Xbox Secures Exclusive Streaming Rights for GTA 6 on Release Day

Xbox has reportedly secured exclusive game streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto 6 at its launch.

According to a recent update, Xbox head Asha Sharma shared this exciting news with employees during an all-hands meeting.

In practical terms, this means that players using Xbox’s cloud gaming service will have the ability to stream GTA 6 when it releases on November 19, with no other cloud streaming service offering the game at that time. Additionally, PC gamers will be able to stream GTA 6 to their devices, even though the game won’t be available on PC at launch. The duration of this exclusivity period remains uncertain, so it’s possible that other services may gain access in the future.

This announcement follows several changes in how Xbox manages its cloud gaming services. Notably, Xbox will implement a cap on the number of hours its Game Pass users can utilize cloud streaming each month, limiting it to 15 hours for Game Pass Ultimate, 10 hours for Premium, and 5 hours for Essential. When this change was revealed, Xbox indicated that it would only affect about 4% of Game Pass subscribers. The company also mentioned that this adjustment was driven by the increasing costs associated with providing cloud gaming, which may have been anticipated to rise with the launch of GTA 6 and the expected demand for streaming.

Additionally, Xbox is set to introduce a pay-as-you-go option for cloud gaming that is separate from Xbox Game Pass, also launching in November. They are also testing a free, ad-supported version of their cloud gaming service with Xbox Insiders.