Xbox Touch Controls on Mobile Come to More Games, Giving You More Ways to Play

At Xbox we believe this era is all about the player, you are the future of gaming. We listen to what you – players, game developers, and content creators – tell us you want and based on your feedback, we’re building a future where you and your friends can play the most immersive and interactive games ever created across devices.

Quite simply, Xbox’s vision for cloud gaming is to provide you with choice in how and when you play games. Last month, we shared that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in 22 countries can play more than 100 games on their Android mobile phones and tablets via the cloud. Xbox touch controls unlock new ways to jump in and play and we are excited to announce that there are 10 additional titles available with Xbox touch controls in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate starting today.

And as we bring cloud gaming to Android devices, we have continued to look at how we can create more native experience so that you can jump right in and play. With Minecraft Dungeons we launched our first game with touch controls, and your reaction blew us away. So today we’re making 10 more games available that play great on Android mobile devices – no controller required.

Touch controls have been one of the top-requested features for cloud gaming, so to build this collection we worked closely with players and game designers to create a familiar experience, and support a level of play that you’re used to with a physical controller. For each title that uses Xbox touch controls we’ve worked to create an experience designed specifically for that game on mobile devices. One important step in the process was creating our Touch Adaptation Kit for game developers, which enables studios to easily map controller buttons to touch controls as well as create native touch controls designed for mobile devices. 

Here’s the list of games featuring Xbox touch controls available beginning today:

• Dead Cells
• Gucamelee! 2
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Hotshot Racing
• Killer Instinct
• New Super Lucky’s Tale
• Slay The Spire
• Streets of Rage 4
• Tell Me Why
• UnderMine

As we develop our knowledge around touch controls, we’re also taking the opportunity to learn a few things about how these controls work in different games. With the team at Ninja Theory we worked on Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice to integrate the controls and how they show up in different scenarios and game modes. As a result, you’ll see the controls change as you move around and fighting controls will appear when you encounter the Northmen.

For other games, we added touch controls without modifying the existing game. In Hotshot Racing we added a touch-controlled throttle that provides the same control that you would get from analog triggers on a controller. Just tap the handbrake button, spin the wheel, and you’ll find yourself drifting around the track in no time. In New Super Lucky’s Tale, the controls will feel very familiar and will even take on a little bit of Lucky’s personality.

And of course we designed the Xbox touch controls along the same ergonomic principles that we use for the traditional Xbox controller, but with new controls that enable you do everything with just two digits. People’s hands are different and that’s why we added customization, so you can put the controls in the place on screen that works best for you.  

As we look to evolve input we’ve also created a new set of gaming icons that go beyond ABXY, so that even if you’re brand new to gaming – finding the “jump” or “dodge” button has never been easier. 

This update is just the start of our work to bring touch controls to more titles available for Android mobile devices. So give it a try and let us know what you think, after all we are building cloud gaming together.

*Not all titles are available in all regions. Please see Xbox.com/xbox-game-pass/games for what is available in your region.