The Xbox Games Store is coming to Android and iOS this summer

Summary

• Microsoft confirms Xbox Games Store for Android and iOS coming in July, starting with popular titles like Candy Crush and Minecraft.
• Xbox president emphasizes inclusivity by launching the store on the web for global accessibility, bypassing Android and iOS app limitations.
• EU’s Digital Market Act may impact Apple’s ecosystem, potentially allowing sideloading for EU users, but a web store remains the global solution.

The first rumors about Microsoft’s plan to launch a mobile game store were heard last year when the company was busy sealing the deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard. At the time, Xbox chief Phil Spencer openly stated that the company had a mobile game store in the pipeline. Now, in the midst of 2024, Microsoft has officially confirmed that its Xbox Games Store is around the corner for mobile platforms.

Amidst much anticipation, Microsoft Xbox president Sarah Bond announced at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that the company’s game store for Android and iOS will be unveiled in July. Popular Xbox games like Candy Crush and Minecraft are set to be included in the launch, according to a quote on 9to5Google.

The Xbox Games Store for Android and iOS finally arrives in July

Emphasizing inclusivity, the Xbox president revealed that their upcoming game store won’t be limited to Android and iOS devices as a native app. Instead, the store will debut on the web, ensuring that the new experience is accessible across all devices and regions without any restrictions.

It remains to be seen how the Xbox Games Store could distribute games through the web. Cloud gaming is more likely to come into play as it has been a big part of Microsoft’s gaming efforts in recent years.

In July, we are going to be launching our mobile store experience. We’re going to start, actually, by bringing our own first-party portfolio to that. So you’re going to see games like Candy Crush show up in that experience, games like Minecraft. And then we’re going to extend that capability to partners so that they can take advantage of it and have a true cross-platform gaming-centric mobile experience.

Microsoft’s move to launch a standalone Xbox Games Store for Android and iOS will have to deal with Google and Apple’s shadows and their dominance over mobile gaming stores. But thanks to Android’s open ecosystem, Microsoft will face no hurdles in launching an Xbox mobile game store for the platform. As for iOS, things are a bit complicated.

While Apple previously didn’t allow alternative stores on its devices, the EU’s Digital Market Act (DMA) has forced the iPhone maker to change its policies and offer sideloading to iOS users. Moreover, iPadOS is the next Apple ecosystem that might be affected by DMA.

The problem is that only EU-based users can benefit from sideloading on their Apple devices, while users worldwide should still stick to the App Store. Thus, a web-based store is the only pathway for Microsoft to make Xbox games globally available across mobile ecosystems.