Grand Theft Auto VI will be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming when it launches next week, but apparently only on Xbox consoles.
The supported list is the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and the older Xbox One. Xbox Cloud Gaming usually reaches PCs, web browsers, consoles and TVs, so a console-only release is narrower than the service's normal footprint. Rockstar also noted that streams to Xbox consoles will use the Xbox Series S graphics settings.
The practical upside goes to Xbox One owners. Cloud streaming runs the game on remote servers and sends video to the device, so the console only has to decode a stream rather than render a huge open-world game itself. That means someone on an older Xbox One can play GTA VI without upgrading to a PS5, an Xbox Series S or an Xbox Series X.
The Series S detail sets expectations. The Series S is Microsoft's lower-powered current-generation console, so the streamed game targets the modest end of the hardware range, not the top. Streaming also depends on a steady internet connection, which a disc or local install does not.
For a player holding a decade-old console, that is probably a fair trade: a Series S-level game now versus a several-hundred-dollar hardware purchase. For anyone hoping to stream GTA VI to a laptop or a TV, the limit matters more. The open question is whether the console-only restriction stays in place after launch week or widens to the rest of the service.