Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, xCloud, recently teased players with the prospect of playing the likes of GTA V and Elden Ring without the need for a pricey console, though the platform-holder has since come out with an explanation for these gaming UFOs.
Xbox fans on Twitter were quick to share screenshots of GTA V, Elden Ring, and many other games listed as being playable via Microsoft’s cloud gaming service. This led some to wonder if these games would soon be added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the top tier of Microsoft’s subscription service that includes Xbox Live Gold, Game Pass, and Cloud gaming. At the moment, xCloud is only available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, so it’s a fair reach to make.
Sadly, Microsoft has since released a statement to Eurogamer explaining that these listings were bugs in the system and they have since been removed. A quick flick through the xCloud service on PC and on an Xbox Series X to hand confirms that they are indeed no longer showing as cloud-compatible.
That being said… Gamescom is just around the corner. Microsoft will be in attendance and hoping to ride the wave of positivity the company has managed to amass over the last couple of years. There’s a good chance that at least some of these listings are destined to land on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, perhaps as an end-of-show “and available now on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can play all of these games.” It’s not like these companies would never tell a fib or two to keep the surprise, right?
The official line is that they were all listed in error, but we’ll see on August 23rd when the Gamescom Opening Night Live kicks off the return of Europe’s premier games tradeshow with a two-hour live stream and the promise of more than 30 games being shown.
