Microsoft has announced that Game Pass subscribers that are part of the Xbox Insiders testing program can now play more games through cloud streaming, with PC players even getting cloud streaming access to some of the titles they might own through Microsoft. The feature is available for subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Core or Standard, and requires the user to live in an area where Xbox Cloud Gaming is supported.
“We’re expanding the ways players can experience PC gaming through Xbox Game Pass,” announced Microsoft. “As part of testing, Xbox Insiders subscribed to Game Pass Core or Standard will for the first time gain access to PC versions of select titles, giving you even more flexibility and the choice to play on a PC or Windows handheld.”
It is worth noting that PC players will still have to make use of the Xbox PC app on Windows in order to access their cloud streaming game. On the bright side, PC players also don’t have to worry about things like hardware requirements or even storage space, since cloud streaming will allow them to start the game up as soon as possible.
This expansion of Xbox games available on PC through cloud streaming comes just a month after Microsoft had announced cloud streaming through the Xbox PC app. The feature was released for free, and doesn’t require players to make any new purchases. This move has been seen as an expansion to Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere push, through which the company provides copies of eligible games across Xbox consoles as well as on PC through the Microsoft store.
The cloud streaming feature was originally only available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers before the newest announcement also opened it up to Game Pass Core and Standard subscribers.
“These updates are part of a broader effort to make the Xbox experience on PC even better and bring more of what players love about Xbox into more places,” wrote Microsoft in its announcement. “Whether you’re streaming your own games, jumping back into the cloud, or earning rewards just for playing, it’s all about giving you more control, more flexibility, and more reasons to play your way.”
The push for Xbox Play Anywhere no doubt also helps Microsoft further bolster its selling points for upcoming handheld gaming systems ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. The two systems were developed by Microsoft in collaboration with Asus, and the companies announced earlier this month that they would be hitting store shelves worldwide on October 16.
Since both of the handhelds likely won’t have the horsepower to run the most demanding titles out there with the highest of graphics presets, Xbox Cloud Gaming will allow users to simply stream full-quality versions of games that the already own instantly on to the device. This, of course, also assumes that the handheld is connected to fast enough Internet.
For more details about the Asus ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, check out our coverage of the announcements from Gamescom 2025.
