Tag: Cloud gaming

Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Star Wars Outlaws, Resident Evil Village, and More – Xbox Wire
Welcome to the new year, friends! Happy to be back with more games and more fun. Let’s get to it!

Available Today

Brews & Bastards (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Brews & Bastards is an intoxicating, twin-stick shooter, overflowing with action-packed combat, potent brews and outlandish bosses. Select from a group of inebriated heroes and descend, drink, and destroy your way through hordes of drunken demons in search of the stolen Brew Stone.

Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Rediscover the dark whimsical tale of Little Nightmares, now enhanced in stunning 4K and 60 FPS. Play as Six, a lone child trapped in The Maw, a massive vessel inhabited by monstrous, distorted versions of adults. Sneak, hide, and survive in a world where your childhood fears come to life.

Coming Soon

Atomfall (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – January 7
Now with Game Pass Premium

A survival-action game inspired by real-life events, Atomfall is set five years after the Windscale nuclear disaster in Northern England. Explore the fictional quarantine zone, scavenge, craft, barter, fight and talk your way through a British countryside setting filled with bizarre characters, mysticism, cults, and rogue government agencies.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – January 7
Now with Game Pass Premium

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die blends dynamic real-time action, tactical combat, and risk-reward dice mechanics for thrilling second-to-second battles. Unravel an original stand-alone story as Queen Aleksandra, the once great ruler of Random on a mission for vengeance and redemption.

Rematch (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – January 7
Now with Game Pass Premium

Step onto the pitch in Rematch, a third-person, team-based football game where every pass, volley, and tackle matters. Designed for 5v5 online play, Rematch puts you in full control of one athlete, with no offsides, no fouls, and no downtime. Pass smart, play with purpose, and win together.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – January 7
Now with Game Pass Premium

Step into the armor of a relentless Space Marine and use a combination of lethal weaponry to crush overwhelming Ork forces. Immerse yourself in an intense and brutally violent world based on the richest science fantasy ever created. Enhanced for a new generation, this edition brings quality of life and graphical improvements.

Final Fantasy – (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) – January 8
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

“Earth, fire, water, wind… The light that once shone within the four Crystals was lost. Become the Warriors of Light, restore power to the Crystals and save the world.” A remodeled 2D take on the first game in the world-renowned Final Fantasy series! Enjoy the timeless story told through charming retro graphics. All the magic of the original, with improved ease of play.

Star Wars Outlaws (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – January 13
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars game, set between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Explore distinct locations across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as scoundrel Kay Vess, seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted. If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity.

My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – January 15
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Take the magic of friendship to new heights in a mystery adventure for one or two ponies. Playing as Sunny, Hitch, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp, or Misty, use your special abilities to stop the unstable magic that’s sending Zephyr Heights out of control! And have tons of fun with hilarious minigames and countless pony customizations.

Resident Evil Village (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 20
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Resident Evil Village is the eighth main entry in the Resident Evil series. Set years after Resident Evil 7 biohazard, players follow Ethan Winters into a haunting European village, fighting for survival against brutal enemies as danger and mystery lurk around every corner.

MIO: Memories in Orbit (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – January 20
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass! A hand-crafted metroidvania set within a vast, decaying world reclaimed by nature and robots. Play as Mio, a nimble android exploring labyrinthine environments, battling rogue machines, and uncovering lost memories in a richly atmospheric adventure filled with secrets and danger.

Leaving January 15

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon. Jump back in to tie up any loose ends, or save up to 20% off your purchase to keep the fun going!
- Flintlock The Siege of Dawn (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Neon White (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
- Road 96 (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
- The Ascent (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
- The Grinch Christmas Adventures (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC)
I hope your last year treated you well with lots of high scores, achievements unlocked, and GGs. We’ll be back soon with even more games so keep it tuned here, or with us on social for Xbox and Xbox Game Pass. Talk soon!

Note: Games with a ‘Handheld’ designation represent those that are optimized for handheld play.
Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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January 6, 2026
Xbox to Bring Cloud Gaming to Select Hisense and V homeOS-powered Smart TVs – Xbox Wire

As we step into the new year, many of us are looking for fresh ways to play, connect, and explore. That’s why we’re excited to announce a new partnership with V (formerly VIDAA) that expands where your gaming adventures can happen: the Xbox app is coming to select Hisense and V homeOS-powered Smart TVs in 2026.

