New Forza Motorsport For Xbox One Is A Cloud Version, Not Native

Turn 10's new Forza Motorsport game that was detailed during this week's Developer Direct event is not coming to Xbox One, as least not natively. The game will be playable on Xbox One, but it will be available as a streaming title through the cloud.

In a support page post, Microsoft said the new Forza Motorsport was built "from the ground up" to take advantage of the "full power and performance" of the Xbox Series X|S systems, not Xbox One.

"While there will not be a native Xbox One version of the game, Xbox One players can stream Forza Motorsport through Xbox Cloud Gaming included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate," Microsoft said.

The new Forza Motorsport title will be available natively on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Like all other Microsoft first-party games, it will be available through Game Pass, too.

In terms of performance, Forza Motorsport players on Series X can expect a 4K/60fps experience, while Series S players are getting 1080p/60fps. Performance on PC will depend on a player's setup. The PC system requirements have not been announced.

Given the age of the Xbox One--it launched in 2013--it makes sense that Microsoft would be moving away from the platform these days, at least in terms of native support. This week's surprise-launch, Hi-Fi Rush, also did not have an Xbox One release. And native Xbox One releases for the new Fable and Avowed are supposedly not planned.

Additionally, marquee 2023 titles like Starfield and Redfall could be cloud versions, too. In a June 2021 blog post, Microsoft said those titles "require the speed, performance, and technology of the Xbox Series X|S," and thus may not come to Xbox One natively but instead release via the cloud.

Microsoft's cloud games are streamed on external servers and beamed to supported machines, so in this way, a console from 2013 can play a 2023 game with the same or similar quality. The major potential catch is that, because games are streamed, it requires a stable and consistent connection. Microsoft's cloud streaming platform is already up and running and allows players to stream games to any supported device, including the Xbox One, mobile phones, and tablets, among other devices.

All of this is nothing new for Nintendo Switch players, who have been getting cloud versions of games like Control, Hitman 3, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, among others.