Xbox Game Pass now runs on more PCs and Surface devices

By Cristina Alexander Updated October 12, 2022

Microsoft is continuing its expansion of the Xbox Game Pass by releasing the ARMS64 version of the Xbox app for Windows. The company wrote in a blog post on Wednesday that the Xbox app has been updated to run natively on Windows PCs and other devices running Arms, including the Surface Pro X and the newly announced Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5.

The expansion of the Xbox app means that you can not only access Xbox Game Pass on recent models of the aforementioned devices, but that the app is also supported on older PCs that were originally not able to support cloud streaming in the first place, including PCs running software as far back as Windows 7. ARMS64 gets its name from the fact that the old PCs are capable of running on 64-bit Windows — so can the Google Chromebooks.

Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, and Microsoft Flight Simulator are just some of the games supported by the ARMS64 version of the Xbox app. That means you’ll be able to stream those games and more Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titles without having to worry about performance or latency issues.

The announcement of the ARMS64 version of the Xbox app to those who own otherwise older PCs comes on the heels of Phil Spencer revealing the prototype design for the Keystone cloud-streaming stick and Xbox Game Pass coming in VR form to Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. Even so, the company is working to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to more devices and players around the world, allowing them to play games regardless of whether or not they own an Xbox.

Topics

Cristina Alexander

Gaming/Mobile Writer

Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…

Gaming

The best co-op games on Xbox Series X

Jack Sparrow and pirate from Sea of Thieves.

The Xbox Series X is home to superb games already, and there are plenty of upcoming games to be excited about too. As much as we all love competing in the best multiplayer games on Xbox Series X, sometimes you would rather team up with a friend than fight them. Co-op games let you and your friends turn the tables on the game itself to stack the odds in your favor. While local co-op has started to fade away, cross-platform games make it easier than ever to join up with friends online even if they're playing on a different console.

These are the best co-op games on Xbox Series X.

Gaming

You can try the new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier for $1

An Xbox Series X sits next to both Series S models.

Xbox Insiders will be the first to check out the new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier. The plan costs just $1 per month for testers, who can also provide feedback, starting today.

Xbox has also clarified its plans for Game Pass Standard, the new tier for its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and which games will be available for it. In an Xbox Wire post published Tuesday, Xbox Game Pass senior community lead Megan Spurr noted that day-one titles will still only come to the Game Pass Ultimate and PC plans. The Standard tier will only have access to the regular Game Pass catalog. That's not nothing, but it does mean that if day-one games stay on the service, they might be available on Standard until "up to 12 months later or more."

Gaming

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is more than Xbox’s Uncharted

Indiana Jones rappels into a tomb in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Creating an Indiana Jones video game is a daunting task. It’s not just that you have to honor an iconic film franchise that fans are very protective of; you also need to make it stand out from Uncharted, a beloved series that is already ostensibly a thinly veiled Indiana Jones adaptation. It’s a challenge, but one that MachineGames seems to have cracked with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Ahead of its latest trailer reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live, I got a deeper look into the upcoming action-adventure game. While previous looks have focused on story, the latest presentation gives a much deeper look into its combat, exploration, and more. While there are some parallels to Uncharted, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels more indebted to Wolfenstein, Hitman, and even The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. That makes it feel much more like an Indiana Jones game than a boilerplate tomb-raiding adventure.
Tools of the trade
Set after Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Great Circle begins at Marshall College, where someone steals a priceless relic. Jones teams up with photojournalist Gina to recover it, only to discover that there’s a wider conspiracy at play that goes through Nazi territory. With the help of some companions, they set out on a globe-trotting adventure that involves the villainous Emmerich Voss and the titular Great Circle, a ring that connects the world’s biggest landmarks (an idea that came from producer Todd Howard).