How to Play Xbox Cloud Games in VR (Oculus Go/Quest)

Microsoft released their Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming for anyone with an Xbox Game Pass ultimate subscription which currently has an introductory offer of around £5 per month. You can then stream games from the cloud to your android devices. However, with some tinkering you can also play the games streamed to your VR Headset such as Oculus GO or Oculus Quest. Our How to Play Xbox Cloud Games in VR video shows how or you can follow our text guide below.

Obviously you will need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate sub before you start.

First Time Setup Step 1: Enable Developer Mode

Put the headset in developer mode to be able to sideload. To enable developer mode, you have to be a registered “developer” on the Oculus website. This process is free and open to anyone with an Oculus or Facebook account.

Go to https://dashboard.oculus.com/my-apps/1875645422539350/ on your PC browser and create an organisation with the name of your choosing. You obviously need to be signed-in to your oculus/facebook account first.

Tick the “I understand” box to accept the developer agreement and click submit.

Now that you’re a developer, open the Oculus app on your smartphone or tablet. Connect your headset to the APP on your phone then select it and choose settings. Then select ‘More settings’. You will see “Developer Mode” listed. Enable it. If you don’t see developer mode reboot your phone and the headset.

Step 2: Install The Drivers & ADB

Install the PC driver to allow your PC to install apps on your chosen VR headset. Download the driver from: https://developer.oculus.com/downloads/package/oculus-go-adb-drivers/ When the download finishes, extract the zip file into a folder. Now right click on the file “android_winusb.inf” and click Install.

Step 3: Enable USB Debugging on your Headset

Make sure to connect the GO or Quest to the PC using a compatible USB cable. If you don’t see it show up on PC then change the cable. Once connected you will see a prompt to accept USB debugging. Tick the box that says always allow from the PC and then accept.

Step 4: Enable Sideloading on your Headset

Download and install SIDEQUEST to enable sideloading. – https://sidequestvr.com/setup-howto

Step 5: Install Xbox Game Pass on your Headset

Then download the Xbox Game Pass APK and install that via Sidequest.- https://apkpure.com/xbox-game-pass/com.gamepass make sure you have Oculus TV installed on your headset you can grab that from here or inside VR on your headset – https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/1834973373242178

You will need to also install to your device Sideloader otherwise the Xbox Gamepass App won’t show up. – https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-sideload-launcher-android-tv-t2914962

Step 6: Play & Connect Bluetooth Controller

Once installed then you can launch Oculus TV and under apps section you will see Unknown sources in your headset. The sideloader app will appear there. Open that and then you will see Xbox Gamepass. Sign-in with your account and bingo! If you don’t have an Xbox account it will load but you won’t be able to play anything. Also, make sure to connect a bluetooth Xbox Game pad to your GO or Quest, so you can actually play. You can do this under settings in your headset. Select view all the choose experimental settings. Choose the device that has a d-pad sign and bingo (you might also be able to connect a controller via the Xbox Game Pass app itself). Now you can enjoy Xbox Cloud Games in VR. If you want to use other PCVR headsets then you can simply use apps such as Virtual Desktop to showcase the games running natively. For more VR news and content check out our VR section.

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.