Xbox is expanding its Xbox Cloud Gaming feature set with a new update. Players can now send links to invite other players to directly join a multiplayer game via Cloud, as shared via Xbox Wire on Tuesday.
I quickly tested this feature using Age of Mythology: Retold, verifying that it’s already live. In order to use it, players just need to be playing some kind of multiplayer game through Xbox Cloud Gaming. From there, open the Xbox tab, navigate to game invites, then select Anyone. Copy the link and share it with whoever you want to play with.
Naturally, whoever is joining you will need to have an Xbox account, and will also have to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This feature is currently live on web browsers (via Xbox.com/play) and Samsung Smart TVs.
More games to stream and play if you already own them
The Xbox team rolled out initial support for its long-awaited “Stream Your Own Game” feature last year, starting with 50 games that included titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
An update earlier this year brought more games like Subnautica, and now, there’s another batch of games on the way. This latest wave includes Massive Monster and Devolver Digital’s 2022 indie hit, Cult of the Lamb.
You can find the list of games that are now coming soon to Xbox Cloud Gaming below:
- Atomic Heart
- Cult of the Lamb
- Hotline Miami
- Killer Frequency
- Neva
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat
- Phanton Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate
- Serious Sam Collection
- Trepang2
- Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition
Xbox Cloud Gaming is growing again
While Xbox Cloud Gaming stalled out for years as Microsoft was fighting in courts to purchase Activision Blizzard King, things have been moving again over the last few months.
The semi-frequent updates to the list of games that can be streamed are encouraging to see, especially when combined with the massive list of Xbox first-party games that support Cloud gaming, such as Obsidian Entertainment’s recent role-playing game Avowed.
Most upcoming Xbox games will also support Cloud gaming on day one, including id Software’s DOOM: The Dark Ages.
I still prefer playing games natively on my Xbox Series X or my PC, but having options is great.
As a side note, I’ve seen some player chatter around Balatro being removed from the list of games players can stream if they own them. I’m fairly certain this is just a design presentation oversight, since Balatro just joined Xbox Game Pass, but I’m asking Microsoft for clarification.
