Microsoft's cloud gaming expansion is already taking its first steps: Xbox Cloud Gaming arrives in trial mode to Game Pass Core and Standard plans via Xbox Insider. Until now, this option was reserved for Ultimate (€17,99 per month), but the €6,99 and €12,99 plans are starting to add up. Streaming access on more devices and, for the first time, the option to download PC versions from the official Xbox app.
There is no date for a general rollout at this time. Microsoft is keeping the service in beta and seeks to expand access in a phased manner, bringing the game to the cloud with a focus on lower cost and without the need for dedicated hardware.
What's changing for Game Pass Core and Standard
If you are a member of Xbox Insiders and you have Game Pass Core or Standard, you can now sign in to Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta) from a supported device and browse the available catalog. The trial allows you to stream the games included in your subscription and also titles you already own and are compatible with the Microsoft cloud.
With this new feature, the access to cloud streaming is no longer exclusive to Ultimate. The reference prices are as follows: Game Pass Core (€6,99), Standard (€12,99) and Ultimate (€17,99). While the catalogs and benefits differ between plans, this openness lowers the barrier to entry to cloud gaming and brings it closer to more pockets.
The experience extends to multiple environments: phones and tablets and computers, as well as compatible TVs via app or browser. The goal is for you to be able to play without installations as long as you have a stable connection and a compatible controller.
What exactly is Insider? It's Xbox's testing program, open to anyone who wants to sign up, in which users are validated. functions and changes before releasing them to the general public. This is the filter Microsoft will use to gauge performance, demand, and possible service adjustments in Core and Standard.
Another step in the cloud gaming strategy
From the Xbox leadership they insist that the objective is making cloud gaming more accessible and affordable, expanding its reach to new profiles and regions. Along these lines, more affordable access formulas have been considered, and a model with advertising for certain content, always with the idea of ​​lowering barriers.
In addition to the broadcast, the company is enabling Insiders with Core or Standard access to PC versions of selected titles from the official Xbox app for PC. The app, which already integrates libraries of Steam, Epic Games Store and other services, thus gaining a more central role for those who combine local and cloud gaming.
Microsoft has bolstered the value of Game Pass Ultimate with constant additions to the catalog during 2024 and 2025, including major releases such as the definitive remaster of Gears of War. Opening the cloud to more affordable plans reinforces the idea of ​​Xbox as ecosystem that goes beyond the console and, at the same time, can encourage the jump to Ultimate at specific times, for example with highly anticipated releases.
For those who already have a library in the Microsoft Store, the cloud allows you to play almost a hundred compatible games they already own, without waiting or local installation. It's a way to extend the life of your purchases and take them with you on any supported device.
Despite the progress, Xbox Cloud Gaming is still in beta and there is no confirmed date for the general release of these features in Core and Standard. It's reasonable that, after analyzing Insider usage, Microsoft will scale availability gradually, with adjustments based on test results.
In parallel, the company does not abandon hardware: it works with AMD in the next generation of consoles and a collaboration with ASUS has been mentioned for Windows laptops under the name ROG Xbox Ally Series with a view to End of the yearAll of this in a context where console sales have slowed, pushing us to focus more on cloud services and gaming.
This movement leaves a clear panorama: More users will be able to try out the cloud for €6,99 per month, play on mobile phones, tablets, PCs, and TVs without installing anything, and also access certain PC versions from the Xbox app. The general availability date is still unknown, but the change fits with the idea of ​​an Xbox. less tied to hardware and more focused on a transversal ecosystem.