GTA 6 expands Xbox availability through Cloud Gaming

Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 will support Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, alongside its pre-load availability.

Although the highly anticipated title was initially announced for PlayStation 5 and current-generation Xbox consoles, its arrival on Xbox One will also give players using the older hardware a way to access the game.

Xbox One access through cloud streaming

However, Xbox One users will not be able to run GTA 6 directly on their consoles. Instead, they will have to stream it through Xbox Cloud Gaming, meaning the game will run on remote servers rather than the console itself.

GTA 6 will be available through the cloud service from launch day on November 19, beginning at 1 am ET. The streamed version will use graphics settings equivalent to those on the Xbox Series S.

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Why Xbox Cloud Gaming uses Series S settings

Xbox Cloud Gaming generally relies on the Xbox Series S version of games to reduce the bandwidth required for video encoding. This is because running Series X versions can demand up to four times more computing power, while most users lack the internet speeds or proximity to servers needed to consistently stream games in 4K resolution.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently available to subscribers of the Game Pass Ultimate plan, who can stream compatible titles across a wide range of devices. These include mobile phones, Xbox One and Series X|S consoles, Windows and macOS computers, Amazon Fire TV, Meta Quest VR headsets, as well as selected Samsung and LG smart TVs.

The platform initially debuted on smartphones in 2020 and has since broadened its reach to include consoles and several other supported devices.

GTA 6 cloud release excludes PC

Although Xbox Cloud Gaming supports streaming on Windows PCs, Rockstar has confirmed that GTA 6 will not be available on PC through its cloud launch. This could be part of the company's strategy to reserve the PC audience for a future native release, rather than offering access before the game is officially developed for the platform.

Microsoft introduces pay-as-you-go cloud gaming

Microsoft also highlighted another change coming on November 11, when players in select regions will be able to purchase cloud gaming time and stream supported titles without subscribing to Game Pass.

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The company further confirmed that additional Rockstar releases, including Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, will be added to the cloud gaming library over the coming months.