Recent claims that Xbox had secured streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto 6, potentially allowing PC players to access the game at launch via Xbox Cloud Gaming, have been refuted by an Xbox official. Matthew Ball, Xbox's Chief Strategy Officer, clarified that the highly anticipated title will not be available for streaming on PC through Xbox Cloud Gaming, nor will it be an Xbox streaming exclusive.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled for release as a timed console exclusive on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on November 19. The initial rumors, which suggested a PC release via cloud streaming, originated from a report by The Verge, citing an unnamed source within Xbox. The prospect of cloud streaming offered a potential avenue for PC players to experience the game upon its debut, even without a native PC version at launch.
Xbox Cloud Gaming allows users to stream titles from their digital library across various devices without requiring ownership of a console. This service differs from Xbox Remote Play in that it does not necessitate access to a physical console for the streaming functionality.
The speculation was further fueled by Xbox's earlier announcement regarding restrictions on free hours for Xbox Cloud Gaming, which was set to take effect in November. This change could have potentially benefited Microsoft financially from PC gamers eager to play GTA 6 early through paid playtime extensions.