Xbox Just Added a Key Missing Feature for Its Cloud Gaming Push
The games you own have a new home.
A crucial and long-awaited Xbox feature is finally going live, making the company’s console-less option more viable than ever and adding new meaning to the “Play Anywhere” mantra it's been pushing for years.
The console maker and games publisher announced Wednesday that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now stream select games they own from the cloud, even if those titles aren’t part of Game Pass’ library of streamable games. Players can begin streaming these games through TVs, supported web browsers, smartphones, and tablets on Nov. 20 in all 28 countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming is available. The Windows Xbox app will get support for the feature sometime in 2025, according to Xbox Wire.
At launch, 50 titles will be supported. It’s a surprisingly comprehensive list that includes past hits like Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Final Fantasy I through VI, as well as 2024 games like Animal Well, Balatro, Star Wars Outlaws, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. (Xbox Wire has the complete list). Xbox says that any version of these games will work seamlessly, meaning Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will work the same as the vanilla version does.
The ability to stream purchased games makes cloud gaming on Xbox a bit more comparable to owning actual hardware.
Getting started is as simple as hopping onto Xbox Cloud Gaming on a compatible device. A new “Stream Your Own Game” category will auto-populate with purchased titles that support the feature. Xbox promises more titles will receive this support in the future.
Xbox Cloud Gaming has always felt like a strong bonus to the Game Pass package. But despite its conveniences for select games, the inability to stream new non-Game Pass games always felt like a missed opportunity. The missing feature made the cloud-only option sold by Amazon, Samsung, and Meta inferior to more traditional gaming options.
With purchasable titles, however, getting in on the Xbox ecosystem without plopping down cash for a console or building a PC no longer limits players to whatever streaming rights the company can secure. While standard cloud streaming issues like input lag and compression will dampen the experience compared to running games locally, the availability of popular games and the affordability of the functionality still make it a competitive deal.
Dubbing devices like the Fire Stick “An Xbox” now carries some weight.
The announcement of the new feature comes less than a week after Xbox announced its new ad campaign. The ads lean into the idea that the Xbox library is accessible in more places, calling virtually all devices with a screen and internet functionality “An Xbox.” With today’s announcement, there’s a better claim to this statement than before.
Microsoft isn’t the only company bolstering its cloud offering. This week, PlayStation announced that its remote-play-only device, the PlayStation Portal, is getting an update that allows PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers to stream games without being connected to a PS5.
