Microsoft held the first of its two Xbox Gamescom 2021 live streams and showed off exactly what it promised. Last month, Microsoft stated that there would be "no big announcements or big surprises" at the event, and so far that seems to be true. The live stream showcased a number of highly anticipated titles, including "Forza Horizon 5," "Age of Empires IV," and "Psychonauts 2." We also learned that cloud gaming will soon be available on Xbox consoles. However, information about Halo Infinite was nowhere to be found.

If you missed the event, you can re-watch the entire event on the official Xbox YouTube channel. Just be warned that the stream is 90 minutes long and includes many developer interviews about known game features. While these may be interesting to those already interested in the upcoming release, they probably won't do much to win over new fans.

To cover the highlights, let's start with "Forza Horizon 5." Microsoft saved this open-world racing game for last, but we got to see plenty of this title in both live gameplay and pre-rendered trailers. As we learned a few months ago, the latest Forza title is set in Mexico. We also learned that the Mercedes AMG One will be on the cover of the game and that there will be a rather flashy limited edition controller in yellow, blue, and pink.

Age of Empires IV was also spotlighted, with particular focus on everyone's favorite siege unit, the trebuchet. The developers provided some real background on this complex weapon. They also touched on how historical accuracy and documentary storytelling complement the strategic gameplay.

The biggest news announced during the live stream was that Xbox cloud gaming will be available on Xbox consoles this holiday season. Microsoft had previously mentioned the idea, explaining that cloud gaming will soon expand to consoles, smart TVs, and (as yet unannounced) Microsoft streaming hardware. Cloud gaming on consoles will first be available for over 100 titles, targeting 60 frames per second at 1080p resolution.

However, there was one notable absence from today's Xbox slate: Halo Infinite, as this upcoming shooter, which will feature neither co-op campaign nor Forge level creation tools at launch, was not featured at all in the live stream players were wondering if it would appear instead during tomorrow's keynote. At this time, no specific release date has been set, although it is expected to be available in late 2021.

In addition, we learned about minor updates to Microsoft Flight Simulator, Sea of Thieves, Wasteland 3, and State of Decay 2. There may be more Microsoft updates tomorrow, so stay tuned for more Gamescom additions to Tom's Guide.