Key Takeaways
- Microsoft reportedly started internally testing Xbox Cloud Gaming support for owned games.
- The feature is rumored to reach the Xbox Insiders program before the end of November 2024.
- The ability to stream owned Xbox games has been in the works since at least late 2019, when Microsoft first promised it was coming to what was then called Project xCloud.
Microsoft has reportedly started testing Xbox Cloud Gaming support for games that its users own outright. The experimental feature, which is expected to be offered to select Xbox Game Pass subscribers shortly, has been in the works for half a decade.
Microsoft initially announced support for streaming owned games during X019 in November 2019, back when Xbox Cloud Gaming was still called Project xCloud. On that occasion, the company said that a beta version of this functionality would roll out sometime in 2020. While this didn’t come to pass, Microsoft has since occasionally reiterated that support for streaming purchased Xbox games is still coming.
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The company might finally be ready to start making good on that promise, according to a new report from The Verge, which states that Microsoft has recently begun testing the feature internally. The current version of the service is said to support 10 games. Half of those used to be available on Xbox Game Pass, with this group including Hades, High on Life, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Metro Exodus, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The other five are Dredge, Dying Light 2, the complete edition of The Witcher 3, and the Xbox One versions of The Crew Motorfest and PGA Tour 2K23.
Xbox Cloud Gaming Support for Streaming Some Owned Games Is Reportedly Coming Soon
The feature is currently on course to be offered to some users before the end of November 2024, as per the same source. Its experimental version will reportedly first roll out to members of the Xbox Insiders program, which anyone is free to enroll in. The full initial list of Xbox titles that players will be able to stream as part of this beta is currently unclear. The Verge claims that Microsoft’s ultimate goal is to allow users to stream thousands of games they own, citing sources familiar with the initiative.
Games That Might Become Streamable Via Xbox Cloud Gaming Soon
- Dredge
- Dying Light 2
- Hades
- High On Life
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metro Exodus
- PGA Tour 2K23 (Xbox One)
- The Crew Motorfest (Xbox One)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Complete Edition)
This report aligns with what Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said back in February, when he promised that Xbox Cloud Gaming will start supporting streaming of owned games before the end of 2024. In doing so, the service will begin more directly rivaling the likes of Boosteroid and Nvidia’s GeForce Now, which already allow users to play (some) games they already own on other platforms via cloud.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently an exclusive perk of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. But once it finally begins allowing users to stream games that they own outright, the service could become strong enough to stand on its own. Microsoft is believed to be aware of this possibility, with recent reports suggesting that the company is currently considering making a cloud-only Xbox Game Pass tier.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.