xCloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Everything you need to know

Microsoft has its own cloud gaming platform. Called Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - also often referred to as xCloud - it offers more than 200 Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games to be played on Windows, Android and iOS devices over a data connection and is easy to get started with.

Here's everything you need to know about the Xbox cloud games service, including what devices are compatible and all the available games.

What is Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?

Still regularly dubbed xCloud as a nod to its old name "Project xCloud", Cloud Gaming is Microsoft's game streaming platform that is designed as a complementary service to its Xbox One and Xbox Series X / Series S games consoles. It's available in that form in 22 countries.

It is also available in Australia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico as part of a preview period before being integrated into Games Pass Ultimate in those countries too.

It is a streaming service, in that all games are hosted on remote servers and live gameplay video is sent to a compatible device over the internet. In return, controller codes are sent in the other direction so, for all intents and purposes, it feels like you are playing a game loaded on the device itself.

It is not a new idea; PlayStation Now has been available on PS4 consoles for several years; Nvidia has GeForce Now available on PCs and mobile devices; and xCloud's major rival, Google's Stadia, launched in 2019. However, Microsoft's service is not a separate offering - it is a no-cost addition to its existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership scheme.

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Microsoft believes xCloud is one of the best cloud gaming services around because it utlises the firm's enormous network of data centres around the world. This ensures game requests can be served locally rather than across continents, potentially reducing latency by shortening the distance between the end user and the data centre.

Latency is the enemy of cloud gaming, often adding many milliseconds between button presses and actions performed on screen. And, while that doesn't sound like much, milliseconds are vital when it comes to gaming. Say you press the button to shoot an onrushing enemy, a few milliseconds of latency can be the difference between hitting them and not. Or, in a driving game such as Forza Horizon 4, the difference between successfully drifting around a corner or ending up wrapped around a tree.

Does that mean my Xbox One or other games console will be defunct in future?

Cloud Gaming is not designed to replace games consoles. Instead, it runs parallel to the company's machines, offering many of the same games and even allowing for save games to be picked up and continued no matter which device you use: mobile, console or even PC.

As it is available as part of the company's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership scheme, which also includes over 300 games to download to the Xbox One, 200 games for PC, Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, it is seen very much as an extension to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S gaming.

Essentially, xCloud is an ideal way for you to carry-on your Xbox experience on a portable device, whether you are at home or out and about.

When and where can I use xCloud?

Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available in 22 countries for Android devices. It is also available on an invite-only basis on iPhone, iPad and Windows PCs.

For Android, you need to download the Xbox Game Pass app from Google Play or the Samsung Galaxy Store. You can play cloud games through the app, plus wishlist and even download games to your Xbox One or Windows PC.

The limited beta for iOS and iPadOS runs through the Safari browser. You will receive instructions on how to set this up if you are invited by Microsoft to the closed beta. This is currently only available to selected Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. You will receive an invite by email if you have been chosen to trial the service.

The same is true on Windows 10 - which runs through the Google Chrome or Edge browsers.

It is thought that xCloud will be available on the latter platforms to all Game Pass Ultimate members at some point in the future.

Among the countries covered are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK and the US. You can see a full list of countries with Cloud Gaming support here.

It is also available in Australia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico, in localised languages, but only as part of a preview programme for now. If successful, it could also expand into the full service enjoyed in other countries. Anyone in those regions can register to play the free trial here.

Several games on xCloud now feature touch controls (around 50 of them, at present). Mostly though, you will also need a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One Wireless Controller to play the titles effectively. Xbox also recommends you acquire a phone mount for the controller, unless you are playing using a tablet.

The mount is reasonably inexpensive, however. We've found a pack of three of them for just £8.99 on Amazon.co.uk, for example.

How much does Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate cost?

As the long version of its name suggests, Cloud Gaming is free to all those with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the all-you-can-eat digital download service for Xbox One, Series X/S and Windows 10, is £10.99 / $14.99 per month.

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What is Xbox Remote Play?

As well as Cloud Gaming, Xbox Remote Play is available. Using the same technology, gamers can use their own Xbox One or Series X/S consoles as a Cloud Gaming server and therefore stream their own games to a portable device.

PlayStation offers something similar in the form of PS4 and PS5 Remote Play, but Xbox Remote Play is different as you aren't restricted to having to be on the same home network, you can also stream over a mobile data connection.

