Skip to main content

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gamers will be able to play anywhere with xCloud add-on

Xbox chief Phil Spencer unveiled plans to combine Game Pass and Project xCloud for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members.

The feature, which will launch in September, will allow Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members who pay $15 a month for the Game Pass-Xbox Live Gold bundle to play Xbox Game Pass titles on their phones or tablets in addition to their consoles. It’ll be available at no additional cost.

Related Videos

“Cloud gaming in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate means your games are no longer locked to the living room,” Spencer wrote. “And just like you do with the popular movie and music streaming services, when cloud gaming launches into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can continue your game wherever you left off on any of your devices.”

Spencer also promised to clean up Xbox Live and let players take their games wherever they go. Although he didn’t provide too many details on Microsoft’s plan, Spencer said the company will tackle the ongoing problem of harassment on Xbox Live.

Microsoft will deploy “new technology to reduce hate speech and toxicity” across Xbox Live and make the service “safe, accessible, and welcoming” by improving its content policing, Spencer said in his post on Thursday. He added that Microsoft is “empowering creators of diverse backgrounds to develop new stories” and will push for “authentic and respectful representation in games.”

His comments come as the game industry reels from a growing number of harassment, racism, and sexual abuse complaints. Microsoft found itself in the midst of that controversy in May, when former employee Milan Lee recounted racism he experienced at Microsoft’s game-streaming service Mixer. “Racism will not be tolerated on our teams or on our services,” Spencer said in response to Lee’s comments. The two also spoke privately about Lee’s experience.

Spencer’s post also made several promises to players, including an expectation that games will “look and play best on Xbox Series X.” His comments appear to respond to concerned players questioning whether Xbox Series X games will look as good as they could when developers are also making Xbox One versions. Developers, they fear, will need to ensure their games work on older hardware, leaving an Xbox Series X game to look duller than PlayStation 5 alternatives.

Any new Microsoft Game Studios titles, including the upcoming Halo Infinite, will be developed for both the Xbox Series X and Xbox One for the next two years, Spencer said, seemingly casting aside those fears. All Xbox One accessories will also work on Xbox Series X and players can expect games from all four Xbox generations to be playable on the console.

“The future of gaming has never been more exciting and limitless,” Spencer said. “It’s a future you’ll explore on your terms, not constrained by restrictive policies.”

Microsoft will share more about Xbox Series X and its games at its Xbox Games Showcase on July 23. Spencer promised a “first look” at Halo Infinite‘s campaign at the show.

Editors' Recommendations

Former PS5 exclusive Ghostwire: Tokyo Comes to Xbox Game Pass in April
Akito with KK and the neon colors of Tokyo and invading spirits.

Former PlayStation 5 exclusive Ghostwire: Tokyo will launch for Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC on April 12. A free update called The Spider's Thread will release on the same day for all platforms, including Xbox Series X/S,  PC and PlayStation 5. The game is being added to Xbox Game Pass.

Ghostwire: Tokyo was first released on PS5 and PC on March 25, 2022. Despite Microsoft owning Bethesda at the time, preexisting agreements were honored and the game remained a timed console exclusive on PS5. The same situation occurred with Bethesda's Deathloop, which initially launched on PS5 and PC in September 2021 and then came to Xbox Series X/S a year later.

Read more
Time is running out to play Battlefield 2042 for free
Crawford shoots enemies with a turret he place in Battlefield 2042.

If you want to try Battlefield 2042 for free on PC, your time is running out. You have just over a day to download and play it on Steam before it goes back to being a full-price release.
Battlefield 2042's free access period on Steam began on March 13, about two weeks after the start of Season 4: Eleventh Hour. If you go to its store page on Steam, you can download and play it for free until 12 p.m. ET on March 16. The game is also discounted on Steam during this time, so you can pick Battlefield 2042 up for $18 instead of $60.
If you don't want to buy the game directly but still want to continue playing after this free trial period, you have some options. Battlefield 2042 is included in multiple subscription services at the moment. It is one of March 2023's monthly PlayStation Plus titles for both PS4 and PS5 subscribers. Meanwhile, it's available as part of the EA Play game library, which Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S all have access to.
If you use the same EA account on those platforms, you'll be able to carry over all of your account progression and items and not lose any progress. As such, this free access period on Steam is a great time to check out Battlefield 2042 if you've been on the fence about picking it up. 
Battlefield 2042 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Its free Steam demo ends on March 16.

Read more
All GTA games, ranked from worst to best
The protagonists of GTA V pose for the camera.

Few video game series are as legendary as Grand Theft Auto, which made a name for itself thanks to developer Rockstar Games. GTA has been around since 1997, spanning numerous console generations, and taking place during versions of the 1960s to the 2020s. It's a controversial series that has been featured in the news for its violence and adult themes, but this has led to even more sales, increasing its allure and popularity.

Beyond its controversies, the Grand Theft Auto series is comprised of fantastic games -- some of which have completely revolutionized the medium as a whole. Many modern hits owe a lot to the Grand Theft Auto series, proving just how important these games are, even decades later.

Read more