Microsoft begins testing Xbox Cloud Gaming on consoles

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Save hard drive space and play in the cloud.

Dan Ackerman / CNET

Xbox Cloud Gaming is designed to allow gamers to enjoy the Xbox experience on their smartphone, laptop, or PC if they are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber. Microsoft began testing its console cloud gaming service on Tuesday, and once rolled out, the service could help Xbox owners struggling with limited storage for all games available to them.

The Xbox Cloud Gaming beta is available to select members of the Xbox Insiders program, which gives console owners the chance to try out new features before they’re officially released. In the beta, players will be able to jump directly to certain games marked “cloud games” without having to download them first. This option saves valuable storage space, as Xbox Game Pass already includes more than 100 games, some of which require up to 100GB.

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As this is a beta version, there are some issues, such as the inability to launch the base games that are part of a bundle, unsupported in-game purchases, and some English-only games when playing in the cloud.

Microsoft hasn’t provided a date for when this Xbox Cloud Gaming on console will be made widely available. Some features can take weeks to test, while others can take several months. Last week, Microsoft released its latest edition of the Edge browser for Xbox. It had been in testing since March.

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