Gaming

Xbox Cloud Gaming price, platforms and games



Microsoft’s cloud gaming service Project xCloud is finally here, but it’s had a name change: now it’s the slightly wordier Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass.

If the name doesn’t clue you in, the streaming service has now been bundled into Microsoft’s existing Xbox Game Pass subscription – specifically the pricier Ultimate tier – meaning you can’t subscribe to cloud gaming on its own. It’s also Android-only for now, though Microsoft has plans to expand to PC and (hopefully) iPhone eventually.

What is Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass, and is it the same as xCloud?

Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass is the much wordier final name for what was once known as Project xCloud.

Whatever the name, it’s Microsoft’s entry into the burgeoning cloud gaming scene, offering players the chance to stream their favourite Xbox titles straight to their phone, and eventually to more devices too. It follows the lead of Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now, and the rumoured cloud gaming service from Amazon.

You won’t need to download the games that you play. Instead, they’ll be streamed from Microsoft’s servers. Those currently use Xbox One S hardware, but Microsoft is reportedly also experimenting with using PC and even Xbox Series X hardware in its servers in 2021. Each Series X processor can handle four Xbox One S game sessions and can encode video up to six times faster than current xCloud servers. 

How much does Xbox cloud gaming cost?

From a certain perspective xCloud is free – but only because Microsoft has bundled it into its existing Game Pass Ultimate subscription. That costs £10.99/$14.99 per month, but also gives you access to an even larger library of games on PC and Xbox; a free EA Play subscription; and an Xbox Live Gold subscription which offers online multiplayer, free games, and various deals and discounts.

What we don’t know is whether Microsoft will ever also offer xCloud alone as a standalone service for less than that – perhaps costing a similar amount to PlayStation Now, Sony’s rival cloud-based game streaming service, which costs £8.99/$9.99 a month.

To see how it stacks up against the competition, check out our guide to the best game streaming services.

Which countries support Xbox cloud gaming?

The Microsoft cloud gaming service launched officially on 15 September in 22 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

What controllers work with cloud gaming on Game Pass?

Microsoft has tried to make things as simple as possible, so you can use loads of existing controllers.

The easiest thing for most games will be to use the official Xbox Wireless Controller – as long as it’s a version with Bluetooth support – but PS4 owners can also use their DualShock 4 gamepads.

Almost any third-party Bluetooth controller should also work well, but if you want to be sure then check out the official Xbox Store where you’ll find the controllers Microsoft has approved, including the Razer Kishi and MOGA XP5-X.

Will Xbox cloud gaming come to PC?

Yes. Microsoft has confirmed that it’s working on software for Windows 10 so that PC owners on lightweight hardware can stream games from the cloud at much higher graphics settings, though it hasn’t yet confirmed when this option will launch.

Will Xbox cloud gaming come to iOS?

For now? No. Eventually? Maybe.

While Microsoft tested the xCloud service on iOS – albeit limited to 10,000 users and a single game – the current service is Android-only.

Apple confirmed in a statement to Business Insider that xCloud is not compatible with App Store guidelines, principally because it allows players to access a storefront of other games and apps that have not themselves gone through Apple’s approval process.

“Our customers enjoy great apps and games from millions of developers, and gaming services can absolutely launch on the App Store as long as they follow the same set of guidelines applicable to all developers, including submitting games individually for review, and appearing in charts and search,” the statement reads.

Microsoft was quick to hit back in a statement to The Verge, calling Apple “the only general purpose platform to deny consumers from cloud gaming and game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass.”

Apple eventually relented somewhat, introducing new App Store policies to allow cloud gaming services, but they’re pretty onerous: every single playable game must also launch as a standalone app in the App Store. That seems to sort of defeat the point, and it seems Microsoft agrees.

“This remains a bad experience for customers,” the company told Mashable. “Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud.”

So for now, Xbox cloud gaming isn’t coming to iPhone, and the ball is firmly back in Apple’s court.

What games can I play on Xbox cloud gaming?

