Xbox Cloud Gaming Now Available on Select Amazon Fire TV Stick Devices

What you need to know

Microsoft recently announced a partnership with Amazon to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to select Fire TV Stick devices.
Starting today, players can download the Xbox Cloud Gaming app using their Fire TV Stick 4K Max or Fire TV Stick 4K.
An active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership and a Bluetooth-enabled game controller are required to use Xbox Cloud Gaming.

This is a new way to play games on Xbox.

Gamers can now download the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta app on select Amazon Fire TV Stick models, Microsoft announced Monday in an ad that parodies horror movies.

The company previously announced a partnership with Amazon that would allow gamers to use certain Fire TV Sticks to access Xbox Cloud Gaming, which came as something of a surprise given Microsoft and Amazon’s historical hostility as cloud rivals. Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently available via the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K models.

What do I need to play Xbox Cloud Gaming on Amazon Fire TV Stick?

In addition to one of the aforementioned Fire TV Stick models, anyone looking to jump into Xbox Cloud Gaming will need a Bluetooth-enabled game controller, such as the Xbox Series X|S Controller or the PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller. Players will also need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to access the game streaming service. Finally, players will naturally need a modern monitor or TV to connect the Fire TV Stick and actually play games.

The Xbox Cloud Gaming service includes a range of titles, including first-person Xbox games such as Fallout 4, Sea of Thieves, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and Starfield from Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.

Analysis: Xbox’s graceful expansion of services

It’s great to see this, and it’s also great that it’s being implemented so soon after it was first announced. Xbox Cloud Gaming updates stalled for a few years, with Microsoft slowing progress to practically zero while it was embroiled in its efforts to acquire Activision Blizzard.

With this mammoth task behind us, work has resumed on updates, such as adding mouse and keyboard support to some Xbox Cloud Gaming games.

I don’t think bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming to Fire TV Stick will suddenly bring in millions of new players, but given the work that’s going into Xbox Cloud Gaming as a whole, it makes a lot of sense as an expansion point for the service.

It’s also interesting that Microsoft has embraced Amazon so much. I wonder if the success of Prime Video’s Fallout series (which is returning for a second season) played a role in the discussions.