Microsoft has announced its plan to bring PC Game Pass titles to Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service. This move will allow users to play their PC Game Pass catalog on various devices supported by GeForce Now, including low spec PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, mobile devices, and TVs.
According to Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire editor in chief, the rollout of PC Game Pass on GeForce Now will happen in the coming months. While it’s not clear if the full catalog will be available, GeForce Now members will be able to stream select PC games from the library.
This partnership marks a significant development for cloud gaming, as PC Game Pass subscribers can now access Nvidia’s high-performance game streaming service with RTX 4080 levels of performance. In testing, the RTX 4080 tier of GeForce Now demonstrated superior performance and latency compared to Microsoft’s own Xbox Cloud Gaming offering.
Furthermore, this collaboration expands Microsoft’s support for GeForce Now beyond purchases and extends it to the PC Game Pass subscription. Nvidia has previously announced that support for the Microsoft Store on GeForce Now will be available in the coming months, indicating the potential arrival of PC Game Pass on the service.
The partnership between Microsoft and Nvidia was established as part of a 10-year agreement to license Xbox PC games to GeForce Now. This agreement serves as an effort by Microsoft to address regulatory concerns surrounding its proposed Activision Blizzard deal. In addition to Xbox PC games, the deal includes access to Activision Blizzard titles, pending regulatory approval.
As UK regulators have raised concerns about cloud competition and blocked the Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft’s unexpected decision to offer PC Game Pass on a rival cloud gaming service may play a role in convincing regulators of the benefits of the proposed acquisition.
