Apple’s App Store to Debut First Game-Streaming Service

Image: Antstream

Even though game-streaming services have been allowed on the App Store since the implementation of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) last year, the first of these apps won’t make it onto Apple’s mobile storefront until next week — reports Cult of Mac (via The Verge).

Up until the EU passed the DMA last year, the App Store’s rules outlawed any game subscription services that relied on streaming to provide users with content. This made it so apps like Microsoft’s Project xCloud, Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Sony’s PS Now, and Google Stadia (RIP) couldn’t be published on the App Store.

However, the DMA brute-forced the App Store open to all game-streaming services. Antstream, a retro game-streaming service that hosts a catalogue of more than 1,300 titles, is set to become the first such service to be offered on the iPhone and iPad when it launches on Thursday, June 27.

Instead of relying on ROMs — which sit in a legal gray area — like several retro gaming emulators already available for Apple devices, Antstream offers an extensive lineup of legally licensed retro titles that users can safely and easily stream.

From Missile Command and Sam & Max Hit the Road to Asteroids and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Antstream offers a vast library of retro games from consoles like the Commodore 64, the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore Amiga, the Atari 2600, the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo, and more. With a stockpile that massive, there’s a good chance the service will have something you remember playing on a console growing up.

Antstream is already available on Xbox, Windows, Android, and Amazon devices. An Antstream subscription normally costs $4.99 USD per month or $39.99 USD per year. However, for a limited time following its launch on June 27th, you can subscribe to Antstream for a discounted $3.99 USD per month or $29.99 USD per year.