This partnership is all about giving you more freedom and flexibility to play how you want. Xbox Game Pass subscribers – including Ultimate, Premium, and Essential subscribers – will be able to stream hundreds of games, from new releases to fan favorites, directly through the Xbox app on supported TVs via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

With the Xbox app, you’ll be able to explore a variety of great games including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and many more. As an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you’ll also unlock unlimited cloud gaming, giving you the flexibility to play games across different devices, including select games you already own. It’s all about giving you more freedom to play your way.

Expanding the Xbox Cloud Ecosystem

Our vision is to make sure your games, your community, and your achievements are always within reach. Bringing the Xbox app to select Hisense and V homeOS-powered TVs is another step toward making gaming available across a broad range of devices, to meeting you wherever you want to play. We’ll share more details on the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience with Hisense TVs in the coming months. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire and follow our social channels for the latest updates.

Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

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January 5, 2026
Samsung Black Friday deals: Odyssey gaming monitors are up to $350 off

If you’ve been waiting to upgrade your gaming setup, now’s the time. Samsung’s Odyssey G8 monitor is on sale for $950 for Black Friday, a $350 discount off its regular price. It’s one of the best 32-inch gaming monitors on the market, combining stunning picture quality with ultra-smooth performance.

The 32-inch Odyssey G8 has earned high marks for its blend of image quality and gaming performance. Its 4K OLED panel produces deep blacks and bright highlights, with 99 percent DCI-P3 color coverage for vibrant visuals. The 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time deliver exceptional smoothness in fast-paced games, while AMD FreeSync Premium Pro keeps everything tear-free.

Samsung

Design-wise, it’s sleek and minimal, with a slim metal frame that looks just as good in a work setup as it does in a gaming room. The monitor supports DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 inputs, plus USB-C connectivity for charging and data transfer. Built-in speakers and Smart TV features let you stream directly from apps like Netflix or Prime Video without connecting to a PC or console.

You also get Samsung’s SmartThings integration, so the Odyssey G8 can double as a smart home hub, controlling compatible IoT devices from lights to thermostats. It even supports cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass and NVIDIA GeForce Now, meaning you can play high-end titles without extra hardware. The combination of OLED contrast, motion clarity and built-in streaming makes it one of the most versatile monitors in Samsung’s lineup.

If you want something even larger, the Odyssey G9 is also discounted by $300, bringing the 49-inch curved DQHD model down to $700. It offers a wide field of view and 144Hz refresh rate, making it a great pick for simulation and racing fans.

The Odyssey G7 is another strong choice, now $600 after a $300 discount. This 37-inch 4K display runs at 165Hz with a curved design and supports both HDR and AMD FreeSync for smooth gameplay.

Finally, Samsung’s Smart Monitor M9 is available for $1,300, $300 off its regular price. It combines 4K OLED visuals with built-in streaming and AI-powered vision tools, making it a good all-rounder for work and entertainment.

Georgie Peru

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November 23, 2025
Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Fortnite Crew, The Crew Motorfest, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, and More – Xbox Wire
This week we have a couple of Crews for you to join in our recurring, “Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass” announcement (looking at you Fortnite and The Crew Motorfest!). So, grab your favorite controller (come on, we all know there’s one you like more than the others), charge up your mouse, and let’s get to the games!

Get Fortnite Crew with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Fortnite Crew is available today with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Included with Ultimate is access to the current Battle Pass, OG Pass, LEGO Pass, and Music Pass. In addition, get 1,000 V-Bucks each month while you’re subscribed.

Fortnite Crew includes a bonus benefit: Rocket Pass Premium in Rocket League! Get the current Rocket League Season’s Rocket Pass Premium, plus future Seasons’ while you’re still subscribed. With Rocket Pass Premium, you’ll unlock the premium track of the Rocket Pass!

Coming Soon

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (Game Preview) (PC) – November 19
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass! Dive deep into this action RPG with roguelike elements and a tale about new beginnings. Live the double life of a fearless adventurer and a crafty merchant. Dive into vibrant dimensions brimming with shiny loot and pesky enemies. Grow your shop, tinker with weapons and gadgets, as well as make your mark among a ragtag community of castaways.

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 19
Now with Game Pass Premium

A papercraft adventure game where you’ll meet the many good and not-so-good folks of Limbo, a place where souls with deep regrets are cursed into repeating the same day on a loop.

Revenge of the Savage Planet (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 19
Now with Game Pass Premium

In a future knocked off its axis by corporate greed and stupidity, you have been made redundant and abandoned on the far edge of space with little gear and no safety net. You must explore every nook and cranny, collect dozens of upgrades, and turn over every mysterious alien rock if you want to get revenge on your former employer and return to Earth.