The service has launched with more than 150 games, and more are on the way. Here’s the full launch list:

  • A Plague Tale: Innocence
  • Absolver
  • Afterparty
  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall
  • ARK: Survival Evolved
  • Astroneer
  • Batman: Arkham Knight
  • Battletoads
  • Battle Chasers: Nightwar
  • Black Desert
  • Blair Witch
  • Bleeding Edge
  • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
  • Bridge Constructor Portal
  • Carrion
  • Children of Morta
  • ClusterTruck
  • Crackdown 3: Campaign
  • Crosscode
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Darksiders III
  • DayZ
  • de Blob
  • Dead by Daylight
  • Dead Cells
  • Dead Island Definitive Edition
  • Death Squared
  • Deliver us the moon
  • Demon’s Tilt
  • Descenders
  • Destiny 2: Shadowkeep & Forsaken expansion (September 22)
  • DiRT 4
  • Don’t Starve
  • Double Kick Heroes
  • Drake Hollow
  • Dungeon of the Endless
  • Enter The Gungeon
  • F1 2019
  • Fallout 76
  • Farming Simulator 17
  • Felix the Reaper
  • Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour
  • For the King
  • Forager
  • Forza Horizon 4
  • Fractured Minds
  • Frostpunk: Console Edition
  • Gato Roboto
  • Gears of War 1: Ultimate Edition
  • Gears of War 4
  • Gears of War 5
  • Goat Simulator
  • Golf with Your Friends
  • Grounded
  • Guacamelee! 2
  • Halo 5: Guardians
  • Halo Wars 1: Definitive Edition
  • Halo Wars 2
  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection
  • Halo: Spartan Assault
  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
  • Hello Neighbor
  • Hollow Knight (Renewal)
  • Hot Shot Racing
  • Human Fall Flat
  • Hyperdot
  • Hypnospace Outlaw
  • Indivisible
  • Journey to the Savage Planet
  • Katana ZERO (Coming soon)
  • Killer Instinct DE
  • Kona
  • Levelhead
  • Lonely Mountains: Downhill
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
  • Metro 2033 Redux
  • Middle Earth: Shadow of War
  • Minecraft: Dungeons
  • MINIT
  • Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
  • Moonlighter
  • Mortal Kombat X (Not available in Korea)
  • Mount & Blade: Warband
  • Moving Out
  • Mudrunner
  • Munchkin: Quacked Quest
  • Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
  • My Time At Portia
  • Neon Abyss
  • New Super Lucky’s Tale
  • NieR:Automata
  • Night Call
  • Night in the Woods (Coming soon)
  • No Man’s Sky
  • Nowhere Prophet
  • Observation
  • Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps
  • Overcooked! 2
  • Oxenfree
  • Pathologic 2
  • Pikuniku
  • Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition
  • Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
  • ReCore: Definitive Edition
  • Remnant: From the Ashes
  • Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
  • Rise & Shine
  • River City Girls (Coming soon)
  • Sea of Thieves: Anniversary Edition
  • Sea Salt
  • Secret Neighbor
  • Shadow Warrior 2
  • Slay the Spire
  • Sniper Elite 4
  • Spiritfarer
  • State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
  • Stellaris
  • Stranger Things 3: The Game
  • Streets of Rage 4
  • Streets of Rogue
  • Subnautica
  • Surviving Mars
  • Tacoma
  • Tell Me Why Episode 1 – 3
  • Terraria
  • The Bard’s Tale IV: Directors Cut
  • The Bard’s Tale Remastered and Resnarkled
  • The Bard’s Tale Trilogy
  • The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics
  • The Elder Scrolls Online
  • The Gardens Between
  • The Jackbox Party Pack 4
  • The Long Dark
  • The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
  • The Messenger
  • The Outer Worlds
  • The Surge 2
  • The Touryst
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  • The Escapists 2
  • The Talos Principle
  • The Turing Test
  • The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 1 through 5
  • The Walking Dead: Michonne – Episode 1 – 3
  • The Walking Dead: Season Two
  • theHunter: Call of the Wild
  • Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
  • Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
  • Totally Reliable Delivery Service
  • Touhou Luna Nights
  • Tracks – The Train Set Game
  • Trailmakers
  • Train Sim World 2020
  • Two Point Hospital
  • Undermine
  • Untitled Goose Game
  • Void Bastards
  • Wandersong
  • Warhammer Vermintide 2 (Coming soon)
  • Wasteland Remastered
  • Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
  • Wasteland 3
  • We Happy Few
  • West of Dead
  • Wizard of Legend
  • World War Z
  • Worms W.M.D
  • Xeno Crisis
  • Yakuza 0
  • Yakuza Kiwami
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2





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