Xbox Game Pass Ultimate And Project xCloud Join Forces Later This Year

We've been waiting a long time for more details on Microsoft's Project xCloud, and today, we got them. It seems that Microsoft is gearing up to launch Project xCloud later this year, and when it does, it won't be offered as a standalone paid service. Instead, Microsoft revealed today that Project xCloud will be offered as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can best be described as an all-in-one bundle of Microsoft's services. Game Pass Ultimate includes subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold and both the console and PC versions of Xbox Game Pass for $14.99 per month. If you play between both platforms, it's a pretty good deal, as you save about $10 over the cost of paying for all three subscriptions separately.

The deal is about to get a little bit sweeter, as Microsoft is adding Project xCloud to Game Pass Ultimate at no additional cost. That'll be happening in September "in supported countries," though Xbox boss Phil Spencer didn't share a list of those support countries in his announcement post on Xbox Wire today.

Apparently, Project xCloud will be compatible with most – if not all – of the Game Pass library too. "With cloud gaming in Game Pass Ultimate, you will be able to play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on your phone or tablet," Spencer wrote. It's unclear if all Game Pass games will be compatible with xCloud moving forward, so we'll have to wait on Microsoft for more on that front.

A lot of eyes will be on Project xCloud when it launches in September. At that point, Sony, Google, and Microsoft will all have their own game streaming platforms available, each with different monetization models. It'll be interesting to see how xCloud performs as part of Xbox Game Pass, especially since Stadia hasn't quite made the splash that Google was probably hoping for. We'll let you know when Spencer and his Xbox team share more, so stay tuned.