidelines. In order for the service to exist natively on iOS, Xbox would need to submit all of the games available on Game Pass to the App Store for review, which isn't ideal.

Nvidia GeForce Now was one of the first game streaming services to launch on mobile Safari with the ability to play compatible games purchased on Steam. Amazon Luna launched in October with a limited sign-up program and a proprietary controller. Other services like Google Stadia have already promised future compatibility with mobile Safari, though Playstation Now remains a holdout.