Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Is Being Upgraded to Include Project xCloud

Microsoft is upgrading its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to include the Project xCloud program, the company announced on Thursday. Project xCloud will be added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate starting in September which means subscribers will then be able to play their Xbox Game Pass games and any other supported games they may own on a variety of platforms through cloud gaming. Halo Infinite, Microsoft’s big tent pole game it’s been teasing ahead of the July event and its holiday release, was used as an example of a game players will be able to play on a variety of devices through Project xCloud later this year.

The Project xCloud program Microsoft’s been working on and updating throughout the past year allows users to stream their gameplay from the cloud to a number of different display devices including tablets and phones. Unlike the Xbox Console Streaming program, it doesn’t require an Xbox One to use. Functionalities such as Xbox Live are still enabled when doing this, so you can still play online and with each other while playing a game this way.

Project xCloud is currently only available in a “Preview” form with no pricing information announced. The fact that it’s being bundled into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate later this year and not just Xbox Game Pass likely means pricing may change at some point this year, but Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers won’t have to worry about that since it’s being included at no additional cost.

“Finally, today we’re announcing that this September, in supported countries, we’re bringing Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud together at no additional cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members,” Microsoft said. “With cloud gaming in Game Pass Ultimate, you will be able to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on your phone or tablet. And because Xbox Live connects across devices, you can play along with the nearly 100 million Xbox Live players around the world. So when Halo Infinite launches, you and your friends can play together and immerse yourselves in the Halo universe as Master Chief—anywhere you go and across devices.”

Microsoft’s comments about the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate addition were included in a larger post about positive features that apply to players now or will apply to them when the Xbox Series X releases. Things like the Smart Delivery upgrade program and the robust backwards compatibility plans were mentioned.