Monsters are Coming! Rock & Road (Handheld & PC) – November 20
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Beware, monsters are coming! In this tower-survivor rogue-lite on wheels, you gather resources and prepare defenses for an ever-moving city, protecting it from unrelenting hordes, while boosting potential through enhanced player progression. Are you prepared to face an unstoppable army of darkness? Can you reach the Ark?

The Crew Motorfest (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 20
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

The ultimate car culture festival has settled down in one of the most breathtaking places on Earth: Hawaii. Enjoy a variety of thrilling driving activities and choose how you want to have fun with more than 700 vehicles: cars, motorcycles, and even boats and planes! The best part: The Crew Motorfest has just started its 3rd year of free content updates, bringing new islands to explore, new car customization features, a race creator tool, NASCAR, and even more to the game.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – November 25
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

An all-new title crafted by renowned studio Don’t Nod, known for their acclaimed titles such as Life is Strange and Vampyr. Immerse yourself in an intimate narrative action RPG, taking you on an exhilarating journey between life, death, love, and sacrifices.

Kill It With Fire! 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – November 25
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Take on the arachnid menace alone or with friends in full campaign co-op. Wage the arachnid war across time and space and exterminate every last spider across the multiverse or jump into Spider Hunt PVP and play as the eight-legged menace for the first time!

Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 1
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass! A cosmic battle awaits! Choose between 15 Marvel heroes in this frenetic action beat ‘em up to fight against the deadly Annihilation Wave threatening the galaxy. From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, the future of the Marvel Universe will be fought for across the stars!

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 2
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Embark on a new narrative journey by the creators of Life is Strange. Film your summer of 1995 and create memories of a lifetime with your new friends. 27 years later, confront the dark secrets that made you all promise to never speak again after that fateful summer.

In Case You Missed It

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – Available now
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass! In Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Treyarch and Raven Software are bringing players the biggest Black Ops ever. Squad up with friends or play solo in a thrilling and innovative Co-op Campaign, harness near-future weaponry in a signature Multiplayer experience packed with 16 electrifying 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps at launch and descend into the next twisted chapter of Round-Based Zombies in the heart of the Dark Aether.

DLC / Game Updates

Halo Infinite – Operation: Infinite – Available today

Operation: Infinite offers a mighty mission packed with armor, progression updates, and more. Earn 2X Career Rank and 2X Spartan Points, claim 200 never-before-seen customizations from The Exchange, challenge yourself in a refreshed slate of Ranked Seasons, and brave a new Husky map just in time for the Halodays.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory – Available today

Valley of Memory is a free Assassin’s Creed Mirage update launching today! Explore AlUla’s deserts and oases, uncover family secrets, and face a ruthless gang of robbers. Enjoy enhanced gameplay with mission replay, smoother parkour, and new customization options.

League of Legends: Play the new Darkin Champion, Zaahen – November 19

Defy death and defeat with Zaahen, the Darkin warlord who ascends in combat to become unstoppable as the battle rages on – even with the odds stacked against him. Instantly unlock League of Legends’ newest top laner with Xbox Game Pass on November 19.

Revenge of the Savage Planet: Bingo Brawl Mode – November 19

Revenge of the Savage Planet adds more modes, more customization, and more ways to play! The core game adds a competitive mode called Bingo Brawl, a bunch of new ways to tweak your experience with Remix Mode, plus suits, Habitat items and more! So much game! So much fun! Grab a friend and play together. What could go wrong?

In-Game Benefits

The First Descendant: Assemble Bundle (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S) – Available now

Gear up with the Assemble Bundle! Express your style with brilliant weapon skins, colorful Descendant paints, dynamic sprays, a stylish back attachment, and daring makeup options. Suit up and get ready to experience thrilling action across a sprawling battlefield!

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Guardian Pack (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available today

Keep the secrets of the First Civilization deeply buried in the sand by dressing yourself as a guardian of the old temple. This Pack contains a Costume and a Mount Skin.

Leaving November 30

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon, so be sure to jump back in or start fresh before they go! Save up to 20% off your purchase to keep them in your library.
- Barbie Project Friendship (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Lords of the Fallen (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Octopath Traveler (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Octopath Traveler II (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- SteamWorld Build (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Don’t forget to tune back into Xbox Wire on November 20 for all the updates from the Xbox Partner Preview for even more news. Talk soon!

Note: Games with a ‘Handheld’ designation represent those that are optimized for handheld play.
Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

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November 18, 2025
Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Ninja Gaiden 4, Keeper, Ball x Pit, Supermarket Simulator, and More – Xbox Wire
We surprise-added a bunch of games last week – for cloud, console, PC, and even the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally handhelds – with more to come, meaning we have something for everyone. Let’s get to the games.

