It’s going to be a big time for Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud gaming efforts here soon, as it’s now being reported that Microsoft is adding the ability to stream games you own. Xbox Cloud Gaming, which has been exclusive to Game Pass Ultimate members since it arrived, will no longer be limited to whatever’s available in the Game Pass library. There’s no firm date just yet but according to The Verge, Microsoft plans to start making this feature available in November.
It may be arriving around the same time as the ability to purchase Xbox games within the Android app. On October 10, Xbox President Sarah Bond confirmed that starting in November, Xbox users will be able to launch the Android app and purchase a game right from within it. A change Microsoft is making following the events of the Epic vs Google ruling this week.
Streaming Xbox games you own in the cloud will start with Xbox Insiders
There are still some unknown details about this upcoming feature but it appears that Microsoft isn’t going to roll this out fully right away. It will reportedly start first with Xbox Insiders in November. Xbox will then start rolling it out to all users. Microsoft also plans to expand the feature with more games around that same time.
Xbox users have been requesting the capability to stream games they own for a while. And it was supposed to be a feature that was available with Xbox Cloud Gaming from the beginning. However, those plans never materialized, with Xbox shifting the plans for its availability to sometime in 2022. Now more than two years later, the feature is finally coming. Perhaps Microsoft wanted to launch this capability around the same time it made it possible to purchase Xbox games from within the Android app.
Streaming games you own may still be limited
Without an official announcement about streaming games you own, it’s unclear if users will be able to stream any game they own or if there will be limitations. Right now the biggest piece of information about this upcoming feature is that it’s coming in November through testing with Xbox Insiders.
That being said, The Verge does note that Microsoft has been preparing its cloud gaming servers to “support thousands of games.” So there seems to be a good chance that most if not all games will be supported.