Project xCloud joins Xbox Game Pass this year

By Oscar Dayus,

Project xCloud, Xbox's game streaming service that's currently in beta testing, will join the subscription-based Xbox Game Pass later this year.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the news in a blog post. Revealing few other details, he said: "Later this year our cloud game streaming technology, Project xCloud, will come to Game Pass - so you and your friends can stream and play the games you love together on your devices."

It remains to be seen how the two services will be integrated. Game Pass is available in 41 countries for a monthly or annual fee, while xCloud is still in the Preview phase in a much smaller selection of countries. It also has no monetisation attached to it as Microsoft continues to fine-tune its technical aspects, while it remains unclear if the two services will continue to be available separately for those who want access to one but not the other.

In theory, the move would allow us to play any Game Pass title immediately by streaming, rather than needing to wait to download. This has not yet been confirmed, however.

Nevertheless, the move to shore up Xbox's digital offering will likely be welcomed by fans, especially ahead of the Xbox Series X launch and the rumoured reveal of an all-digital Xbox Series S.

In related news, Microsoft announced just recently that Xbox Game Pass has around ten times as many subscribers as PS Now. The former is now up to 10 million users, while the latter had 1 million when Sony last shared figures in October 2019.

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Written by Oscar Dayus

Oscar is the acting editor of both TrueAchievements and TrueTrophies. He's written for GameSpot, Vice, PCGamesN, Pocket Gamer, VideoGamer, and, to be honest, too many others to name. Send him good memes, if you like.