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Microsoft xCloud Game Streaming Launching as Free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perk

The company’s Netflix-like Xbox Game Pass program currently lets you download and install a title to your Xbox or PC. But with xCloud, subscribers will be able stream the games to a mobile device.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Microsoft’s game streaming service, xCloud, will arrive first as a free perk for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members.

The company will bundle xCloud with the $14.99 monthly game pass plan in September, according to Xbox head Phil Spencer. Subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, and South Korea—where xCloud is currently supported—will be able to stream games at no extra cost. 

“Cloud gaming in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate means your games are no longer locked to the living room,” Spencer wrote in a blog post focused on the future of Xbox gaming. 

Currently, the service is available as a public preview, enabling people to play Xbox games without the need to own the console hardware. With xCloud, Microsoft is able to stream the game experience over an internet connection to your smartphone or tablet. 

xcloud being played over an Android phone (Credit: Microsoft)

The platform currently has access to about 100 games, including Devil May Cry 5, Gears 5, and Soul Calibur VI. But how Microsoft plans to offer xCloud has been less clear. Will it be a standalone platform like Google’s Stadia, where you buy the games individually? Or will it arrive via an existing service? 

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On Thursday, Microsoft indicated it’ll be the latter. The company’s Netflix-like Xbox Game Pass program currently lets you download and install a title to your Xbox or PC. But with xCloud, subscribers will be able stream over 100 supported games, which will eventually include the upcoming Halo Infinite title, Spencer wrote in today's blog post.

“And because Xbox Live connects all across devices, you can play along with the nearly 100 million Xbox Live players around the world,” he added. 

Related

For now, the company is remaining mum on how else it’ll offer the cloud gaming service. But in the past, Microsoft has said you’ll be able to stream games from xCloud that you already own for your Xbox, removing the need to buy the game again. 

Unfortunately, xCloud does have some limitations. It’s currently only available to Android mobile devices, although iOS and Windows PC support is planned. To adequately stream the content, a 10Mbps or higher internet connection is needed. The public preview also calls for the player to own a Bluetooth controller.

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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