What you need to know
- Microsoft recently began adding mouse and keyboard support to a number of games through Xbox Cloud Gaming, such as Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition.
- Another batch of games now support mouse and keyboard controls through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
- This latest batch includes games like Quake 2 Remastered and State of Decay 2.
More Xbox games are now playable with mouse and keyboard through the cloud.
An update to Xbox Cloud Gaming brings mouse and keyboard support for several more games, including Quake 2 Remastered and Undead Labs’ State of Decay 2, as shared via Xbox Support. You can see the full list of games that now feature mouse and keyboard support through Xbox Cloud Gaming below:
- Cities: Skylines – Mayor’s Edition
- Cities: Skylines – Remastered
- House Flipper
- Inkulinati (Game Preview)
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- Norco
- Pikuniku
- Quake
- Quake 2
- Slime Rancher 2
- State of Decay 2
- Terraria
- The Sims 4
- Valheim (Game Preview)
Microsoft first began adding mouse and keyboard support for Xbox Cloud Gaming titles a few weeks ago, with an initial batch of games that included Fortnite as well as a number of first-party games like Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, Halo Infinite, and Pentiment.
Xbox Cloud Gaming requires players to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as well as having a compatible Android or iOS device, a Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, or Xbox One console to stream games to.
What’s next for Xbox Cloud Gaming?
While Microsoft has been working on Xbox Cloud Gaming (once referred to as xCloud) for years now, the program was essentially put on ice for a time, with very little to no investment in 2023 as the company was embroiled in regulatory headaches over the then-pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard King.
At the time, some regulators such as the CMA in the U.K. were enamored with the idea that Cloud gaming would allow Microsoft to massively leapfrog its competitors and seize control of the gaming industry. Microsoft made a number of agreements to assuage concerns, including a massive deal allowing anyone in the EU to stream an Xbox first-party game they purchase digitally through any Cloud gaming service they choose.
Since the Activision Blizzard King purchase was finalized, we’ve seen Microsoft steadily reinvest in Xbox Cloud Gaming, with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stating that the company intends to allow players to stream games they own this year without having to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Analysis: Cloud support has started up again
I’m expecting regular announcements with new batches of games that support mouse and keyboard input over the cloud in the months ahead. Hopefully we’ll also get updates on other features, such as the ability to stream games you own without a subscription.
While it’s not technically part of Cloud gaming, I also hope we hear more about the planned Xbox mobile store this year, as Microsoft’s approach to native mobile games will hugely inform its plans and abilities surrounding Xbox Cloud Gaming.
