How does Xbox Game Pass Cloud work?

Are you really able to play games anywhere with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?

Image: Xbox

Xbox Game Pass has revolutionized how you play games for not much money. But, aside from being able to play games on Day One of a game’s launch oftentimes, one big draw is the ability to utilize their Cloud to play games as well.

We’ll break down what the Xbox Game Pass Cloud is and how to use it on both PC and mobile phones.

What is Xbox Game Pass Cloud?

Image: Xbox

Xbox Game Pass Cloud is another feature of the already expansive Xbox Game Pass. By choosing to pull from the cloud, it doesn’t require a full install of a game to be able to play it.

In fact, Game Pass Cloud works very well with anything from your PC to a mobile phone. Yes, you can play Halo Infinite on your phone, and it runs great, as long as you have a good internet connection.

Instead of taking potentially dozens to hundreds of GB of storage space, the Cloud pulls to your device using the internet. All of the heavy baggage of files aren’t stored on the device and you can play almost instantaneously anywhere.

How can I use Xbox Game Pass Cloud?

Image: Xbox / Lies of P

First off, you need to be a member of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This option offers the ability to play games on your Xbox, PC, as well as the cloud. Luckily, it’s only $16.99 per month and comes with just a ton of benefits.

Once you have that, ensure you have a really good internet connection wherever you are. If you’re using your mobile device, especially, connect to the wifi. With the amount of data that has to move, you won’t want to be using your own data for this.

Luckily, you don't need to build yourself a fancy gaming PC to do it. You’ll need a couple of things to get going, though.

You need an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a controller that connects to your desired device. You also need a good, secure internet connection to this device.

How do I connect to Xbox Game Pass Cloud on PC and mobile?

If you’re playing Game Pass Cloud on PC:

• Connect a controller to your PC, via wired or wireless options. If you don’t know how to connect a controller to a PC, KnowTechie has a fantastic how-to over there. You’ll need this before you get going.

• Yes, any controller can work, including the Xbox Adaptive Controllers.

• Head to the Xbox app. Click on it and you’ll see tons of options.

• In the top left menu of the Xbox app, you’ll see Game Pass, My Library, etc. Click on “Cloud Gaming”.

• Once there, you can view options like “Recently Added” or “Most popular”.

• If you want to see all of the options, scroll down to “All console games”.

• Choose a game. You’ll see a button with a tiny cloud icon that says “Play”.

• Click the Play button and the game will automatically load up and start.

• As long as your controller is connected correctly, you can play flawlessly now.

If you want to play Game Pass Cloud on mobile:

• Connect a Bluetooth controller to your mobile device. There are some great and not-so-great options out there.

• If you don’t have it, download the Xbox Game Pass app to your device.

• Run the Game Pass app. You’ll be able to see all options for PC and console, but you need to click on Cloud.

• Choose a game and hit Play.

• The game will automatically start playing and you can hit the ground running.

The Xbox Game Pass Cloud is super easy to use once you know where to go. If you’re already paying for the normal PC or console versions of Game Pass, it’s not much more to get all of the possible benefits with Ultimate.

Personally, I use an older smartphone that doesn’t connect to any service anymore and it still runs great. Since the device doesn’t matter, it just needs Wi-Fi to get connected properly.

Image: Xbox Game Pass options

If you want to get started, you can grab Xbox Game Pass Ultimate easily in both 1-month and 3-month intervals over on Newegg.

(Note: We may get some money when you click and purchase from our affiliate links. That money is going straight into making GameCrate even better. Also, Newegg is our publisher. Thanks!)