I am unable to play a game through the Cloud if I have the game installed on the PC Xbox App

Eric Lee3 · Sep 21, 2023

Start Menu -> Xbox App -> Cloud Gaming

(Requirement must have Gamepass Ultimate and must the game installed on your PC Xbox App IE StarField)

So on the PC Xbox App under the Cloud Gaming tab if I select a game that I’ve already installed it doesn’t give me an option to play the game through the cloud instead the game launches the installed version. If I uninstall the game or select a game I do not have installed ie a Xbox 360 game, then I can play it through the Cloud. Last year this was not an issue but with the recent updates and changes it only allows me to launch the installed game. Is this only happening to me or is this as design? I do a lot of 3D Rendering so Cloud Gaming allows me to play games without using up my PC processing power and it was amazing when it was a functioning feature last year on my Xbox App but now I’m disappointed that the feature doesn’t work if I have the game installed.

:)

Cliff A.

Hi Eric Lee3

Greetings!

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community

I do understand the urgency of you wanting to find other ways for this issue of yours in regards with unable to play games on Cloud if game is installed on Xbox PC app or the other way around. We are very glad to help you out to find some of the best possible options and troubleshooting's that we can provide for you.

We just want to set your proper expectations on this that on a perfect scenario, there are really no problems both in Xbox App and Cloud gaming if the games are available to play on the Cloud, but as we have isolated on your issue that both the other way around is that games are unplayable on your end. Let us try to see and find other possible options that we can get for us to see some differences.

Please do double check if the game you are trying to play is available for Cloud gaming. Not all games are available for Cloud gaming, and some games may have restrictions on Cloud gaming. You can check the list of games available for Cloud gaming on the Xbox website.

If the game is available for Cloud gaming, please try the following steps:

1. Open the Xbox app on your PC and sign into your Microsoft account.

2. Click on the "Cloud gaming" tab on the left-hand side of the app.

3. Select the game you want to play from the list of available games.

4. Click on the "Play" button to start streaming the game through the Cloud.

If you are still unable to play the game through the Cloud, please try the following troubleshooting steps:

1. Clear the cache and cookies of your web browser.

2. Disable any ad-blockers or browser extensions that may be interfering with the Cloud gaming service.

3. Try using a different web browser or device to see if the issue persists.

4. Use a New InPrivate Window on the browser for the browser to be clear from cache and cookies and other credentials that is signed in on a normal browser.

5. Temporarily disable firewall or any 3rd party antivirus that you have installed since sometimes there might be a tendency that it may perhaps block the settings for it to initiate for the games to play.

In addition, you can refer on this article for more needed information or guides about Cloud Gaming and the Xbox App :

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your issue. I hope all of this information's are helpful. We look forward on your response.

Regards,

Microsoft Community Moderator

Owen Dolman

I game share my friend paid for gta 5 so we both could play it I was playing this morning though cloud but now it's saying I need to buy the game or subscribe I have game pass ultimate let's me play any other game though cloud just not gta

SwordofWhedon

If a game is installed, cloud play is blocked. That's how it works on console as well, as there are limited servers available during the beta period. You'll have to choose which is more important to you

Cliff A.

Hi Eric Lee3

We have not heard anything from you in the last 72 hours. Please do not hesitate to create a new thread if you have new concerns. We hope that the issue you reported to us has been resolved. We personally understand that finding time to work on this matter can be little difficult to manage. Thus, we would like to let you know how much we appreciate your patience and most importantly the time you've dedicated to getting a resolution for this issue of yours.

Please create a new topic to discuss these concerns by clicking on this link: Create a new question or start a discussion (microsoft.com)

Regards,

Microsoft Community Moderator

Eoghan Gregory

Ive never played this game in the cloud.

I installed this game through the xbox app and on the first time launch on any platform had this problem.

I have since tried to install it on the xbox itself to see if the cloud data was actually syncing and there is no cloud data.

It does not appear that this app has ever successfully connected to the cloud.

I am unable to play a game through the Cloud if I have the game installed on the PC Xbox App