It looks like Xbox is trying to do what Google Stadia couldn't

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Xbox Cloud Gaming can now be launched via Bing

Xbox Cloud Gaming
(Image credit: Xbox)

It looks like Xbox is attempting to do what Google Stadia couldn't and allow players to access Xbox Cloud Gaming via Microsoft search engine Bing. 

As shared by Twitter user @klobrille, if you now search for a game to play via Xbox Cloud Gaming on the Microsoft-owned search engine Bing, the first result that comes up includes a "Play" button which, if you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, will launch the game in your browser. 

In the example given, we can see that searching for the survival game Grounded using Bing actually brings up a direct link to Xbox Cloud Gaming, meaning - if you are signed into Bing with your Microsoft account and have an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership - you'll be able to get started with the game straight away. 

We tried this for ourselves using Google Chrome and a number of games on Xbox Cloud Gaming including Psychonauts 2, Fortnite, and Forza Horizon 5, and all of them now feature the new button.  

You may remember this being the whole appeal of Google's gaming service Stadia, which is now unfortunately officially shutting down. Google Stadia will cease to exist as of January 18, 2023 - which has one Red Dead Redemption fan begging Rockstar for a character transfer after sinking almost 6,000 hours into the game on the streaming platform - and so it looks like Xbox may be about to capitalize on this space in the market. 

If you didn't know, Xbox Cloud Gaming is still currently in Beta, and just like Google Stadia, the service allows players to play games on a variety of platforms (PC, tablet, phone, etc.) without having to download the games they want to play first. All you need is an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a stable internet connection to be able to stream your favorite games.  

Wondering what games you should try next? Take a look at our best Xbox Series X games list for inspiration. 

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.