Xbox Cloud Gaming: Price, platforms and 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 Xbox Cloud Gaming - it offers more than 200 Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games to be played on PC, Mac, Chromebook, Android and iOS devices over a data connection.

It will soon also launch on Xbox consoles themselves, enabing Xbox One owners to play Xbox Series X games and eliminating others to save hard drive space by playing many games remotely instead.

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 Xbox Cloud Gaming?

Called "Project xCloud" during its earlier days, Xbox 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 22 countries as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership.

It is also available in Australia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico for a preview period before being integrated into Games Pass Ultimate in those countries too, sometime in the future.

It is a streaming service, in that all games are hosted on custom Xbox Series X hardware located at remote servers around the world. 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 Cloud Gaming'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 Cloud Gaming is one of the best game streaming 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 the forthcoming Forza Horizon 5, 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?

Xbox 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 or Xbox Series X/S, 200 games for PC, Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, it is seen very much as an extension to console gaming, not a replacement.

Essentially, Cloud Gaming 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 as a dedicated app for Android devices. Windows PC users can play Cloud Gaming titles through the native Xbox app, and it is also available via a web browser on iOS, Mac and Chromebook. Safari, Chrome and Microsoft's own Edge browser are all supported.

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 console or Windows PC.

If you want to play through iPhone or iPad, you need to head to xbox.com/play on your device's Safari web browser. You can then create a web app for your homescreen that jumps straight into the service on a single tap. Here are our in-depth instructions on how to get that working: How to play Xbox Cloud Gaming on iPhone and iPad.

Supported iPhones and iPads are below. Others might work, but these are the iOS and iPadOS devices verified by Microsoft.

• iPad Air (3rd Gen)
• iPad Air (4th Gen)
• iPad Pro 11 2nd Gen
• iPad Mini 5th Gen
• iPad 8th Gen
• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max

You can also play directy in a web browser on Mac and Chromebook, although owners of the latter can also install the dedicated Android app on their laptop directly.

To play on a Windows PC, just open the Xbox app and follow the instructions.

Xbox will also launch Cloud Gaming accessibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S later this year (from fall for Xbox Insiders). This will allow Xbox One owners to play Xbox Series X versions of games (albeit with restrictions, such as resolution). Xbox Series X/S owners will be able to play games without having to install them first, which will save on storage space.

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 Cloud Gaming 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.

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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. 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.

Xbox Cloud Gaming games list

Here is the current list of all the available games on Cloud Gaming (as of 25 August 2021):

• A Plague Tale: Innocence
• ARK: Survival Evolved
• Art of Rally
• Astroneer
• Atomicrops
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Battlefield V
• Battletoads
• Beholder Complete Edition
• Black Desert
• Blair Witch
• Bleeding Edge
• Blinx: The Time Sweeper
• Bloodroots
• Boyfriend Dungeon
• Bridge Constructor Portal
• Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
• Call of the Sea
• Carrion
• Carto
• Celeste
• Children of Morta
• Cities Skylines
• ClusterTruck
• Code Vein
• Conan Exiles
• Control
• Crackdown 3
• Cricket 19
• Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
• Cris Tales
• Curse of the Dead Gods
• Cyber Shadow
• Dark Alliance
• Darkest Dungeon
• DayZ
• Dead by Daylight
• Dead Cells
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Descenders
• Desperados III

• Destiny 2
• Destroy All Humans!
• Dirt 5
• Dishonored 2
• Dishonored Definitive Edition
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
• Disneyland Adventures
• Dodgeball Academia
• Donut County
• Doom (2016)
• Doom (1993)
• Doom 3
• Doom 64
• Doom Eternal
• Doom II (Classic)
• Double Dragon Neon
• Double Kick Heroes
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Dragon Quest Builders 2
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
• Drake Hollow
• Eastshade
• eFootball PES 2021 Season Update
• Elite Dangerous
• Empire of Sin
• Enter The Gungeon
• F1 2019
• Fabe Anninversary
• Fable II
• Fable III
• Fallout 3
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Farming Simulator 19
• 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 Honor
• Forager

• Forza Horizon 4
• Forza Motorsport 7
• Frostpunk: Console Edition
• Fusion Frenzy
• Gang Beasts
• 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
• Going Under
• Golf with Your Friends
• Gonner 2
• Greedfall
• Grounded
• Guacamelee! 2
• Hades
• 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
• Immortal Reams: Vampire Wars
• Injustice 2
• Jetpac Refuelled
• Joy Ride Turbo
• Jurassic World Evolution
• Just Cause 4: Reloaded
• Kameo
• Katamari Damacy Reroll
• Katana Zero
• Killer Instinct DE
• Killer Queen Black
• Last Stop
• Lethal League Blaze
• Library of Ruina
• Limbo
• Lonely Mountains: Downhill
• Lumines Remastered
• Madden NFL 20
• Maneater
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
• Middle Earth: Shadow of War
• Minecraft: Dungeons
• Mirror's Edge Catalyst
• MLB The Show 21
• Monster Sanctuary
• Monster Train
• Moonlighter
• Morkredd
• MotoGP 20
• Mount & Blade: Warband
• My Time At Portia
• Narita Boy
• NBA 2K21
• Need for Speed Heat
• Neon Abyss
• Neoverse
• New Super Lucky’s Tale
• NieR:Automata
• Night in the Woods

• No Man’s Sky
• Nowhere Prophet
• Oblivion
• Octopath Traveler
• Omno
• Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Outlast 2
• Outriders
• Overcooked! 2
• Peggle 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: Battle for Neighborville
• Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2
• PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
• Prey
• Project Winter
• Psychonauts
• Psychonauts 2
• Quake Remastered
• Rage
• Rage 2
• Rain on Your Parade
• Raji: An Ancient Epic
• Recompile
• ReCore: Definitive Edition
• Red Dead Online
• Remnant: From the Ashes
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
• River City Girls
• Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure
• ScourgeBringer
• Sea of Thieves
• Second Extinction
• Secret Neighbor
• Shadow Warrior 2
• Skate 3
• Slay the Spire
• Slime Rancher
• Sniper Elite 4
• SnowRunner
• Spiritfarer
• Star Renegades
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Star Wars Battlefront II

• State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
• Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones
• Steep
• Stellaris
• Stranger Things 3: The Game
• Streets of Rage 4
• Streets of Rogue
• Subnautica
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete
• Supraland
• Tell Me Why Episode 1 – 3
• Terraria
• The Ascent
• The Bard’s Tale IV: Directors Cut
• The Bard’s Tale Remastered and Resnarkled
• The Bard’s Tale Trilogy
• The Catch: Carp & Coarse Fishing
• 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 Evil Within 2
• The Falconeer
• The Gardens Between
• The Little Acre
• The Long Dark
• The Medium
• The Outer Worlds
• The Sims 4
• The Surge 2
• 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
• The Wild at Heart
• 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 2
• Tropico 6
• Twelve Minutes
• Two Point Hospital
• Undertale
• Unravel Two
• Unruly Heroes
• Unto The End
• Viva Piñata
• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
• Warhammer Vermintide 2
• Wasteland Remastered
• Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
• Wasteland 3

• We Happy Few
• What Remains of Edition Finch
• Wilmot's Warehouse
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: YoungBlood
• Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
• World War Z
• Worms Rumble
• 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
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
• Yes, Your Grace
• Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
• Zombie Army 4: Dead War

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