Available Today

Supermarket Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Run your own supermarket in this store management game! Stock shelves, set your prices, take payments, hire staff, expand your store, handle shoplifters, and design your layout. Purchase goods from online or local markets around town and personally deliver online orders to your customers.

Coming Soon

Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Editions (PC) – October 9
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Available on console and cloud gaming and now coming to Xbox on PC! Gather your party; the RPG saga returns. Immerse yourself in an epic RPG series where every choice matters. Play over 100 hours of adventure in enhanced editions of Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II!

The Casting of Frank Stone (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 14
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

The shadow of Frank Stone looms over Cedar Hills, a town forever altered by his violent past. As a group of young friends are about to discover, Stone’s blood-soaked legacy cuts deep, leaving scars across families, generations, and the very fabric of reality itself.

Ball x Pit (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 15
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass: Ball x Pit is a brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building survival roguelite. Batter hordes of enemies with ricocheting balls and gather the riches of the pit to expand your homestead, generate resources and recruit unique heroes.

The Grinch: Christmas Adventures (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 15
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

The Grinch has a wonderful, awful idea – steal all the presents in Who-ville, using gadgets like his stealthy Santa costume and Candy Cane Lasso. Help him sneak around, freeze creatures with snowballs, and learn the meaning of Christmas along the way, in this festive platformer!

Eternal Strands (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 15
Now with Game Pass Premium

Eternal Strands is the debut fantasy title from Yellow Brick Games. Fight epic, towering creatures while blending magical abilities with an arsenal of powerful weapons to keep the world from crumbling in this third-person, action-adventure game.

He Is Coming (Game Preview) (PC) – October 15
Now with Game Pass Premium

Deep in the forgotten corners of the world, a dark force stirs – the Demon King rises once more. Sharpen your wits, seek out powerful artifacts, and stand firm in the face of the apocalypse in this roguelite RPG auto battler.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 15
Now with Game Pass Premium

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black features the high-speed, ninja action of iconic hero Ryu Hayabusa and his deadly Dragon Sword. Embark on a global battle against formidable foes, engage in relentless combat, and play as additional characters Momiji, Ayana and Rachel.

Pax Dei (PC) – October 16
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Welcome to a vast, social sandbox MMO inspired by the legends of the medieval era. Here, myths are real, ghosts exist, and magic is unquestioned. Join thousands of players as you explore the land, build your home, forge your reputation, and craft your own stories. What world will you make?

Keeper (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 17
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass! From Lee Petty and Double Fine Productions, Keeper is a story told without words, in which a long-forgotten lighthouse is awakened and, joined by a spirited seabird, it embarks upon a heartening tale of unlikely companionship, and an unexpected journey into realms beyond understanding.

Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 21
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Making a return to the Game Pass library! A dark menace consumes the Old West. In solo or co-op, fight with style in visceral, explosive combat against bloodthirsty monstrosities. Eradicate the vampiric hordes with your lightning-fueled gauntlet and become a Wild West Superhero.

Ninja Gaiden 4 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – October 21
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with Game Pass! The definitive ninja hack and slash franchise returns with Ninja Gaiden 4! Embark on a cutting-edge adventure where legacy meets innovation in this high-octane blend of style and no-holds-barred combat.

In Case You Missed It

We recently revealed new details about Xbox Game Pass memberships. You can learn more about this below:

Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available now
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. Embark on a journey through familiar and new locations as you explore and discover magical beasts, customize your character and craft potions, master spell casting, upgrade talents and become the wizard you want to be.

Little Rocket Lab (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available now
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Little Rocket Lab is a cozy, machine building RPG. You play as Morgan, an aspiring engineer! Head home to St. Ambroise to help complete your family’s dream-building a rocket. Help the locals with new machines, be creative, and become the ultimate engineer! That rocket isn’t going to build itself!

DLC / Game Updates

Dead by Daylight: Sinister Grace – Available now
The skin tears. The head rises. The hunt begins. In Dead by Daylight: Sinister Grace, play as The Krasue, forever cursed by insatiable hunger and a terrifying creature well suited for The Fog. The Krasue’s blood-drenched tale is one of ambition gone awry.

Diablo IV: Season of Infernal Chaos – Available now
Season 10 takes gameplay to chaotic heights, with updates that encourage deeper build experimentation and mastery through powerful Chaos Armor Uniques and deadly class-tailored Chaos Perks. The chaos persists in endgame with revamped Infernal Hordes, now overtaken by new, relentless Chaos Waves.

