How to stream games to iOS


With the rise in popularity of video games, it is no surprise that we are seeking greater versatility and availability of the games we want to play. Remote play, multi-format, and streaming, are all ways we can have access to our games in virtually any way we want.

Apple devices are perhaps not traditionally known for playing games on, but the capacity to do this does exist. And what we will be looking at today, is how we can stream games on an iOS device. Specifically, we will look at three of the main players in streaming game content: Stadia, GeForce, and Steam.

What are Stadia, GeForce and Steam?

Google Stadia launched in November 2019. It is a cloud based gaming service, with a controller that can play games across laptops, desktops, tablets, phones and televisions.

GeForce, by Nvidia, launched back in 2015, and has a library of over 800 games at the time of writing. It also connects to digital PC game stores, to allow you to play games you already own. Like Stadia, GeForce allows you to play on computers, tablets, phones and televisions.

And finally Steam. This is by far the most established of the three, having been launched way back in 2003. Initially, Valve released Steam to provide automatic updates for the games it produced, but this has been widened to now offer games from third party developers. It offers a wide range of title to choose from.

All three of these services are cloud based, and all three can be streamed onto your iOS device. Read on, and we'll tell you what you need to know.

How to stream games on iOS

In order to stream Stadia on iOS, you need to create a web app shortcut, which will use the Safari browser. To do this, you need to create a Stadia account. Your iPhone or iPad needs to have iOS version 14.3 or greater, and finally, you need at least one game listed in your Stadia library. To add the web app to your home screen, you need to:

  • Launch the Safari app on your iOS device
  • Go to Stadia.com and sign in to your account
  • A prompt will tell you that you can play in your browser. Select Got it.
  • The Stadia home screen will then appear.
  • In Safari, select the share icon (either at the bottom of your screen if it's an iPhone, or the top right if you are using an iPad)
  • A share menu will appear, and then select Add to home screen.
  • The Stadia web app icon will then be available on your home screen. Tap it whenever you wish to play.

For GeForce, you can access PC games via a service called GeForce Now. It does require a GeForce compatible joypad in order to play, but if you have one, you are good to go.

  • Open Safari and go to play.geforcenow.com
  • Sign in or register for an account.
  • Select the game you want from your game library, and press Play.

With Steam, there are three steps to follow:

  • Install the Steam Link appfrom the App store.
  • Pair a controller to your iPad or iPhone.
  • Launch the Steam Link app.

There you have it. Three ways to stream games on your iOS device.

Read More: Apple to reveal Mixed Reality headset “in the next several months” according to reports

For more articles like this, take a look at our Apple and How To page.