Xbox Cloud Gaming, also called Xbox Cloud, is a cloud gaming service provided by Microsoft. It was first tested in beta in November 2019 and later became available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on September 15, 2020. The service is available without extra cost to subscribers. Xbox Cloud Gaming works by connecting the device to a remote server in the cloud.

Development

In 2016, Microsoft began developing ideas for a cloud service. Around the same time, Kareem Choudhry worked on making older Xbox 360 games compatible with the Xbox One. While working on this, Choudhry thought about providing these games without needing a console. He received approval from Spencer to form a small team to explore whether cloud gaming could work. The technology was considered successful enough when Xbox Game Pass was introduced, leading Microsoft to create a larger team to build the cloud gaming platform.

Microsoft first shared details about the service at E3 2018 and officially announced Project xCloud in October 2018. They demonstrated the service in March 2019 by playing the racing game Forza Horizon 4 on an Android smartphone with an Xbox One controller. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, tested games using a private server during this time. The service moved to a home testing phase in May 2019, allowing it to be used outside of a lab. It entered public testing later that year and was shown at E3 2019.

Microsoft stated that its Xbox content library would make its service more attractive than competitors like Stadia. At launch, the hardware used Xbox One S-based blade servers, but by June 2021, it transitioned to Xbox Series X-based servers. Initially, each server had four customized Xbox One S units for the 2018 demonstration, but this was increased to eight units per server in a 2U enclosure for the service’s 2019 launch. Power consumption was reduced by 30% compared to standard Xbox One S units through specialized power tuning. Video output was set to 120 Hz to reduce delay.

Testing of the service began in October 2019. By November 2019, the service supported 50 games and was being tested for Apple iOS devices and Sony DualShock controllers.

On February 12, 2020, Project xCloud launched on Apple’s mobile operating system in a preview version.

On May 5, 2020, Project xCloud became available in Spain (Europe) in a preview format.

Microsoft released Xbox Cloud Gaming in 21 countries across North America, Europe, and South Korea on September 15, 2020, for select Android devices, with support for more than 150 games at launch.

Xbox Cloud Gaming was released in beta form for Windows users on August 9, 2021, as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Users also needed to be registered in the Xbox Insider program. It was officially released as part of the Xbox app for Windows on September 14, 2021, along with support for playing Xbox console games on a Windows computer. Microsoft added a Clarity Boost feature for Windows users through the Edge browser, which improved the visual quality of streamed content.

Testing of Xbox Cloud Gaming for Xbox One consoles began in October 2021, allowing users to play Xbox Series X/S games on those consoles.

In 2024, Microsoft expanded Xbox Cloud Gaming to the Fire TV series of devices.

The internet speed requirements for Xbox Cloud Gaming are as follows:

With updates to the Xbox Game Pass program in October 2025, Microsoft ended the beta period for Cloud Gaming, making it available for the Premium and Ultimate tiers of Xbox Game Pass. Some users also received access to a free, ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, limited to games they owned and a small selection of free titles.

For the second quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, Microsoft reported revenue of $8.2 billion, a year-over-year increase driven mainly by content and services.

According to reports in March 2026, Xbox shifted its focus toward dedicated console hardware, moving away from the “Xbox is Every Screen” marketing campaign.

Availability

Xbox Cloud Gaming is available in the following 29 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In September 2021, Microsoft added the service to Australia, Brazil, Japan, and Mexico. In June 2022, the service was made available in Argentina and New Zealand. In November 2025, the service was expanded to include India.

Games

The Xbox Series X/S's ability to play older games allows xCloud to keep the existing collection of Xbox games and add new ones from the Xbox Series X/S. The Xbox Game Pass Library currently has 382 games that can be played using the cloud. These include Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 5, The Outer Worlds, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Microsoft plans to add more cloud-enabled games, including some Xbox titles that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have bought from the Microsoft Store.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was the first game to support complete touch controls. Since then, touch controls have been added to 186 other games.

Microsoft began offering cloud play support for selected original Xbox and Xbox 360 games through its backward compatibility program in March 2021, starting with 16 titles. Players who used cloud-based saved games from the original versions of these titles through Xbox Live Gold can access them again. Some of these games also support official touch controls when played on mobile devices.

Reception

The service received mostly positive early feedback from users. When playing games over a T-Mobile LTE connection with a download speed of 25 Mbit/s, the image quality did not change. Even when playing on a moving bus or train, the image quality remained clear and unchanged.

Users also noted that starting games on the phone felt faster because the games ran on stronger remote servers instead of a console's hard drive. Load times were shorter and more similar to the experience of playing on a PC.

Hardware

Xbox Cloud Gaming operates through Microsoft’s 54 Azure cloud computing centers, located in 140 countries. In 2021, Microsoft updated its server parts to use hardware from the Xbox Series X.