FBC: Firebreak – Breakpoint Update – Available now
The first free Major Update, Breakpoint is packed with systemic overhauls, new content, and quality-of-life improvements – all aimed at making FBC: Firebreak more fun, varied, and rewarding to play.

Grounded 2: Hairy and Scary Update – Available now
The Hairy and Scary update unleashes AXL the tarantula with a full armor set to craft, new weapons to wield, and new base décor. Fine-tune your loadout with new gear and build smarter with the streamlined BUILD.M interface as you prepare to face AXL on the back of your Buggy.

Age of Empires II: DE – Chronicles: Alexander the Great – October 14
Pre-order now and save 15%! Prepare for the next chapter in the fan-favorite Chronicles saga by stepping into the sandals of history’s greatest conqueror. Embark on Alexander the Great’s epic journey in this narrative-driven campaign featuring three new civilizations, customizable armies, and fresh storytelling.

In-Game Benefits

Now all Game Pass subscribers can get in-game benefits for eligible free-to-play games and titles in the Xbox Game Pass library, in addition to special offers like Discord Nitro. Specific benefits may vary per plan, region, and time.

Valorant: Play the new Agent Veto (Console and PC) – Available now
Upset your enemy’s gameplan and take every fight on YOUR terms with Veto: Valorant’s new Senegalese Sentinel whose Radivore mutation shuts down and shrugs off enemy abilities.

Call of Duty: Warzone – Game Pass Pack 4 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 15
Get a free in-game bundle for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone. This pack includes operator skins, weapon blueprints, emotes, weapon charms and more that you can use in both games.

Leaving October 15

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon. Be sure to pick up where you left off before they go and remember you can save up to 20% off your purchase to keep the fun going!
- Cocoon (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Core Keeper (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutants Unleashed (Cloud, Console, and PC)
No matter how you want to game – be it on your PC, your console, a metaphorical ton of devices for cloud gaming (maybe a literal ton, if you count the CAR that has cloud gaming??), we have something for you. Talk soon!
Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

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October 8, 2025
Dawntrail Players Should Read The Damn Dialogue, Cloud Gaming Is Good Actually, And More Opinions For The Week

A screenshot I took while Remote Playing the Elden Ring expansion this weekend.
Screenshot: From Software / Bandai Namco / Kotaku

I used to consider myself a certifiable cloud hater. I’ve never enjoyed my experiences trying to engage with cloud gaming, which allows players to stream their console games to PCs, smartphones, and dedicated handhelds, as well as adjacent remote play technology. In my limited experience, it was always too laggy, made the games look ugly as shit, and needed far too potent a signal to work even passably well. However, I went away this past weekend and didn’t want to lug around either of my consoles, so I gave it an earnest shot again and I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised with how far cloud and remote gaming’s come. – Moises Taveras Read More

Kotaku Staff

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July 6, 2024
Ubisoft Wants You To Be Comfortable Not Owning Your Games

With the pre-release of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown started, Ubisoft has chosen this week to rebrand its Ubisoft+ subscription services, and introduce a PC version of the “Classics” tier at a lower price. And a big part of this, says the publisher’s director of subscriptions, Philippe Tremblay, is getting players “comfortable” with not owning their games.

The Best Reveals From The Game Awards 2023

It’s hard to keep up with how often Ubisoft has rebranded its online portals for its games, with Uplay, Ubisoft Game Launcher, Ubisoft Connect, Uplay+, Uplay Passport, Ubisoft Club, and now Ubisoft+ Premium and Ubisoft+ Classics, all names used over the last decade or so. It’s also seemed faintly bewildering why there’s a demand for any of them, given Ubisoft released only five non-mobile games last year.

However, a demand there apparently is, says Tremblay in an interview with GI.biz. He claims the company’s subscription service had its biggest ever month October 2023, and that the service has had “millions” of subscribers, and “over half a billion hours” played. Of course, a lot of this could be a result of Ubisoft’s various moments of refusing to release games to Steam, forcing PC players to use its services, and likely opting for a month’s subscription rather than the full price of the game they were looking to buy. But still, clearly people are opting to use it.

But it remains strange why enough people would want to subscribe—and at $17.99 a month it’s not cheap—to a single publisher’s output. That’s not a diss of Ubisoft’s games—although you might want to apply your own—but something that would be as true were it Activision Blizzard or EA.

