Last week, when Microsoft announced that cloud gaming would be joining Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on September 15^th, many questions were answered about the future of the service. Crucially, it also answered the question of what happens to xCloud on iOS – thanks Apple.

As Microsoft moves towards bringing this service to life, the company has closed the books on the preview of cloud gaming also known as xCloud. But starting tomorrow, cloud gaming will be part of Xbox Game Pass Beta app on Android.

This means that if you are using that app and are also an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you will be able to access the service ahead of general availability starting in September. Microsoft provided the following statement about this update:

“As we approach the launch of cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on September 15, we’re entering a limited beta period to ensure a smooth transition of the cloud gaming experience to the Xbox Game Pass app on Android. Existing Xbox Game Pass (Beta) app users will get the opportunity to test a subset of the available titles as we ready the experience for broader availability next month. This limited beta is critical to providing the best possible experience for members at launch and should not be considered indicative of the final experience or library.”

The point of this beta is to help cloud gaming migrate to its final home inside the Xbox Game Pass app and this limited beta test will help the company uncover any last gremlins before launch.

Considering that Microsoft has more than 10 million Game Pass subscribers, more than a few will be trying out cloud gaming on Sept 15^th and this is the path to bringing that application to life for those customers in a way that is sustainable.

While not the biggest announcement, when you check out the Game Pass Beta app tomorrow, don’t be surprised if you can start streaming a few titles from the cloud.

Tagged with Cloud Gaming, Game Pass, Project Xcloud, Xbox