Microsoft has said that Samsung Smart TV and Amazon Fire TV stick owners can now stream any games they have purchased directly to their TV, with no console required.
The move is an expansion of Microsoft’s Xbox cloud game streaming service, and it’s currently available in beta, the company said.
The existing Xbox Game Pass subscription is what provides users with access to a selection of curated Xbox games that can be streamed to any supported TV, but with this week’s update, users will be able to livestream additional games by purchasing them from the Xbox store.
"Starting today, I’m excited to announce that we’re allowing Game Pass Ultimate members to stream select games they own through TVs and browsers on supported devices like smartphones, PCs, and tablets, in all 28 countries where Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) is available," said Ashley McKissick, corporate vice president of Xbox Experiences & Platforms Engineering at Microsoft.
According to McKissick, while there are 50 compatible games at launch, the library of cloud-playable games will continue to grow in the weeks and months to come. Titles available at launch include the entire Final Fantasy series, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Baldur’s Gate 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022), Cyberpunk 2077, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, Hitman World of Assassination, Mortal Kombat 1, PGA Tour 2K23, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, 7 Days to Die, Star Wars Outlaws, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and WWE 2K24.
At present, Game Pass subscribers can only access cloud streamed games on newer Samsung TV models and higher-end Amazon Fire TV sticks, as these are the only platforms that have the Xbox TV app. However, the company has promised “wider support” coming next year, so we are hopeful that it may soon launch the Xbox app on Android TV, Google TV and Apple TV devices soon.
In addition, game streaming will also be supported by Xbox consoles next year, so users won’t have to download the entire game to get started after they’ve made a purchase. In addition, game streaming will also come to Windows devices, giving users the option to hook up a PC to a TV or monitor and stream games that way.
