Xbox Game Streaming

Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming expands to Chrome and other browsers in ‘limited beta’

Ben Schoon | Apr 19 2021 - 1:45 pm PT

As it teased earlier this year, Microsoft is expanding its xCloud streaming for Xbox Game Pass to Chrome and other browsers, though it’s starting in a “limited beta.”

Microsoft announced the beta today that is set to kick off tomorrow, April 20, on browsers as well as iOS devices. Support for iPhone/iPad is obviously a big deal, but Microsoft is also playing catchup with Stadia, Luna, and GeForce Now by finally offering gameplay via the browser.

With Xbox Game Pass streaming in the browser, you’ll be able to play through Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Apple’s Safari browser, too. It seems like the beta may only be limited to Windows 10 PCs, though. It would be a little surprising, frankly, if Microsoft opted to support Xbox games on Chromebooks. The tech was previously shown off in testing.

Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin sending out invites to select Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to start testing the Xbox Cloud Gaming limited beta for Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets via web browsers. We’re launching xbox.com/play where invitees can play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles through Edge, Google Chrome, or Safari. Offering cloud gaming through the browser and having a simplified, universal landing page presents a great opportunity to make cloud gaming approachable to more players in more places over time.

Interestingly, Microsoft didn’t rely on its own expertise to bring Xbox Game Pass streaming to the browser. Rather, Microsoft teamed up with Rainway, a company that you may have heard of for its browser-based PC streaming. The service has allowed users to stream their own Windows PC from other devices for some time with “ultra low-latency streaming.”

Rainway has partnered with Microsoft to provide its Software Development Kit (SDK) to enhance and streamline Xbox Cloud Gaming technology. Rainway’s browser solution integrates seamlessly into the Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming stack, making it possible to bring Xbox content to gamers through a multitude of devices running Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Safari.
“By making our real-time interactive streaming technology available to our App Services partners, we usher in a new era where developers and organizations are empowered to build the future of computing, collaboration, productivity, and development. We are proud to say Microsoft, as one of our first App Services Partners, was able to use our technology to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to more users and devices.” said Rainway CEO, Andrew Sampson.