Members of the Xbox Insider Program subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Standard will now be able to stream some games through Xbox Cloud Gaming, as well as access PC versions of titles, where possible.
As shared on Wednesday via Xbox Wire, it’s some great news for Xbox Game Pass users who aren’t subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest tier of Microsoft’s gaming subscription service.
Both of these features were previously unavailable for Xbox console users on these tiers, with Xbox Cloud and (additional) access to PC games being limited to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
This new access for Cloud gaming on these two tiers includes Game Pass titles as well as games in the “Stream Your Own Game” library, the latter of which has greatly expanded over the last few months.
Cloud Gaming is available across numerous devices, including Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, select Smart TVs, Meta Quest 3 headsets, and web browsers via Xbox.com/play.
If you aren’t currently a part of it, you can sign up to join the Xbox Insider Program, which allows you to test new and upcoming features, providing feedback before they roll out across Xbox consoles and the Xbox PC app.
Xbox Game Pass breakdown, as it stands
Up until this latest update for Xbox Insiders, the Xbox Game Pass tier breakdown was as follows:
Xbox Game Pass Core, available in the U.S. for $10 a month, includes online multiplayer and a small library of console games. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Standard adds on a far, far larger library of games for $15 a month, but does not include day one releases.
PC Game Pass (geared exclusively toward PC players) includes a large library of PC titles, including day one first-party games, as well as an EA Play subscription, all for $12 a month.
Finally, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes day one first-party games, Xbox Cloud Gaming, an EA Play subscription, and a large library across console and PC, all for $20 a month.
Day one access to first-party games is by far the biggest selling point, giving subscribers the ability to play titles like Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2 when they all launch in October.
Outside of that, another big point is that if you wanted to play across console, PC, and Cloud, then you had to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate…at least, until now.
Again, this feature expansion is just for Xbox Insiders at the moment; however, when it eventually comes to all Xbox Game Pass Core and Standard users, it’ll give them new ways to play and benefit from other parts of the ecosystem.
In particular, the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally devices may become somewhat more attractive, as these handhelds are running the PC versions of games, meaning access to PC titles is imperative for something that intends to use them.
Now, for players that buy all of their games, Xbox Play Anywhere will obviously be the main selling point, but for a Game Pass subscriber that isn’t on the Ultimate or PC tiers, this new feature is interesting to consider.
The Xbox Ally devices are both slated to launch on Oct. 16, 2025. There’s no price point yet, but leaks point to $899 and $599 for the higher-end and lower-end systems, respectively.
I’ll be extremely curious to see if this latest feature has left Xbox Insider testing and is widely available by the time these devices launch.
