Xbox is adding cloud streaming feature to its lower Game Pass tiers
This move signals a shift in strategy, showing that cloud gaming is no longer just an extra perk.
If you’ve ever looked at Xbox Game Pass and thought the cheaper tiers felt a little barebones, that’s about to change. Microsoft has just confirmed that cloud game streaming is finally coming to its lower tiers of Xbox Game Pass, specifically for Core and Standard subscribers.
Until now, streaming was locked behind the $20 Ultimate plan, but as of August 27, Insider program members can start testing it out before it rolls out to everyone else.
This is a pretty big change for Game Pass. Over the past few years, Microsoft has steadily reshaped the service. Back in 2023, Xbox Live Gold was retired and replaced with Core, which bundled online multiplayer with a small catalog of games.
A year later, Standard was introduced as the middle tier between Core and Ultimate. Both options worked fine if you wanted access to games at a lower cost, but they always felt limited compared to Ultimate. Bringing cloud streaming to those tiers changes that story.
Henry Chikwem
There’s more, too. Microsoft says Core and Standard subscribers will also be able to stream PC versions of certain games, which gives players even more flexibility in how they play. No clear timeline has been given for when the rollout will hit everyone, but the test period makes it obvious that the company wants to expand this quickly.
It also makes sense when you look at where the industry is headed. Microsoft has been open about how popular cloud gaming is, even hinting that a cloud-only subscription might be on the horizon.
Competitors are watching closely as well. Nvidia has built GeForce Now entirely around cloud streaming, while Sony has started layering cloud features into PlayStation Plus.
By opening cloud access to all Game Pass tiers, Microsoft isn’t just sweetening the deal for current players. It is also making a statement that cloud gaming is no longer an add-on. It is becoming central to the future of how games are played.
Oluwaseun Bamisile
