Review: Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming works wonders on Android
Xbox Game Pass is hands down the best game streaming service you can get on your Android phone.
Microsoft made waves across the industry with Xbox Game Pass, creating an affordable subscription service that sees new select AAA titles and exclusives launch into it the day they release at retail. The value is immense, and it only got better when Xbox Game Pass Ultimate added cloud streaming for its members. Though still in beta, Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming works fantastic on Android, allowing you to play your favorite console games on the go wherever you are.
I've spent some time testing it out in a variety of games that support either touch controls or dedicated controllers, and it works like a charm, even in first-person shooters. Though there are times where you'll encounter some input lag or latency as the connection buffers, these tend to be few and far between. As far as game streaming services go, this is the best you can get on Android.
Xbox Game Pass for Android review:Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1-month)
Bottom line: Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming is the pinnacle of game streaming on Android, delivering a library of popular titles directly to your mobile device at a low monthly cost. It only looks to get even better from here.
The Good- First and third-party games make up a stellar library
- Included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription
- Supports controllers and touch controls in select games
- Still in beta with some input lag and connection issues
- Slow loading times
- Not all games are designed for mobile
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Xbox Game Pass for Android: Price and availability
Because Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a subscription service, you'll need to continually pay a recurring fee of $15/month or $45 every 3 months, depending on which membership you purchase. Cloud gaming became an additional feature in the service in September 2020 and can be played on Android devices running 6.0 or later. Windows 10 users and iOS users running 14.4 or later can sign up for a limited beta as of April 2021.
Cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is currently available in the following 22 regions:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Spain
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming takes the console gaming experience and delivers it straight to your pocket.
Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming takes the console gaming experience and delivers it straight to your pocket. It's incredible just how well it works. You can find a section dedicated entirely to the cloud within its mobile app. It separates games into different categories like those recently added, those with touch controls, the most popular titles, and genre. You can also browse its full list that includes games in EA Play and titles from Bethesda.
I never imagined I could be playing games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection or Skyrim on my phone, but that's exactly what I can do. So long as you have a decent controller, like the Razer Kishi or a regular Xbox controller, you should have no problem playing first-person shooters on your phone. While there can be some latency from connection issues, these are few and far between.
Saves also pick up seamlessly between console and mobile, so you can get back into a game right where you left off. And for any achievement hunters out there, those are fully supported too. You're getting all of the benefits of the Xbox ecosystem at your fingertips.
That cloud streaming is just an included benefit in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate makes it even more appealing. You're already getting a library of hundreds of titles that you can download directly to your console or PC without needing to pay retail prices for them. Cloud streaming just adds more that you can then play on a mobile device. The list of games available to stream may be smaller than that of Game Pass's entire catalogue, but it's still a couple of hundred titles and growing.
Tying everything into the Xbox ecosystem will surely make it easier for people to buy into, unlike Stadia. There are plenty of benefits and very few drawbacks when you consider this.
Xbox Game Pass for Android: What's not so good
Depending on your internet connection, you could run into some performance issues while streaming. After all, it's still in beta, and there are bound to be problems that pop up as Microsoft continues to develop the service. Despite this, you should be able to stream most games with few complaints. The biggest issue that I continually ran into was dreadfully slow loading times.
If you prefer touch controls, there's also a limited list of games supporting them. I personally prefer playing these games with a controller, so this didn't bother me too much, but this can't be said for everyone. Some of the biggest games that support touch controls right now are Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Gears 5, and Sea of Thieves. If you plan on playing other games, you'll want to check out our recommendations for the best mobile gaming controller.
Many of these games weren't designed to be played on such small screens and have UI that can either make the screen cluttered or too small to read. This difficulty in reading what's happening on the screen can also extend to gameplay.
Xbox Game Pass for Android: Competition
Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming's biggest competitor on Android is Stadia. Though Stadia comes with a free tier so that you don't have to pay monthly for streaming, you will have to buy each game you'd like to play. Stadia games aren't just available to you like they are on Xbox Game Pass streaming. Even when you subscribe to Stadia's $10/month option, you'll still need to pay separately for the games you want to play. It has a few interesting features - like State Share - that Game Pass doesn't have, but Game Pass more than makes up for that with its library of games.
While not supported on mobile devices yet, PlayStation Now is also a competitor on the PC front. It hosts a library of over 800 games, all of which can be streamed to PC. That said, its library tends to be comprised of older titles, as new games generally don't release into the service.
Xbox Game Pass for Android: Should you buy it?
- You want to play first-party Xbox exclusives the day they release
- You have an Android phone running 6.0 or later
- You have an Xbox or PC and want to download your games
- You want to wait until it's out of beta
- You're only buying it for cloud streaming
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is something that I would highly recommend for most people. However, if you're only buying it for its cloud streaming capabilities, you may want to wait until it's out of beta. There are still some technical hurdles it needs to overcome before it's perfect. For everyone else, it's well worth the subscription price, especially if you have an Xbox or PC and want to play Xbox's newest exclusives right when they release.
4 out of 5Microsoft has done the work to ensure that cloud streaming has a solid foundation in Xbox Game Pass. Aside from some latency issues and the fact that not every game was designed to be played on small screens, cloud streaming is simply amazing. This is something people couldn't have imagined 20 years ago, but it will be a huge part of Android gaming going forward.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1-month)
Bottom line: As a part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, cloud streaming is a wonderful addition to the service. There's very little reason not to purchase an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, and streaming on your Android device works like a charm.
$15 at Amazon$15 at Best Buy$15 at Walmart