Xbox Cloud Gaming


Xbox Cloud Gaming, also simply known as Xbox Cloud, is a cloud gaming service as part of Xbox offered by Microsoft Gaming. Initially released in beta testing in November 2019, the service later launched for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on September 15, 2020. Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming is provided to subscribers at no additional cost. Xbox Cloud Gaming operates by linking the device to a remote server in the cloud.

Development

The ideas for the cloud service came within Microsoft around 2016, around the same time that Kareem Choudhry developed the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility for the Xbox One. As his team developed this solution, Choudhry also had the idea if they could provide these games without having need of a console, and got Spencer's go-ahead to start a small team to determine the feasibility of cloud gaming. The technology was deemed successful enough at around the time of Xbox Game Pass's introduction that Microsoft assembled a larger team to build up the cloud gaming platform.
Microsoft teased the service at E3 2018 and formally announced Project xCloud several months later, in October 2018. They demonstrated the service in March 2019 with the racing game Forza Horizon 4 playing on an Android smartphone with an Xbox One controller. Xbox head Phil Spencer used a private server during this time to test games on a remote connection. The service entered its home testing phase in May 2019, when it could be used outside the lab environment. It entered public testing later in the year and was unveiled at E3 2019.
Microsoft said that its Xbox content library will make its service more appealing than competitors such as Stadia. The hardware at launch used Xbox One S-based blade servers, but began to transition to Xbox Series X-based servers in June 2021. Each server initially had four customized Xbox One S-based units for the 2018 teaser, but this was doubled to eight per server in a 2U enclosure for the service's launch in 2019. Compared to the standard Xbox One S, power consumption has been reduced by 30% through processor-specific power tuning. Video output is set for 120 Hz to reduce latency.
Trials of the service began in October 2019, and as of November 2019, the service hosts 50 games, with support in testing for Apple Inc.'s iOS mobile devices, and for Sony Interactive Entertainment's DualShock controllers.
On February 12, 2020, Project xCloud launched on Apple's mobile operating system in a preview version.
On May 5, 2020, Project xCloud came to Spain in preview.
Microsoft released Xbox Cloud Gaming across 21 countries in North America and Europe, as well as in South Korea, on September 15, 2020, for select Android devices, with support for more than 150 games at launch.
Xbox Cloud Gaming was released in its beta form for Windows users on August 9, 2021, as a perk of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, though also required users to be registered in the Xbox Insider program. It was officially released as part of the Xbox app for Windows on September 14, 2021, along with Remote Play support from Xbox consoles to a Windows computer. Microsoft introduced a Clarity Boost feature for Windows users through the Edge browser that provides client-side visual improvements to the streamed content.
Microsoft began rolling out testing of Xbox Cloud Gaming for Xbox One consoles on test channels in October 2021, allowing users on those consoles to play Xbox Series X/S games.
In 2024, Microsoft also rolled out Xbox cloud gaming for the Fire TV series of products.
The internet speed requirements for Xbox Cloud Gaming's service is as follows:
Required minimumOptimal experience and better quality
Download bandwidthat least 4.75 Mbps9 or more Mbps
Latencyless than or equal to 125 msbelow 60 ms
Along with updates to the Xbox Game Pass program in October 2025, Microsoft also brought Cloud Gaming out of its beta period, making it available for the Premium and Ultimate tiers of Xbox Game Pass. Additionally, users reported being offered a free, ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, limited to games the user owns and a small rotating selection of free titles.

Availability

Xbox Cloud Gaming is available in the following 29 countries, incl. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In September 2021, Microsoft expanded the service to Australia, Brazil, Japan, and Mexico. In June 2022, the service was expanded further to include Argentina and New Zealand. In November 2025, the service was expanded further to include India.

Games

The Xbox Series X/S's backward compatibility allows xCloud to retain the existing library of Xbox games while adding new games from the Xbox Series X/S. The Xbox Game Pass Library currently lists 382 cloud-enabled games. The list includes Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 5, The Outer Worlds, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Microsoft has also announced plans to expand the list of cloud-enabled games to include select Xbox games that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have purchased from the Microsoft Store.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was the first game to support full touch controls. Touch controls have since been added to another 186 games.
Microsoft introduced cloud play support for selected original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles using its backward compatibility program starting in March 2021 with 16 titles available. Players are able to use cloud-based saved games from the original release of these titles if they have used that service as part of Xbox Live Gold. Some of the games also support official touch controls when played on mobile devices.