You can subscribe to Game Pass, or PlayStation Plus, and get a broad range of hundreds of games from dozens of publishers, or you can pay significantly more to only get the games made by one single publisher, and indeed a publisher with a very distinct style of game. TV networks and movie companies tried this, and those numbers are thinning out fast, with many already compromising by returning their shows to the larger streamers.

What’s more chilling about all this, however, is when Tremblay moves on to how Ubisoft wishes to see a “consumer shift,” similar to that of the market for CDs and DVDs, where people have moved over to Spotify and Netflix, instead of buying physical media to keep on their own shelves. Given that most people, while being a part of the problem (hello), also think of this as a problem, it’s so weird to see it phrased as if some faulty thinking in the company’s audience.

One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That’s the consumer shift that needs to happen. They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That’s a transformation that’s been a bit slower to happen [in games]. As gamers grow comfortable in that aspect… you don’t lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. That’s not been deleted. You don’t lose what you’ve built in the game or your engagement with the game. So it’s about feeling comfortable with not owning your game.

Tremblay goes on to say to GI.biz, “But as people embrace that model, they will see that these games will exist, the service will continue, and you’ll be able to access them when you feel like.” But…we know that isn’t true! We know how often services don’t continue, how many games are no longer available.

One of my all-time favorite games was published by Ubisoft in 2003, called In Memorium (Missing: Since January in the U.S.), and that’s certainly not on its Classics range, I’m sure because the company long ago lost any rights to it. Luckily for me, I own a physical copy of it. But any number of other Ubisoft games from the early ‘00s I stick in its Classics site have no results. There’s no reason on Earth to think the same won’t be true of Ubisoft’s current games in 20 years.

There are still plans for Ubisoft to add streaming access to Activision Blizzard’s games to Ubisoft+, as bizarre as that may seem given the publisher’s recent acquisition by Microsoft. It’ll also seem fairly redundant, given all the games will come to the far more ubiquitous Game Pass, where they won’t be behind the technical hurdle of streaming. And indeed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is already available to play via the Epic Games Store if you pre-ordered it there.

If, for whatever reason, you just adore Ubisoft’s output, then yes—for $17.99 a month you can play Skull & Bones, Avatar, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Anno 1800, and The Crew: Motorfest right now, which is a lot cheaper than buying them all individually. But you won’t own any of them, and you’ll need to keep paying that 18 bucks a month in perpetuity if you want to keep them, right up until you can’t any more.

John Walker

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January 15, 2024
PS5 Finally Gets Cloud Gaming Later This Month
Image: Insomniac Games / Sony
Sony’s cloud gaming efforts are starting to ramp up. PS Plus subscribers will be able to start streaming big-name games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the Resident Evil 4 remake directly to their PlayStation 5s in the coming weeks. The company also hints that PS5 cloud gaming might be coming to other devices, like smartphones, at some point in the future.

Thank You, PS Plus, For Making My Backlog Even Bigger

“Starting this month, we will begin launching cloud streaming access for supported PS5 digital titles within the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Game Trials, as well as supported titles in the PS5 game library that PlayStation Plus Premium members own,” the company wrote over on the PlayStation Blog today. This new feature goes live in North America around October 30, and will be exclusive to the Premium tier of PlayStation Plus, which is now $18 a month or $160 a year (Sony raised the price last month).

Though remote play, which allows PS5 owners to stream games from their console to smartphones and PCs, has been around for a while, this new cloud gaming feature will let paying subscribers stream games to their PS5s from Sony’s servers and play them without downloading. Here are some of the games Sony said will support cloud gaming at launch, with more being added later on:

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Horizon Forbidden West

Ghost of Tsushima

Mortal Kombat 11

Saints Row IV

Resident Evil 4

Dead Island 2

Genshin Impact

Fall Guys

Fortnite

Game trials will also be available to stream, including Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and The Callisto Protocol. Streamed games will support resolutions ranging from 720p up to 4K, as well as 60fps and HDR output where applicable. Players can also take screenshots and record video clips up to three minutes long.

While the quality of game streaming still varies a lot, especially based on the speed of your home internet, it can be a major convenience when it comes to trying games out before starting a lengthy install process or quickly dipping into a live-service game like Destiny 2 to finish a daily or weekly challenge. As blockbuster game file sizes have ballooned to over 100GB, juggling installs has become an annoying minigame in and of itself. Cloud streaming is one way to alleviate some of the frustration.