The service works on phones, either with touchscreen controls or a game controller connected via Bluetooth. Supported controller models include:

• Official Xbox controllers: Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 1 and Series 2, Xbox Adaptive Controller
• Logitech Gamepad F310, F710, G920, G923 (Xbox edition), G PRO Racing Wheel (Xbox edition), RS50 (Xbox edition)
• Valve Steam Controller
• Razer Kishi (Xbox edition), Kishi v2 for iPhone (Xbox edition), Kishi v2 Pro (Xbox edition), Kishi v3, Kishi v3 Pro, Kishi v3 Pro XL, Kishi Ultra, Wolverine Ultimate, Wolverine Tournament Edition, Wolverine v2, Wolverine v2 Chroma, Wolverine v3 Pro, Wolverine v3 Tournament Edition, Wolverine v3 Bluetooth, Atrox Arcade Stick, Raiju Mobile Gaming Controller for Android, Junglecat
• Sony DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, DualSense Wireless Controller
• SteelSeries Stratus XL (Windows, Android, VR), Stratus Duo (Windows, Chromebook, Android, VR), Stratus+ (Windows, Chromebook, Android), Nimbus+ (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV), Nimbus Cloud
• Backbone Labs Backbone One (Xbox edition), Backbone Pro (Xbox edition)
• Google Stadia Controller
• Amazon Luna Controller
• Nintendo Joy-Con, Joy-Con 2, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
• Gamevice Gamevice for Android, Gamevice for iPhone, Gamevice for iPad, Flex for Android, Flex for iPhone
• Nacon MG-X (Xbox edition), MG-X Pro (Xbox edition), Revolution X Pro Controller, Revolution X Unlimited Controller Pro, Compact Controller, EVOL-X, EVOL-X Pro, Daija Arcade Stick (Xbox edition)
• GameSir X2 Pro Mobile Game Controller, X4 Aileron Xbox Mobile Gaming Controller, X5s Wireless Mobile Game Controller, Kaleid Xbox Wired Controller, Kaleid Flux Xbox Wired Controller, T7 Wired Controller for Xbox, T7 Pro Floral Wired Controller for Xbox, G7 SE Xbox Wired Controller, G7 HE Xbox Wired Controller, G7 Pro Tri-Mode Xbox Wired, PC & Mobile Wireless Controller, G8 Plus MFi Type-C Mobile Controller (Apple Certified)
• ContrlPWR Cloud Gaming Controller for iOS (Xbox edition)
• Hori HORIPAD Pro, HORIPAD Turbo SL Fighting Stick α (Alpha), Fighting Commander OCTA
• PowerA MOGA XP5-A Plus, MOGA XP5-i Plus, MOGA XP5-X Plus, MOGA XP7-X Plus, MOGA XP-ULTRA Multi-Platform Wireless Controller for Mobile, PC and Xbox Series X|S, Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Nano Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Spectra Infinity Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Symmetric Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Advantage Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Advantage Plus Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X|S, FUSION Pro 2 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, FUSION Pro 3 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, FUSION Pro 4 Wired Controller for Xbox Series X|S, FUSION Pro Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X|S, OPS v1 Wireless Controller for PC and Cloud Gaming, OPS v3 Pro Wireless Controller for PC and Cloud Gaming with Lumectra
• Turtle Beach Recon Controller, Recon Cloud Hybrid Game Controller, Atom Controller, React-R Controller, Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller with Rapid Charge Dock, Stealth Pivot Wireless Smart Controller, Rematch Core Wired Controller, Afterglow Wave Wired Controller, PDP Afterglow Wave Wired Controller, PDP Rematch Advanced Wired Controller, PDP Neon Wired Controller, PDP REALMz Wired Controller, PDP REALMz Wireless Controller, PDP Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller (Xbox edition), PDP REPLAY Wireless Controller, Victrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick (Xbox edition), Victrix Pro BFG Wireless Controller (Xbox edition), Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded Wireless Modular Controller (Xbox edition), Victrix Gambit Prime Tournament Controller

Xbox Cloud Gaming works on any Android phone or tablet with Android 12.0 or higher and Bluetooth 4.0 or higher. Examples of supported devices include the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, OnePlus 8, and OnePlus 11.

In March 2021, Microsoft updated the Android Xbox Cloud Gaming app to allow devices with two screens, like the Surface Duo, to use the second screen for touch controls. Some games, such as Minecraft Dungeons and New Super Lucky’s Tale, support using a dedicated gamepad on the second screen.

Some games, like Gears 5, use motion controls through the device’s built-in gyroscope and provide a separate control setup when using a gamepad.

In October 2023, Meta Platforms announced an Xbox Cloud Gaming app for the Meta Quest 3 VR headset, based on Android code.

Microsoft planned to release xCloud for iOS devices but stopped testing for iOS in August 2020. Apple’s App Store policies limited what features could be included. Apple explained that cloud streaming services like xCloud could allow Microsoft to offer games on iOS that bypass Apple’s usual app checks, so the app was not allowed on the platform.

In September 2020, Apple changed its rules to allow xCloud and other cloud gaming apps on iOS, with the condition that each game must be offered as a separate download on the iOS store. Users must download each game individually before playing, though catalog apps can list and link to these games. Microsoft responded negatively to this change.

According to The Verge, based on emails from the Epic Games v. Apple trial, Microsoft considered making each game its own app to meet Apple’s requirements. In October 2020, Microsoft suggested using a browser-based web app for xCloud on iOS, which would avoid App Store restrictions. The company later announced plans to launch a browser-based version of the service on personal computers and iOS devices by the second quarter of 2021. An invite-only beta test of the browser version began on April 20, 2021. The