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Xbox is one of the leaders when it comes to cloud gaming, having launched its service (previously known as Project xCloud) as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription in the latter part of 2019.
The service now includes 100s of Xbox games to play across multiple platforms, including tablets, mobile phones and Samsung Smart TVs, without having to download them first. You can even play Xbox Series X games on an Xbox One if you subscribe.
Here’s everything you need to know about it, including the pricing and current list of games that are available.
What is Xbox Cloud Gaming and how does it work?
Xbox first introduced its cloud gaming service in beta form at the end of 2019, but formally launched it a year later. It is now available in 28 countries around the world and can be played on a variety of different devices.
As it is a cloud streaming service, all games are hosted on remote servers with the video of gameplay streamed over the internet and onto your device. In return, the controls are sent the opposite direction.
Microsoft combats latency (the lag between a button being pressed and the action occurring on screen) by hosting games on servers close to the player – thereby reducing the time it takes for communications to zip backwards and forwards through wired or wireless connections.
That doesn’t mean a game is as responsive as if it is played directly on a console, but it’s close. And, the upshot is that you can play top-level titles on a phone.
There are rivals, such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Amazon Luna and the cloud system used by PlayStation Plus for Premium members to enjoy, but considering Microsoft is one of the world leaders in data centres and cloud server technology, it definitely has an advantage in that sense.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month membership
Get a whole month’s worth of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in voucher form. A three-month code is also available.
£10.99How to sign up and get Xbox Cloud Gaming
Xbox Cloud Gaming is one of the benefits of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It is covered by a single monthly fee that also covers more than 400 Xbox games for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles, plus PC Game Pass, EA Play, and Xbox Live Gold.
You can sign up to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on your Xbox itself or through xbox.com.
Once a member, you have unlimited access to all of the games available through Cloud Gaming, to play on multiple devices. Some might require an app to be installed, while you can play through a web browser on others.
The service is currently available in 28 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
What devices does Xbox Cloud Gaming support?
Xbox Cloud Gaming will work on Apple devices, including iPhone and iPad, through the Safari browser (just head to xbox.com/play). Pretty much all iOS and iPadOS devices will work as long as they run iOS/iPadOS 14.4 or above.
Android phone and tablet owners can download a dedicated Xbox Game Pass app from Google Play or the Samsung Galaxy Store.
The service will also run through a Mac or Chromebook web browser, while Windows PC users can access games through the dedicated Xbox app for their machines.
Finally, Samsung is the first manufacturer to include Xbox Cloud Gaming on its Smart TVs, through the Samsung Gaming Hub.
How much does Xbox Cloud Gaming cost?
An Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription costs £12.99 per month in the UK, $16.99 in the US.
However, as that’s the new price set through a recent price hike, you can still get Game Pass Ultimate from Amazon at the moment for £10.99 for a month’s membership. That price won’t last for long though.
Xbox Cloud Gaming games list (as of 19 July 2023)
Here are all the games available to play over the cloud on multiple devices, including mobile phones and tablets.
- 7 Days to Die
- A Memoir Blue
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
- Amnesia: Collection
- Amnesia: Rebirth
- Amnesia: The Bunker
- Among Us
- Anvil: Vault Breaker (Game Preview)
- Aragami 2
- ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition
- As Dusk Falls
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Astroneer
- Atomic Heart
- Back 4 Blood
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Banjo-Kazooie: N n B
- Banjo-Tooie
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Battlefield 1 Revolution
- Battlefield 4
- Battlefield V
- Battlefield 2042
- Battletoads
- Beacon Pines
- Ben 10: Power Trip)
- Black Desert
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition
- Bleeding Edge
- Blinx: The Time Sweeper
- Bramble: The Mountain King
- Broken Age
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
- Celeste – coming 1 August 2023
- Chained Echoes
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Chinatown Detective Agency
- Chivalry 2
- Cities Skylines – Remastered
- Cities Skylines – Xbox One Edition
- Citizen Sleeper
- ClusterTruck
- Coffee Talk
- Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
- Commandos 3 – HD Remaster
- Common’hood
- Conan Exiles
- Contrast
- Cooking Simulator
- Costume Quest
- Crackdown 3
- Cricket 22
- Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
- Crusader Kings III
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition
- Darkest Dungeon
- DayZ
- DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace
- Dead by Daylight
- Dead Cells
- Dead Space (2008)
- Dead Space 2
- Dead Space 3
- Death’s Door
- Deathloop
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Descenders
- Despot’s Game
- Dicey Dungeons
- Dirt 5
- Disc Room
- Dishonored Definitive Edition
- Dishonored 2
- Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Disneyland Adventures
- Doom (2016)
- Doom (1993)
- Doom 3
- Doom 64
- Doom Eternal
- Doom II (Classic)
- Dordogne
- Double Dragon Neon
- Dragon Age Origins
- Dragon Age 2
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Dreamscaper – leaving 31 July 2023
- Eastward
- Edge of Eternity
- Eiyunden Chronicle: Rising
- Escape Academy
- Eville
- Exoprimal
- F1 2021
- Fabe Anninversary
- Fable II
- Fable III
- Fallout 3
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Far Cry 5
- Farming Simulator 22
- Figment 2: Creed Valley – coming 20 July 2023
- F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch
- Football Manager 2023 Console
- For Honor: Marching Fire Edition
- Forager
- Forza Horizon 4
- Forza Horizon 5