Cloud gaming of most of the Game Pass library has been widely available on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One for years now, and competing services like Nvidia’s GeForce Now provide the same functionality on PC. It’s nice to see Sony finally catching up in that regard. As The Verge reported earlier this year, the company’s job listings point to a major new push to invest in and grow its cloud gaming capabilities. PS5 owners appear to finally be seeing some of the benefit of that.
Ethan Gach

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October 11, 2023
9 Things We Just Learned About Sony’s Big Playstation Plans

With the wind at their back, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan and head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst recently presented the state of the PlayStation 5 ecosystem to investors and hinted at what’s coming in the near future. Among other things, the company promised new IPs, more live-service games, and a big push behind cloud gaming.

Type S: Chiaki’s Journey II Volume 4

While Sony’s big gaming showcase will offer specific details on new game announcements, release dates, and potential hardware refreshes, the investor presentation was a broader look at the current state of the PlayStation business and where it’s headed next. We got a pretty granular breakdown of some interesting sales data as well as cryptic teases of upcoming initiatives, like Sony’s rumored cloud gaming handheld, Q Lite [Update 5/25/2023 11:07 a.m. ET: the devices was revealed in the showcase and it’s wild looking]. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the company’s latest business meeting.

PS VR2 is already outselling the first virtual reality headset

Sony’s new virtual reality headset is a comfortable but pricey bundle that requires users to already own a PS5, but initial sales numbers show it’s actually tracking ahead of the first PS VR headset. PS VR2 sold 600,000 units in its first six weeks, while the PS VR1 sold closer to 550,000. Whether that momentum will build the platform into something more than an expensive accessory for enthusiasts remains to be seen.

Image: Sony / Kotaku

Analysts previously called for a price cut to fuel sales, and it’s unclear if big new games will arrive without a larger install base, especially as companies like Meta lay off VR developers amid cutbacks.

Sony plans to invest a ton in new franchises

Since the PS5 launched, fans have been waiting to see what new IPs would grow out of the latest console generation. So far it’s been mostly sequels to series that already existed or got their start on the PS4 like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Spider-Man. But Sony revealed that new franchises are planned. PlayStation Studios’ investment in new IP will hit 50 percent in 2025, compared to only 20 percent in 2019. However the lag in production means we might not end up seeing the results of that spending until late in the PS5’s life cycle.

Live-service games will be over half of that spending

Sony’s first-party single-player games have been setting the bar for story-driven blockbusters for years now, from The Last of Us to Ghost of Tsushima. It’s clear the company now wants to do the same for live-service multiplayer games as well, and will be leveraging its recent acquisition of Destiny 2 maker Bungie to achieve that.

Image: Sony / Kotaku

The breakdown of total spending on content this year will be 55 percent on live-service business models vs 45 percent on “traditional” ones. The difference will be even more stark by 2025, when live-service spending will reach 60 percent of seemingly all production costs. It’s possible some of those games will still have a traditional single-player emphasis and just include cosmetic shops, like Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Others are sure to be multiplayer-focused affairs more like Destiny 2.

PS5 owners spend a ton on microtransactions

Prestigious exclusives might help sell consoles, but it’s not what makes the most money once players are locked in. Sony revealed that PS5 players are spending over $100 more than PS4 players were at a similar point in the console cycle. That extra money isn’t coming from more games sold, however. It’s coming from spending on add-on content, meaning paid DLC and microtransactions.

Full game sales actually dropped by 10 percent on the PS5, while add-on content grew by 210 percent. Although Sony collects a 30 percent commission on all in-game purchases in Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, and Apex Legends on the platform, it would stand to make a ton more if those purchases were made inside its own first-party exclusives.

Spider-Man sold great on PC while The Last of Us Part I is off to a slower start

2018’s Spider-Man didn’t arrive on PC until last year. In the eight months since it hit PC, the game sold an additional 1.5 million copies on the platform. The Last of Us Part I, meanwhile, has sold 368,000 copies since it arrived on Steam in March. That’s not bad considering it’s a remaster of a decade-old game many people have already played on PS3, PS4, and PS5. But it’s not exactly God of War numbers, which sold nearly a million copies in its first two and a half months on PC.

Image: Sony / Kotaku

It’s not clear how much The Last of Us Part I’s rough performance and poor optimization at launch hurt its initial momentum, compared to the overall increase in sales of the game across all platforms following the success of the hit HBO adaptation. It seems like the port was in part a learning exercise for Naughty Dog, potentially as Sony eyes bringing the rest of its games to PC.

Half of all game releases won’t just be on PS5 by 2025

In the past Sony seemed afraid to cannibalize console sales by releasing its games on PC. Now it’s clear the company is ready to do just the opposite, porting its exclusives and investing in potential mobile spin-offs. The company plans for 50 percent of its releases in 2025 to be either PC or mobile games.

