Microsoft plans free, ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming

According to a source familiar with Microsoft's plans, the company has begun internal testing of ad-supported

https://www.theverge.com/report/791213/xbox-cloud-gaming-free-ad-supported-version

Until now, Microsoft's cloud gaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming, could only be played if you subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs 1,210 yen per month. However, Microsoft updated its Xbox Game Pass plans on October 1, 2025, making Xbox Cloud Gaming available to users of Xbox Game Pass Essential (850 yen per month) and Premium (1,300 yen per month) in addition to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Microsoft's game subscription service 'Xbox Game Pass' raises prices, with the top plan increasing by 50% - GIGAZINE

The ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming is available for free. It will allow users to play some of their games via cloud streaming, as well as try out some games. It will also allow users to play Xbox Retro Classics games.

According to sources, Microsoft's internal testing has shown that when playing games on Xbox Cloud Gaming, a pre-roll ad lasts about two minutes before the game starts. Microsoft also plans to limit game play time on the ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming to one hour at a time, with a maximum of five hours of game play per month. These limits may change when the service officially launches.

The ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming will be available on PC, Xbox consoles, smartphones, and browsers. Microsoft plans to conduct a public beta test in the near future, followed by a formal release within the next few months. The ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming appears to have begun testing around the same time that Microsoft updated its Xbox Game Pass plans.

Additionally, Xbox Cloud Gaming, which had previously been available in beta, has finally been officially released along with the Xbox Game Pass update. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest-tier Xbox Game Pass plan, has increased in price, but now allows streaming at a maximum resolution of 1440p and a maximum bitrate of 30Mbps. Premium and Essential members will be limited to a maximum resolution of 1080p and a maximum bitrate of 12Mbps.

An ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming has been in the works for a while, The Verge reports, with Xbox CFO Tim Stuart first hinting at an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming about two years ago.

'We see a huge opportunity to make Xbox more affordable and more accessible to players,' Jason Ronald, Microsoft's vice president of next-generation Xbox, said on the Xbox Podcast in August 2025. 'That could mean expanding into new regions, new ways to access Xbox Cloud Gaming, and a whole host of other possibilities.'