Microsoft Now Allowing Insiders to Stream Games on Xbox

By Daniel Gaming News
12 December 2024 no comments

Microsoft has expanded its cloud gaming service to allow Xbox users to stream games to their consoles without downloading. Xbox Insiders can stream a selection of games directly on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. A full launch of the service could roll out in 2025.

Xbox Insiders can now stream “select” games directly to their Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. In a surprising move, Microsoft has opened up the beta test to Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Insiders subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Although only a small number of games are available, the service is likely to grow in 2025. Microsoft wants to grant access to all Game Pass subscribers next year.

Find out what’s on Xbox Game Pass this month

How to Stream Games on Xbox

Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Xbox Insiders, who are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, can stream games they own directly from their library.  To browse available games, users can boot up their console and go into My games & apps > Full library > Owned Games. From there, a cloud badge will appear on compatible games, with a “Play with Cloud Gaming” option available.

There are only around 50 games in the program, including Star Wars Outlaws, Stray, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Visions of Mana, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Balatro. More games will come to the cloud gaming feature as Microsoft opens it up to more users.

What It Means For Gamers

Cloud-based gaming is becoming more prominent, with Microsoft eager to lead the charge. As games get more impressive, they require more hardware space, and consoles are held back in terms of capabilities and hardware to keep costs down. Streaming games appears to be the future solution as it can potentially remove the need for a console in the long term and free up precious disk space in the short term.

While rumors suggest the next Xbox and PlayStation consoles could be the last ones for Microsoft and Sony, both companies will want to take advantage of their subscribers on their game passes. For the moment, it appears Xbox users will get the first chance to try the future of gaming.

Conclusion

Microsoft has invited Xbox Insiders to stream their owned games directly to their consoles. Are you in favor of streaming games to your console, or do you prefer to download them? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Daniel

Fueled by a passion for gaming and the ever-evolving world of gaming news, Daniel loves connecting with seasoned and new players to bring games to life on the page, exploring their narratives and gaming trends. A self-published fiction and fantasy author, Daniel has nearly 20 years of experience writing gaming news and a love for storytelling that drives his enthusiasm to deliver breaking news, in-depth analysis, and industry innovations. You will find him in-game as "Windfell."

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