You can find out more about it here.

xCloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games list

Here is the current list of all the available games on Cloud Gaming (as of 20 April 2021):

• A Plague Tale: Innocence
• ARK: Survival Evolved
• Assetto Corsa
• Astroneer
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Battle Chasers: Nightwar
• Battletoads
• Beholder Complete Edition
• Black Desert
• Blair Witch
• Bleeding Edge
• Bridge Constructor Portal
• Call of the Sea
• Carrion
• Carto
• Celeste
• Children of Morta
• Cities Skylines
• ClusterTruck
• Code Vein
• Control
• Crackdown 3
• Cricket 19
• Crosscode
• Cyber Shadow
• Darksiders Genesis
• DayZ
• Dead by Daylight Special Edition
• Dead Cells
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Descenders
• Desperados III

• Destiny 2
• Dirt 5
• Dishonored 2
• Dishonored Definitive Edition
• Disneyland Adventures
• Don’t Starve
• Donut County
• Doom (1993)
• Doom 3
• Doom 64
• Doom Eternal
• Doom II (Classic)
• Double Dragon Neon
• Double Kick Heroes
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
• Drake Hollow
• Dungeon of the Endless
• Eastshade
• eFootball PES 2021 Season Update
• Elite Dangerous
• Empire of Sin
• Enter The Gungeon
• F1 2019
• Fable II
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Five NIght's at Freddy's
• Five NIght's at Freddy's 2
• Five NIght's at Freddy's 3
• Five NIght's at Freddy's 4
• For the King
• Forager

• Forza Horizon 4
• Forza Motorsport 7
• Fractured Minds
• Frostpunk: Console Edition
• Gears 5
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Gears of War 4
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Gears Tactics
• Genesis Noir
• Goat Simulator
• Golf with Your Friends
• Gonner 2
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Greedfall
• Grounded
• Guacamelee! 2
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
• Halo Wars 2
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection
• Haven
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Hello Neighbor
• Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition
• Hot Shot Racing
• Human Fall Flat
• Hypnospace Outlaw
• Ikenfell
• Injustice 2
• Jetpac Refuelled
• Jurassic World Evolution
• Kameo
• Katana Zero
• Killer Instinct DE
• Killer Queen Black
• Levelhead
• Lonely Mountains: Downhill
• Madden NFL 20
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Middle Earth: Shadow of War
• Minecraft: Dungeons
• Mirror's Edge Catalyst
• MLB The Show 21
• Monster Hunter: World
• Monster Sanctuary
• Monster Train
• Moonlighter
• Morkredd
• MotoGP 20
• Mount & Blade: Warband
• Moving Out
• My Time At Portia
• Narita Boy
• NBA 2K21
• Neon Abyss
• Neoverse
• New Super Lucky’s Tale
• NieR:Automata
• Night Call
• Night in the Woods

• No Man’s Sky
• Nowhere Prophet
• Oblivion
• Observation
• Octopath Traveler
• Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Outer Wilds
• Outriders
• Overcooked! 2
• Perfect Dark
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Phogs!
• Pikuniku
• Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition
• Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition
• Planet Coaster: Console Edition
• Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2
• PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• Prey
• Project Winter
• Rage 2
• Rain on Your Parade
• ReCore: Definitive Edition
• Remnant: From the Ashes
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
• River City Girls
• Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure
• ScourgeBringer
• Sea of Thieves
• Secret Neighbor
• Shadow Warrior 2
• Slay the Spire
• Slime Rancher
• Sniper Elite 4
• Spiritfarer
• Star Renegades

• State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
• Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones
• Stellaris
• Stranger Things 3: The Game
• Streets of Rage 4
• Streets of Rogue
• Subnautica
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete
• Supraland
• Surviving Mars
• 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 III: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• The Evil Within
• The Falconeer
• The Gardens Between
• The Little Acre
• The Long Dark
• The Messenger
• The Outer Worlds
• The Sims 4
• The Surge 2
• The Touryst
• The Turing Test
• The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (Episodes 1 - 5)
• The Walking Dead: Michonne
• The Walking Dead: Season Two
• The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season
• theHunter: Call of the Wild
• Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege - Deluxe Edtion
• Torchlite III
• Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
• Totally Reliable Delivery Service
• Touhou Luna Nights
• Trailmakers
• Train Sim World 2020
• Two Point Hospital
• Undermine
• Undertale
• Unravel Two
• Unruly Heroes
• Unto The End
• Viva Piñata
• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
• Void Bastards
• Warhammer Vermintide 2
• Wasteland Remastered
• Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
• Wasteland 3

• We Happy Few
• West of Dead
• What Remains of Edition Finch
• Wilmot's Warehouse
• Wizard of Legend
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: YoungBlood
• World War Z
• Worms W.M.D
• Wreckfest
• Xeno Crisis
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza 3 Remastered
• Yakuza 4 Remastered
• Yakuza 5 Remastered
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Yakuza Kiwami 2
• Yes, Your Grace
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War

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