Xbox Insiders can now use cloud streaming on their consoles to play “select” owned games

Microsoft is expanding its cloud gaming feature set by introducing the ability for Xbox game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream a “select” number of their own games to Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One consoles, without requiring install them first. It’s available to Xbox Insiders now and will be released to all users at a later date.

Microsoft has been promoting the ability to stream first-party games since 2019, and the feature is expected to initially launch alongside its Xbox Cloud gaming platform the following year. Unfortunately, it missed that goal by quite a margin and then failed to reach its revised 2022 release. Ultimately, the feature took another two years to arrive, but since November of this year, Xbox game Pass Ultimate subscribers have been able to stream its own games, and not just those available on game Pass, to a limited number of platforms.

Initially, it was only possible to stream games through TVs and browsers on compatible devices such as tablets, smartphones, and Meta Quest headsets. At the time, Microsoft said it would bring the feature to Xbox consoles and the Xbox app on Windows, but not until next year. It is therefore a pleasant surprise to see that, sooner than expected, the launch of the console is already here, although for the moment only for Xbox Insiders.

Starting today, Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings can, as long as they also have an Xbox game Pass Ultimate subscription, preview the ability to stream their own games to Xbox Series S and Xbox One. Users who meet both criteria can start exploring the feature by going to My Games & Apps > Full Library > First-Party Games on their console and then looking for (or filtering for) the cloud badge on supported games. After that, it’s simply a matter of selecting a game and then choosing “Play with cloud games.”

However, the catalog of supported titles remains extremely limited: only about 50 games are currently supported. The good news is that it’s a pretty solid lineup, combining new and old blockbuster titles with acclaimed indie games. Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Warhammer 4K: Space Marine 2, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Balatro, Hades, Animal Well, Dredge, Phasmophobia and The Plucky Squire are some of most notable games on the list, and Microsoft previously promised that its “library of playable titles in the cloud will continue to grow, as we work with our partners on everyone”. world”.

If you’re not already part of the Xbox Insider Program, you can join by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One or Windows PC. The full list of games currently supported by Microsoft’s new cloud gaming feature can be found on their website.