What is Xbox Cloud Gaming? Here is everything you need to know about Xbox Cloud Gaming and how to use the service on a plethora of devices with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.Tom West Published 07 Jan 2025 FollowtopicsXCloudXbox Game PassGuideTom West What is Xbox Cloud Gaming? Well, it's a great way to play some of the best games on Game Pass from the comfort of your... well, from almost anywhere, actually.Playing games from the comfort of your sofa or ergonomic gaming chair is generally the preferred way to play. It's comfortable, great for your posture, and playing your favorite game natively on the console usually offers better performance, and in turn, a better experience.But inevitably, you'll need to move from that environment, and Xbox Cloud Gaming gives you a way to play your games while on the move — you can't very well bring your gaming setup for a commute to work or those family events where you just want to disappear into the background, can you?This article is being republished as one of several guides aimed at first time Xbox owners. TrueAchievements is the largest Xbox community site on the internet, allowing players to track their gaming achievements, discuss strategies and compete in contests and leaderboards. Once you have set yourself up on Xbox, you can register with us for free using your gamertag.For many years, Nintendo has dominated the portable gaming scene, especially with its latest console, the Switch. PlayStation was rocking portable play with the Vita for a while, and most recently, Valve joined the fray with the Steam Deck. But each of those systems requires you to purchase a new device, and if you're solely an Xbox player, you'll need to buy all new games for said device. That's where Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming comes in — offering you a wide selection of games to play on the various devices you already own, streamed straight from its servers for a monthly subscription. We've dug around to find you all of the information you need when deciding whether Xbox Cloud Gaming is right for you.What is Xbox Cloud Gaming?Xbox Cloud Gaming — formerly Project xCloud — is Microsoft's official cloud gaming platform. It comes as part of an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription (check out our Xbox Game Pass guide for a breakdown of its many tiers), allowing you to stream compatible games on your Xbox, mobile, tablet, laptop, desktop, and more.You can access Xbox Cloud Gaming through Xbox.com or the Xbox Game Pass app on the device of your choosing — except for Apple, which requires you to use the website service via the device's browser — and it allows you to carry over your console gaming experience to the other devices you already own.Who can use Xbox Cloud Gaming?The service is currently only accessible to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who live in the following locations:ArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBelgium BrazilCanadaCzechiaDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyHungaryIreland ItalyJapanKoreaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPolandPortugalSlovakiaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUnited Kingdom United StatesHow does it work?Xbox Cloud Gaming works by connecting your compatible device to the Xbox Network, AKA Xbox Live (more on devices next), so you can access the games within Microsoft's data centers. This is where the magic happens; these data centers are built with stacks of systems using similar hardware to Xbox Series X consoles, called server blades — these blades do all the heavy lifting when streaming games and output all content to your mobile device at the best quality possible. Depending on your internet connection and your distance from the nearest server, the gameplay should be streamed at 1080p and capped at 60fps.What devices are compatible?Xbox Cloud Gaming is compatible with Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple, Samsung TVs, Meta Quest, and Windows 10 devices (LG TVs will join the list in 2025), although, you'll need to use the service differently depending on the device you're using. Once you've sorted out your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and confirmed that the service is available in your region, you'll need one of the following devices to get playing:Platform Compatible deviceAmazon Fire Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max (currently unavailable in Argentina or Brazil)Android Devices running OS 12.0 and lateriPhone / iPad Devices running OS 14.4 and laterMacBook Devices runnign MacOS 14.1.2 and laterWindows Devices running Windows 10 version 20H2 and laterTVs 2020 Samsung smart TV models running software version 1300 and later (LG TVs will be available in 2025)Meta Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3Do I need any additional peripherals?Although there are plenty of games now available for Xbox Cloud Gaming with touch controls, you'll need to connect a compatible controller to play most of the games. Various controllers are available such as wireless, wired, and controllers that clip directly onto your mobile phone — you can find a list of officially licensed devices in our Designed for Xbox guide. When choosing a controller to use with Xbox Cloud Gaming, double-check the list on the Xbox website to ensure it's compatible — Official and Designed for Xbox are optimized for Xbox Cloud Gaming, but verified controllers will also work. Wireless controllers need to be running the latest firmware updates, which can be downloaded via your PC or Xbox.Can you play your owned games with Xbox Cloud Gaming?Yes, but only a select number of games are compatible right now. In November 2024, Microsoft started allowing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to stream their owned games via the Xbox Cloud Gaming browser experience. Just 50 games are compatible at the moment, but that number should hopefully grow in the future. In December 2024, Xbox Insiders began testing the same feature on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, which gave them the choice to launch a game via Cloud Gaming straight from their games library. The list of compatible games hasn't grown yet, but it seems like Microsoft is making decent progress with the new feature. Keep an eye on our ever-growing list of upcoming Game Pass games for a look at even more exciting titles you'll be able to play with Xbox Cloud Gaming in the future.XCloudGuideXbox Game Pass Written by Tom WestTom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.