How to play Xbox games on your Fire TV Stick

There’s a new way to play Xbox games on your TV – and you don’t need to splash out on an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console to do it. Get an Amazon Fire TV Stick, a controller and a subscription to Xbox Games Pass Ultimate, and you can use the Xbox app on the Fire TV Stick to stream games using Xbox Cloud Gaming.

It’s not difficult to set up and in the right circumstances you can enjoy a great experience of the latest, greatest Xbox games, not to mention a wide range of classics. We’re going to show you how, right here.

What do you need?

Obviously, you’ll need a Fire TV Stick, but not just any Fire TV Stick will do. Right now the only sticks supported are the Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) and second-generation Fire TV Stick 4K Max. These are Amazon’s most powerful streaming sticks, and the only ones to support Wi-Fi 6 or 6E connections. Weirdly, the equally powerful and Wi-Fi 6-supporting Fire TV Cube can’t install the Xbox app at the time of writing.

You’re also going to need a controller. Both the Xbox controller and PlayStation DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers are supported, and other Xbox-compatible wireless controllers may also work, provided they can connect over Bluetooth.

You’ll need an Xbox Games Pass Ultimate subscription; neither the current console Xbox Games Pass or Xbox PC Games Pass subs include the necessary cloud gaming features. This will cost you £13/mth or £15/mth from September, though new users can bag a 14-day trial pass for just £1.

Finally, you’ll need a laptop, tablet or smartphone just to get through the setup process.

How do you set it up?

Once you’ve got your Fire TV Stick set up, you need to install the Xbox app from the Amazon Appstore. Just search for the Xbox app, install it, then open it.

Use your Fire TV remote to select Sign In or Sign Up, then either use your laptop, tablet or smartphone browser to navigate to www.xbox.com/tvsetup, or use your camera app or QR code reader to scan the QR code on the right. Sign in to your Xbox account, then enter the code displayed on your TV when prompted.

You may already have a controller connected to your Fire TV, but if not, no worries. Press the Pair A Controller button.

Select your controller, then press and hold the button indicated to go into pairing mode. Now select and press Pair.

You’re now good to go. Just select a game from the Xbox app menu, or scroll down and select See All Games to view the whole library of streamable titles.

Note that you can’t play just any Xbox games you own through Xbox Cloud Gaming, only those games that are available through Games Pass.

Once you’ve launched a game, you can quit it at any time by pressing the Xbox button (or equivalent) on your controller, then selecting Quit Game.

How well does Xbox Cloud Gaming work on the Fire TV Stick?

Very well, with a few caveats. The biggest one is that much depends on the Fire TV Stick’s connection to your router, and your router’s internet connection. If either is a bit rough, you’re going to struggle with fuzzy, blocky and/or stuttering visuals, along with input lag that can make games unplayable. Even where your TV is located can make a difference if it’s in an area with Wi-Fi interference or poor signal strength.

I found the experience differed radically depending on when I was playing, and even from game to game. Your distance to the nearest bank of servers will also have an impact. I spent around an hour trying to get Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II streaming without it looking like a murky mess, but had more luck with Forza Horizon 5, The Outer Worlds and Far Cry 6.

Even with connectivity at its best, you’re not going to get Xbox Series X image quality. For one thing, it’s now pretty established that while Xbox Cloud Gaming uses Series X hardware, it actually runs the Xbox Series S versions of games, with lower detail settings and a maximum 1080p resolution, not the glorious 4K of the Series X.

What’s more, the streaming process has further effects on quality, so the image I see when using Xbox Cloud Gaming is always slightly softer and fuzzier than when I’m playing games downloaded onto my Series S. This doesn’t change when gaming on the Fire TV Stick.

All that said, with the right conditions in place, games still look good and run smoothly with only a little perceptible lag. If you’re not a hardcore gamer who’s obsessed with frame rates and response times, you could easily find the streaming experience good enough to play your way through titles like Forza Horizon 5, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and Starfield. And it’s a cheap way to enjoy your favourite Xbox titles on a second TV or HDMI monitor if your main TV is otherwise occupied.