Playing GBA games on an iPad without an emulator

No, playing games written for a platform (GBA) on a different platform (iOS) requires an emulator, that is the entire purpose of an emulator. Emulating the GBA platform so the game can run.

Apple does not allow emulators on their platform and the iOS software (without jailbraking) does not allow installing software that is not Apple approved.

Based on several discussions found on /r/gba4ios, it seems that the bug that allowed non-certified apps to be installed on a non-jailbroken device has been fixed. It now requires a specialized service or a jailbroken device to install non-certified apps (like emulators).

However, I did find some information about a paid subscription service, but I cannot vouch for its credibility, so use it at your own risk! Some discussions on the sub-reddit seem to claim that the service is working and not a scam. It allows you to install any app without jailbreaking your device, including any emulator. It's found at builds.io.

To answer your question specifically: no, there's no way to play a GBA game on your iPad without an emulator. There's some web applications that provide a way to play several games through a browser, but they haven't been very reliable in my experience. Not to mention, they probably won't run (properly) on a mobile browser.

GBA (GameBoy Advance) is a special platform and is nowhere similar to an iOS platform. So you will require an emulator to run GBA games on iOS similar to what android emulator is required to test android apps on another platform.

So there is only 1 way to play GBA games on Apple devices i.e. Using GBA emulator

Since, Apple is not allowing to install 3rd party emulators, only jail broken devices can be used to play GBA games. Here is the list of best gba emulators to play GBA games.