Microsoft’s first Xbox games for PC start arriving on Nvidia GeForce Now

Microsoft and Nvidia signed an Xbox PC games deal earlier this year.

 Image: Nvidia

Microsoft’s latest partnership with Nvidia kicks off today with the release of the first Xbox games for PC on GeForce Now. Gears 5 will be available for GeForce Now members today, following a deal between Microsoft and Nvidia earlier this year to bring Xbox PC games to GeForce Now.

Gears 5 might be the first release today, but many more Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda titles are on their way to GeForce Now soon. Deathloop, Grounded, and Pentiment will all arrive on Thursday, May 25th, and Nvidia says more games from Xbox will be added regularly.

While the first Xbox PC games will need to be purchased on Steam to be available on GeForce Now streaming, Microsoft and Nvidia are working on support for the Microsoft Store. It’s unclear if this will also include PC Game Pass support, but given that the subscription is largely driven through the Xbox PC app, it’s likely the Microsoft Store support is limited to full game purchases. Either way, Nvidia says this store support should “become available in the coming months.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft signed a 10-year deal with Nvidia to license Xbox PC games to GeForce Now in an effort to appease European regulators over a proposed deal by Activision Blizzard. The EU approved the deal earlier this week after striking similar 10-year agreements with other cloud computing competitors. The deals also include access to Activision Blizzard games, subject to regulatory approval of the proposed Microsoft acquisition.

UK regulators have blocked the deal over cloud competition concerns, with Microsoft facing a lengthy appeal process and a legal challenge closer to home with regulators in the US. The FTC sued to try and block Microsoft’s plan to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion last year. If Microsoft’s giant deal fails to close, Nvidia spokesperson Stephenie Ngo tells The Verge that “the agreement with Microsoft and Xbox PC games will proceed regardless of the outcome of the acquisition.”