Bethesda’s big new RPG, Starfield, is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC, but what about the Xbox One? The spacefaring game won’t be on the last-gen console natively, but the game will still be playable through the console by way of streaming when it releases in September.
People who are signed up to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can stream the game at launch. The game might be too beefy for the Xbox One, but thanks to streaming, the hard work is being done off site and your Xbox One acts as the streaming delivery mechanism. This also means there is no need to download the game at all–and that’s a big deal since it weighs in at more than 100 GB.
The quality of your game experience, though, will depend upon the strength and consistency of your internet connection. Another thing to be aware of is that streaming via the cloud could eat into your data allowance, if you’re not on an unlimited plan.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $17/month, but new members can get a 14-day trial for $1.
Starfield launches on September 6, but the game will be playable days earlier through the $100 Constellation Edition or by purchasing a $35 upgrade.
Microsoft’s new Forza game coming this year will also play on Xbox One via the cloud. Given the age of the Xbox One–it launched in 2013–it makes sense that Microsoft would be moving away from the platform these days, at least in terms of native support. But it’s some consolation that the system is still capable of playing the newest games, even if that’s over the cloud.
All of this is nothing new for Nintendo Switch players, who have been getting cloud versions of games like Control, Hitman 3, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, among others.