- Frostpunk: Console Edition
- Fuga: Melodies of Steel
- Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2
- Fusion Frenzy
- Gang Beasts
- Garden Story
- Gears 5: Game of the Year Edition
- Gears of War 2
- Gears of War 3
- Gears of War 4
- Gears of War: Judgment
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
- Gears Tactics
- Generation Zero
- Genesis Noir
- Goat Simulator
- Ghost Song
- Ghostwire: Tokyo
- GoldenEye 007
- Golf with Your Friends
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Grid Legends
- Grounded
- Guilty Gear Survive
- Gunfire Reborn
- Gungrave G.O.R.E
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo Infinite
- Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
- Halo Wars 2
- Halo: Spartan Assault
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Hardspace Shipbreaker
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Hellow Neighbour 2
- Hi-Fi Rush
- High On Life
- Hitman World of Assassination
- Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition
- Homestead Arcana
- Hotwheels Unleashed: Game of the Year Edition
- House Flipper
- Human Fall Flat
- Hypnospace Outlaw
- Immortality
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Injustice 2
- Inkulinati (Game Preview)
- Inside
- Insurgency: Sandstorm
- Iron Brigade
- It Takes Two
- Jetpac Refuelled
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
- Joy Ride Turbo
- Jurassic World Evolution 2
- Just Cause 4: Reloaded
- Kameo
- Kill It With Fire
- Killer Instinct DE
- Lapin (Game Preview)
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Let’s Build a Zoo
- Little Witch in the Woods (Game Preview)
- Lonely Mountains: Downhill
- Loot River
- Lost in Random
- Marvel’s Avengers – leaving 31 July 2023
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
- Massive Chalice
- McPixel 3
- MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
- Medieval Dynasty
- Merge & Blade
- Metal: Hellsinger
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Middle Earth: Shadow of War
- Midnight Fight Express
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Minecraft Legends
- Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
- MLB The Show 22
- MLB The Show 23
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Monster Sanctuary
- Monster Train
- Moonlighter
- Moonscars
- Mortal Kombat 11
- MotoGP 22
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- My Friend Pedro
- My Friend Peppa Pig
- My Time At Portia
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Need for Speed Heat
- Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
- Need for Speed Unbound
- New Super Lucky’s Tale
- Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Prince’s Edition
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
- Ninja Gaiden Σ
- Ninja Gaiden Σ2
- No Man’s Sky
- Norco
- Nuclear Throne
- Opus: Echo of Starsong – Full Bloom Edition
- Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Outriders
- Overcooked! 2
- Pac-Man Museum+
- Paw Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay
- Paw Patrol: Grand Prix
- Peggle 2
- Pentiment
- Perfect Dark
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Persona 4 Golden
- Persona 5 Royal
- Phantom Abyss
- Phoenix Point
- Pikuniku
- Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition
- Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
- Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare
- Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2
- Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
- Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
- PowerWash Simulator
- Prey
- Prodeus
- Psychonauts
- Psychonauts 2
- Quake Remastered
- Rage
- Rage 2
- Railway Empire 2
- Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan
- Ravenlock
- ReCore: Definitive Edition
- Redfall
- Research and Destroy
- Return to Monkey Island
- Roboquest (Game Preview)
- Rubber Bandits
- Rune Factory 4 Special
- Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure
- Scorn
- SD Gundam Battle Alliance
- Sea of Thieves 2023 Edition
- Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem – coming 25 July 2023
- Shadow Warrior 3: Definitive Edition
- Shadowrun Returns
- Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut
- Shadorun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition
- Shredders
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
- Signalis
- Skate (2007)
- Skate 3
- Slay the Spire
- Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer
- Slime Rancher 2
- Sniper Elite 5
- SnowRunner
- Soccer Story
- Solasta: Crown of the Magister
- SOMA
- Somerville
- Soul Hackers 2
- Spacelines from the Far Out
- SpiderHeck
- Stacking
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- Stardew Valley
- State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
- Stellaris: Console Edition
- Stranded Deep
- Super Mega Baseball 3
- Superliminal
- Surgeon Simulator 2
- Sword and Fairy: Together Forever
- Tainted Grail: Conquest
- Techtonica (Game Preview)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
- Tell Me Why Episode 1 – 3
- Terraria
- The Ascent – leaving 31 July 2023
- The Bard’s Tale IV: Directors Cut
- The Bard’s Tale Remastered and Resnarkled
- The Bard’s Tale Trilogy
- The Big Con
- The Cave
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- The Evil Within
- The Evil Within 2
- The Gunk
- The Legend of Tianding
- The Outer Worlds
- The Sims 4
- 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 Wandering Village – coming 20 July 2023
- TheHunter: Call of the Wild
- This War of Mine: Final Cut
- Tinykin
- Toem
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Deluxe Edtion
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands
- Torment: Tides of Numenera
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
- Totally Reliable Delivery Service
- Townscaper
- Trailmakers
- Train Sim World 3
- Trek to Yomi
- Tunic
- Turbo Golf Racing (Game Preview)
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
- Two Point Campus – leaving 31 July 2023
- Unpacking
- Unravel Two
- Valheim (Game Preview)
- Vampire Survivors
- Viva Piñata
- Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
- Wasteland Remastered
- Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
- Wasteland 3
- Watch Dogs 2
- Weird West
- Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
- Wolfenstein: YoungBlood
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Wreckfest
- 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
- You Suck at Parkings
- Zombie Army 4: Dead War
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