Microsoft is preparing a new approach to game streaming — one that could dramatically change how millions of players access Xbox titles. Following recent price increases for Xbox Game Pass and the end of the Xbox Cloud Gaming test phase, the company is reportedly working on a free cloud gaming plan supported by advertisements and limited monthly playtime.
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How the ad-supported tier would work
According to reporting from The Verge, Microsoft employees are testing an internal version of the service that allows users to stream games without paying a subscription fee. The concept is simple: before each gaming session, players watch a short ad — roughly two minutes — and in exchange get access to a limited number of sessions. Current tests reportedly allow up to five sessions per month, each capped at one hour.
Why Microsoft might do this
The move would extend Xbox Cloud Gaming — until now mainly available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers — to players who don’t want to pay the nearly €26/month subscription price. By introducing an ad-supported free tier, Microsoft could make cloud play more democratic while still monetizing through advertising
The experimental model would reportedly let users stream a wide range of titles: digitally owned games, backward-compatible classics, and titles made temporarily available through promotions such as Free Play Days. The plan is reminiscent of NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW but with a clearer advertising overlay.
Where it would be available
The service is expected to be accessible from PCs, Xbox consoles, mobile devices, and web browsers, increasing the potential player base and lowering the hardware barrier to entry.
Public testing could begin within the next few months, possibly before the end of the year, but Microsoft has not confirmed details. It remains unclear whether the current test limits (five sessions/month, one hour/session) will be kept, loosened, or tightened when the feature launches publicly.
