Xbox Cloud Gaming will let you bring your own games with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate this year

Xbox Cloud Gaming will soon support the ability to stream games purchased outside of the Xbox Game Pass library, the Microsoft-owned gaming giant announced Thursday. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to play select titles they own, from the cloud, in countries where the feature is supported. Microsoft also announced that an Xbox Cloud Gaming beta will be coming to Argentina and New Zealand, starting today, along with the ability to play Fortnite for free on the game streaming service, bringing it to 28. the total number of supported Xbox Cloud Gaming countries. .

Microsoft says it intends to allow Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to bring certain games they already own or have purchased outside of the Xbox Game Pass library. The American company said it would add support later this year, but has yet to reveal details about which games will be supported. Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently supported on phones, tablets, PCs, and consoles, while game streaming support on Samsung smart TVs is coming soon.

Meanwhile, Xbox Cloud Gaming is also expanding to the two aforementioned countries, Microsoft announced on Thursday. Starting today, players with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription in Argentina and New Zealand can stream titles like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Tunic directly from the cloud with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Supported platforms include Android, iOS, Windows and Xbox Series S/X consoles. As is the case in other regions where Xbox Cloud Gaming is supported, players will be able to play Fortnite for free and without a subscription.

Microsoft recently revealed that over 10 million gamers have played a game on its Xbox Cloud Gaming service. The service has also partnered with Epic Games to provide free access to the popular free-to-play battle royale game Fortnite – Microsoft says millions of gamers have played the title on Android, iOS and PC, while 20% of those users are new to the Xbox platform. The service is also adding thousands of new custom Xbox Series X server racks around the world to boost its cloud gaming capacity by 125% due to global demand.

“[Xbox Cloud Gaming] should be a part of you playing any game on any device, whether it’s a game you own or a free game: it’s really about providing great content gaming to any customer on any device through multiple business models,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a prepared statement.

Microsoft’s cloud-based game streaming service, which launched in 2020, was previously available in 26 countries. These are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States. Microsoft says it now supports 350 cloud-enabled games – with Xbox touch controls for over 100 games. The wait continues for gamers in India, as Microsoft has not revealed any plans to bring the service to the country.

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