Xbox is, like, apparently super close to dropping some big news about a new ad-supported version of its game streaming service. Word on the street is that Microsoft has been testing out this ad-supported cloud streaming thing with their own employees, letting them play games without needing a Game Pass subscription. According to sources spillin’ the tea to The Verge on October 3, it looks like the tech giant is gearing up to unveil a new way for peeps to stream Xbox games without shelling out for a Game Pass subscription. Right now, you gotta have that subscription to stream games, but this new free streaming option is gonna have pre-roll ads that pop up before you dive into a game.
Kotaku reached out to Xbox for the deets on this report. They also mentioned that the ads in this new free streaming option are apparently gonna be around two minutes long. Plus, there’s gonna be a cap of one hour per sesh and a max of five hours per month, although that might change when the service goes public. This new ad-supported free streaming option is gonna let you stream games you already own, some select eligible games, and even some retro titles. And get this—it’s gonna be available on Xbox, PC, and mobile devices. Microsoft is supposedly gonna test this bad boy out with a public beta before rolling it out fully in the months to come. It’s been a rough week for Xbox Game Pass, with them jacking up the prices for all tiers and making some major changes to the service. On top of that, they announced that future Call of Duty games won’t be hitting Game Pass Standard within a year of launch. And let’s not forget about the recent price hike on Xbox consoles. This is actually the second time they’ve hiked up the prices in 2025. Crazy stuff, right?
So, like, Xbox is apparently on the brink of dropping some major news about a new ad-supported version of its game streaming service. Sources have revealed that Microsoft has been conducting internal tests on ad-supported cloud streaming with employees, allowing them to play games without a Game Pass subscription. According to reports from The Verge, Microsoft is gearing up to announce a new way for players to stream Xbox games without the need for a Game Pass subscription. The new free streaming option is said to feature pre-roll ads that will play before starting a game. Kotaku has also reached out to Xbox for comment on these developments. Sources familiar with the internal testing of the service have disclosed that the ads will be approximately two minutes long, with a limit of one hour per session and a maximum of five hours per month. However, these restrictions may be subject to change once the service is made available to the public. The upcoming ad-supported free streaming option will allow users to stream games they already own, select eligible games, and retro titles across Xbox, PC, and mobile devices. Microsoft is reportedly planning to conduct a public beta test before fully launching the service in the subsequent months. The recent changes in Xbox Game Pass, including a price increase across all tiers and alterations to the subscription service, have stirred up some controversy among gamers. Additionally, the decision to exclude future Call of Duty games from migrating to Game Pass Standard within a year of release has raised eyebrows. This news comes in the wake of a recent price hike on Xbox consoles, marking the second increase in 2025. Exciting times ahead in the world of Xbox gaming!
