A few months ago, Microsoft promised that Xbox cloud gaming would be coming to Xbox consoles. That date has yet to arrive, but at least a firm release date of Holiday 2021 has been set. By the end of the year, owners of the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One will be able to stream entire games to their consoles instead of downloading individual titles. Eventually, this feature will also allow Xbox One players to experience games exclusively for the Xbox Series X/S.

The information comes from Microsoft's gamescom 2021 presentation and is summarized on the official Xbox Wire blog. Cloud gaming on consoles has been planned for some time, and now details of how this service will work have been revealed.

First and foremost, as with cloud gaming on Android, iOS, and Windows 10 devices, cloud gaming on Xbox consoles will require an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership ($15/month). The program will initially offer more than 100 games, and the subscription service will offer more than 300 games overall, with the remainder perhaps to come later; Xbox cloud gaming titles will be marked with a small cloud icon in the lower right corner. We currently know that "Ori and the Will of the Wisps," "Minecraft Dungeons," "Sea of Thieves," "Destiny 2," and "Forza Horizon 4" will be included in this program.

Microsoft explains that each game will aim for 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second, the same goal as Xbox Cloud Gaming (beta) for PC and mobile devices. The program will be available to Xbox Insiders this fall, so those who have beta tested Xbox features in the past may have a chance to try this program early as well.

One of the most interesting Xbox cloud gaming console features, however, will not be offered right away. Microsoft emphasized the possibility of a program that would allow "Gen 9-exclusive Xbox games like Microsoft Flight SImulator and The Medium to be played on Xbox One." In other words, Xbox One owners would be able to play Xbox Series X/S-exclusive games as long as they don't mind streaming instead of downloading. However, this feature would not become a reality until 2022 at the earliest.

Tom's Guide tested various forms of Xbox cloud gaming, including Android, iOS, and Windows 10. Generally speaking, we were pleased with the performance of Android and Windows 10, but remained dissatisfied with the functionality of iOS. That said, the entire Xbox cloud gaming program is still in beta, so it won't be perfect for a while yet. I imagine that console streaming will also be rough at first and will improve over time.

We will have a more detailed article on Xbox cloud gaming on consoles later this year. Until then, you can try this feature on your PC or smartphone.