A lot of players are paying for the more expensive PlayStation Plus subscriptions

When Sony unveiled its overhauled PS Plus program, creating three separate tiers and folding its PlayStation Now streaming service into the priciest one, it seemed needlessly complicated. The highest tier, Premium, also didn’t seem worth the extra price in exchange for a slim selection of PlayStation Classics and cloud gaming features that are still a work-in-progress.

Image: Sony / Kotaku

It turns out a lot of people were willing to upgrade, however. Sony says 14.1 million subscribers joined the higher tiers in the first 10 months, which now represent 30 percent of all PS Plus users. And Premium actually accounts for the majority of those with 17 percent of total subscribers, while the middle-tier, Extra, only has 13 percent.

The first PlayStation mobile game will arrive as early as 2023

Sony said it’s currently “partnered with established teams on games,” and “bringing some of our most celebrated IP to mobile,” with the first set to release in fiscal year 2023. The company acquired mobile maker Savage Game Studios last August and Bungie has also long been rumored to be working on a mobile version of Destiny 2. According to Sony’s charts, the mobile gaming market is already bigger than console and PC gaming combined, and it only projects that gap to widen in the coming years.

Sony’s doubling-down on cloud gaming

In the most cryptic part of the presentation, CEO Jim Ryan said the company has “some fairly interesting and quite aggressive plans to accelerate our initiatives in the space of the cloud.” He didn’t elaborate on what those are, but made the comment in the context of mobile gaming and portability. It certainly raises eyebrows since Sony has also now revealed a cloud gaming handheld codenamed Project Q that would be a remote play accessory for the PS5.

PS Plus also doesn’t currently support cloud gaming on smartphones either, requiring you to use a PS4, PS5, or PC. We do know that Sony has been developing a number of patents to decrease latency while streaming games, and The Verge previously reported that the company is hiring for a number of roles to build out its cloud gaming infrastructure. Cloud gaming has been at the center of the regulatory fight over Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard, and it seems like whatever the outcome of that proposed merger, Sony wants to take back some of the video game streaming market share it previously ceded to Game Pass and xCloud.

Ethan Gach

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May 25, 2023
Released Today, The Last Google Stadia Game Is A Piece Of History

Image: Google

If you haven’t heard, Google Stadia is shutting down and closing shop next week. But before the never-quite-successful game streaming service dies, it has provided one neat (and free) little gift you can only play for a few days before it all goes offline.

Launched back in 2019, Google Stadia was a costly and massive investment from Google into the world of video games. Powered by the cloud aka a bunch of servers and off-site computers, Stadia’s big promise was instantaneous gaming on the go. No more updates or expensive consoles. And while it sometimes worked, the high cost of games, lack of features, small library, and internet costs ended up dooming the service. Sure, some superfans logged thousands of hours into it, but for most, it just wasn’t what they wanted or needed from a video game platform.

So it wasn’t surprising that in September of last year, Google announced the end of Stadia. In five days, on January 18, the video game streaming service will shut down. With the end so near, it seemed unlikely that Stadia would receive any new game releases. Yet, Google has published one final game. But don’t expect some big open-world RPG or remake. Instead, the final Stadia game is Worm Game, an internally developed title used to test Stadia long before it became a public service.

We probably were never meant to see or play this Snake-like test game as it sports fairly rudimentary graphics and kinda ugly menus. But in the final days of Stadia, it appears the devs working on the project were able to provide its community one final treat. Even better, anyone can play Worm Game as it’s free. (Which makes sense considering the Stadia store stopped working already.)

The game’s store page features this nice and touching description of the game and what it was used for:

Play the game that came to Stadia before Stadia came to the world. “Worm Game” is a humble title we used to test many of Stadia’s features, starting well before our 2019 public launch, right through 2022. It won’t win Game of the Year, but the Stadia team spent a LOT of time playing it, and we thought we’d share it with you. Thanks for playing, and for everything.

Is Worm Game some incredibly important or amazing thing? Not really. However, it’s still really cool to get a peek behind the scenes, and thanks to videos of Worm Game, this little piece of test software will be somewhat preserved for folks to look back at years from now.

In other cool End Of Stadia news, Google has confirmed that starting next week, it will start allowing players to unlock the Bluetooth functionally of its Stadia controller.

This is a nice way to make the controller—which has one of my favorite modern D-pads on it—more useful and easier to hook up to more devices. I doubt the devs who worked on Stadia for years were planning for the controller to be the only thing left of Stadia in 2023, but here we are.

Zack Zwiezen

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January 13, 2023