Microsoft has launched a beta test that will finally bring cloud streaming to Xbox consoles. Members of the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha levels of the Xbox Insiders program can start using this feature right now on their Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.
This news is an extension of the “stream your own game” feature that Microsoft announced in November. That first launch allowed Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream selected games they had purchased digitally to their TVs, Meta Quest VR headsets, and some supported browser settings. At the time, the company said it also planned to launch streaming on the Xbox console and the Xbox Windows app in 2025.
While this update is a welcome addition to the hardware for “streaming your own game,” there are still some caveats to this feature. First, it is only available to Game Pass Ultimate members. Second, the game must support cloud streaming. It’s a short list of games included in the program for now, but a few of them are great games worth checking out: Baldur’s Gate 3, Balatro, Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Well, Stray, and the first six Final Fantasy games, to name a few. Once this becomes available to the entire Xbox audience, it should be a useful way to organize your game downloads and access your entire library without having to shell out for external storage.
In other news from Microsoft, the Windows Xbox app has received several updates. The app’s new home screen will display curated game collections and suggested games, as well as the latest gaming news, releases, and sales.
