Xbox Cloud Gaming is launching in Australia as part of a wider global roll-out on October 1, 2021. Which, depending on when you’re reading this is either tomorrow or… right now! As a part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Cloud Gaming offers a big portion of the subscription service’s library to play via the cloud across Windows 1PCs, Android devices, and Apple devices.

With over 100 games fully playable thanks to the cloud storage you saved games and profile will carry across seamlessly to an Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or Windows 10 PC -- cloud or game-playin’ the ol’ fashioned way. Which is, err, installing onto a hard drive and what not. Microsoft has also confirmed that some of this year’s heavy hitters, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Back 4 Blood, will be playable via the cloud as they launch on Xbox Game Pass.

Or a few classics like Sea of Thieves or Hades -- which works well with touch controls.

This is a major step forward for cloud gaming in Australia, not to mention the billions of people around the world who simply don’t own a console or gaming PC. On the great southerly located land we call Australia: The Country, Xbox Cloud Gaming is also headed to Japan, Brazil, and Mexico.

The kicker here is the ability to play on a smartphone or tablet or regular laptop with or without a controller. Not everyone has access to a console or PC and as long as you can maintain a steady 10mbps down you’ll have a smooth experience. One of the reasons it took so long to come to Australia has been our lagging national broadband, whatever you want to call it, and not the existence of fast Microsoft Azure servers. The plus side is that Xbox Cloud Gaming is launching in Australia just as the service has been updated with new Xbox Series X server blade tech.

A brilliant touch, and it works. We can confidently say on the account that we’ve been checking out Xbox Cloud Gaming for a few months now as part of a Preview Program. For more info head to xbox.com/cloudgaming.