The Xbox team has announced a big update coming in April 2025, according to an Xbox Blog Post. This update brings new features to both the Xbox mobile app and Xbox consoles (Series X|S and Xbox One). The changes aim to make gaming more convenient and respond to what players have been asking for.
The update includes several important new features:
- Buying games directly from the mobile app
- Streaming games you already own on Xbox consoles
- A new game hub design with better information
- Better storage management options
- Remote play through web browsers
One of the biggest changes is that you can now buy games directly from your phone. This feature will first come to test users (beta users) on iPhone and Android phones in April. Before this update, players had to use their console or computer to buy games. Now, you can buy games, extra content (DLC), and Game Pass subscriptions with just two clicks on your phone. You can even pre-order upcoming games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows and install games on your console while you’re away from home.
Cloud gaming is getting better too. Game Pass Ultimate members can now stream games they own on their Xbox consoles. This means you don’t have to download a game to play it – you can start playing right away through the internet. The game runs on powerful computers far away, and you just see and control it on your screen. This is helpful when you don’t want to wait for downloads or if your console storage is full.
What is cloud gaming exactly? Here’s a simple explanation:
- Games run on powerful computers in data centers
- You control the game from your device (phone, tablet, or console)
- The game video streams to you over the internet
- You need a good internet connection for it to work well
- It lets you play big games without needing expensive hardware
The update also brings a new game hub design that shows more information about your games and improved storage management that gives better recommendations about which games to move or delete. Xbox is also making remote play available through web browsers at xbox.com/remoteplay, so you can play your console games on more devices.
Game Pass Ultimate is Xbox’s premium subscription service that costs about $22.99 (₹1,900 per month). Here’s what members get:
- Access to over 500 games on Xbox, PC, and cloud
- New games on their release day (like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6)
- Online multiplayer gaming with friends
- EA Play games included
- Special perks like free in-game items
- Discounts on games not included in Game Pass
- The ability to stream games you own
The update also improves backward compatibility, which means you can play old Xbox games on new consoles. Now you can stream backward compatible games from the original Xbox and Xbox 360. There are over 600 Xbox 360 games and 39 original Xbox games that work on newer consoles. These old games run better on new consoles with improvements like better colors (Auto HDR) and smoother gameplay (FPS Boost). You can use game discs you already own or buy digital copies.
Currently, over 100 games are available for cloud streaming. This includes titles like Atomic Heart and South of Midnight. These streaming games make up about 20% of the Game Pass Ultimate library but less than 5% of all Xbox games. The total Xbox game catalog has over 2,500 games. With the new “Stream Your Own Game” feature, you can stream games you own even if they’re not in the cloud library, giving you more flexibility in how you play.