Reception

The service received generally positive initial impressions from reviewers. Playing over a T-Mobile LTE connection with just 25 Mbit/s download speed caused no effect on image quality. Even while playing on a moving bus and train, there was no noticeable loss of image quality.
Reviewers also reported that starting up games on the phone feels faster because the games are running on more powerful remote servers rather than a hard drive on a console. Load times are also minimized and closer to a PC gaming experience.

Hardware

Xbox Cloud Gaming runs via Microsoft's 54 Azure cloud computing centers, hosted in 140 countries.
Microsoft upgraded its server blades to the more capable Xbox Series X hardware in 2021.
The service is designed to work with phones, either with touchscreen controls or a game controller over Bluetooth. Notable supported controller models include:
  • Official Xbox controllers
  • *Xbox Wireless Controller
  • *Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 1 and Series 2
  • *Xbox Adaptive Controller
  • Logitech
  • *Wireless Gamepad F710
  • Valve Corporation
  • *Steam Controller
  • Razer Inc.
  • *Kishi
  • *Kishi v2
  • *Kishi v2 Pro
  • *Kishi v3
  • *Kishi v3 Pro
  • *Kishi v3 Pro XL
  • *Kishi Ultra
  • *Wolverine v2
  • *Wolverine v2 Chroma
  • *Wolverine v3 Pro
  • *Wolverine v3 Tournament Edition
  • *Wolverine Ultimate
  • *Raiju Mobile Gaming Controller for Android
  • *Junglecat
  • Sony
  • *DualShock 4 Wireless Controller
  • *DualSense Wireless Controller
  • SteelSeries
  • *Stratus XL for Windows, Android, and VR
  • *Stratus Duo for Windows, Chromebook, Android, and VR
  • *Stratus+ for Windows, Chromebook, and Android
  • *Nimbus+ for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple TV
  • *Nimbus Cloud
  • Backbone Labs
  • *Backbone One
  • *Backbone Pro
  • Google
  • *Stadia Controller
  • Amazon
  • *Luna Controller
  • Nintendo
  • *Joy-Con
  • *Joy-Con 2
  • *Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
  • *Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
  • Gamevice
  • *Gamevice for Android
  • *Gamevice for iPhone
  • *Gamevice for iPad
  • *Flex for Android
  • *Flex for iPhone
  • Nacon
  • *MG-X
  • *MG-X Pro
  • *Revolution X Pro Controller
  • *Revolution X Unlimited Controller
  • *Pro Compact Controller
  • *EVOL-X
  • *EVOL-X Pro
  • *Daija Arcade Stick
  • ContrlPWR
  • *Cloud Gaming Controller for iOS
  • PowerA
  • *MOGA XP5-A Plus
  • *MOGA XP5-i Plus
  • *MOGA XP5-X Plus
  • *MOGA XP7-X Plus
  • *MOGA XP-ULTRA Multi-Platform Wireless Controller for Mobile, PC and Xbox Series X|S
  • *Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Nano Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Symmetric Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Advantage Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Advantage Plus Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *FUSION Pro 2 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *FUSION Pro 3 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *FUSION Pro 4 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • *FUSION Pro Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X|S
  • Turtle Beach Corporation
  • *Recon Controller
  • *Recon Cloud Hybrid Game Controller
  • *Atom Controller
  • *React-R Controller
  • *Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller with Rapid Charge Dock
  • *Stealth Pivot Wireless Smart Controller
  • *Rematch Core Wired Controller
  • *Afterglow Wave Wired Controller
  • *PDP Afterglow Wave Wired Controller
  • *PDP Rematch Advanced Wired Controller
  • *PDP Neon Wired Controller
  • *PDP REALMz Wired Controller
  • *PDP REALMz Wireless Controller
  • *PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller
  • *Victrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick
  • *Victrix Pro BFG Wireless Controller
  • *Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded Wireless Modular Controller
  • *Victrix Gambit Prime Tournament Controller