PC games will come to Xbox’s xCloud service in the future

Head of Xbox division Phil Spencer has revealed on Twitter that PC games could become available to play on Xbox Game Pass’ xCloud service in the future.

A Twitter user by the name of @andyricflair asked Spencer: “Any chance we may see pc games on Xbox cloud gaming in the future?”

“Yes, Azure helps,” Spencer replied. “One of the reasons we push for cross save, don't want players to have to decide which version of a Cloud game they play unless they want to. Progress needs to just move with your account, same with community. But PC games will come, focused on console games now.”

Yes, Azure helps. One of the reasons we push for cross save, don't want players to have to decide which version of a Cloud game they play unless they want to. Progress needs to just move with your account, same with community. But PC games will come, focused on console games now. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 19, 2021

Currently, xCloud uses console versions of the games to stream to your mobile device. While the technology is incredible, it often means you’re playing a game that has had to use lower graphics settings and framerates in order to hit the console’s hardware capabilities.

An example of this would be playing The Outer Worlds on mobile, which currently plays the Xbox One version of the game and thus is limited to 30 frames per second (FPS). If xCloud could instead stream the PC version, the game would have improved graphics and would be able to run at a much smoother 60FPS.

This could also mean PC-exclusive titles may one day drop on the service, such as Crusader Kings 3 or Age of Empires.

Spencer’s comments also bring light to the fact Xbox doesn’t care where you’re playing its games, whether that’s on console, PC or a mobile device, and this also means you can start playing a game on your Xbox before going into another room and picking up your progress right where you left off on your phone.

Read more about Xbox Game Pass from the official website here. If you want to stream cloud games to your phone, you’ll need to opt for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier which costs £10.99 a month.

If you are on Xbox Game Pass and want to find more great games to play on the service, check out our list right here.