Xbox Cloud Gaming has been a fantastic way to experience Game Pass titles without needing dedicated hardware, but a recent change has opened the floodgates in a way reminiscent of Google Stadia. This week, Xbox gamers have noticed titles outside of the Game Pass library appearing on the Cloud Gaming service.
While Microsoft hasn’t made a formal announcement (and they aren’t quite ready yet), users are reporting the seeing games they’ve purchased outright on Xcloud, even if those titles aren’t currently included in Game Pass. Currently only Dying Light 2: Stay Human, High on Life and The Crew Motorfest have been spotted “in the wild” as “playable” when owned, we hope more games are added soon. We have “playable” in quotes because, as of writing, the play button is currently greyed out.
This shift marks a significant step forward for cloud gaming accessibility and brings Xbox Cloud Gaming closer to the model championed by Google Stadia. Poetically, on Stadia’s five year anniversary.
What Happens Next?
Microsoft needs to allow the play button to be officially pressed on these first few games.
It remains to be seen how Microsoft will officially roll out this feature and what the long-term implications will be. However, one thing is clear: this is a significant development for Xbox Cloud Gaming and the future of cloud gaming as a whole. It will be interesting to see how other industry players, like PlayStation, respond to this evolving landscape.
What do you think of this change to Xbox Cloud Gaming? Let us know in the comments!
