With the pending arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI, there’s not an inch of the games industry that isn’t preparing for the impact. Sony’s marketing deal with Rockstar Games means every commercial claims the best place to play is the PlayStation 5. They might be right, or it might be sales lingo predicated on a signed agreement. What I’m more interested in is Microsoft’s approach. The Series X and S will not be the most popular places to play across the industry, but GTA 6 Xbox Cloud Gaming does seem like a much-needed win for Microsoft.

In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft announced an update on its readiness for Grand Theft Auto 6’s launch, including news on GTA 6 Xbox Cloud Gaming compatibility. On Series X, you’ll get what they call the “best Xbox console experience.” Series S is deemed the most “affordable way” to play “natively”, while a Cloud Gaming-based option is available via Xbox One. It’s astonishing to me that this is even possible, but Microsoft’s approach of offering options based on players’ buy-in and console ownership is a winning move.

Consoles are more expensive than ever. Nobody is arguing that Xbox Cloud Gaming is the ideal way to play GTA 6. What I do think is fair, however, is that Xbox is the easiest way to access the game. If you aren’t looking to spend new console money, a used Xbox One can get you into the game at launch. Xbox does note that the Cloud Gaming experience “uses XBOX Series S graphics settings,” which may be a deal-breaker for some. For me, however, I don’t think that’s a disqualifier for the audience who would take advantage of Cloud Gaming.

I have done a lot of gaming this generation on a Series S. I owned one before eventually picking up a Series X, and I use both in my house. I have also utilized Cloud Streaming in the last month on my Xbox One, which serves as a media hub for my workout area. I have played Fortnite and games like GTA 5 on Cloud Gaming this way and loved the experience. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s far from a disaster. In fact, for those looking to simply play GTA 6 at launch without a Series X or S, I can tell people in that position that you will likely have a good experience based on my time in the Cloud Gaming space.

Internet connections are a variable, as are the new tiered Cloud Gaming limits for Game Pass users. Ultimate earns you 15 hours of monthly Cloud time, 10 hours for Premium, and 5 hours for Essential. Xbox is also allowing Pay-as-you-go options, which now include 10 hours for $3.99 USD, 25 hours for $7.99 USD, and 50 hours for $11.99. That means with an Xbox One, you can purchase GTA 6 for $79.99, add on the $11.99 bundle of 50 hours, and be all set on launch day. That’s huge at a time when costs for gaming continue to rise, likely leaving many out of the next console generation, let alone the current one. Despite being in a love-hate relationship with Xbox as of late, I think this much-needed win for Microsoft by offering GTA 6 Xbox Cloud Gaming options is a big deal. Will you give this method a shot when it launches on November 19th? Let us know in the comments.

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