Microsoft Will Reportedly Launch Ad-Supported Free Xbox Cloud Gaming Tier This Year

Xbox players will soon be able to access cloud playable games without a Game Pass subscription, with an announcement that Xbox Cloud Gaming will receive the free-ad-supported tier of its own content (i.e. Users reported seeing a loading screen on the Xbox app that suggested there was ‘one hour of AA-supported playtime per session’ cloud gaming offering. One of the Windows Central reports reported that “the ad-supported Cloud Gaming tier will be released in 2026, according to.

In October 2025, Microsoft confirmed to New York Times that it was testing a free based – supported cloud gaming service separate from Xbox Game Pass. Currently, only a Game Pass subscription is currently available for Xbox cloud gaming (i.e. The ad-supported free Xbox Cloud Gaming tier appears to be coming soon, though it seems the is on the verge of an imminent release.

Ad-Supported Free Cloud Gaming Coming in 2026

The session-based offering will be ‘this year’, according to Windows Central. The Cloud Gaming tier, which supports the ads-supported tiger, will allow players to play Xbox games they have digitally owned consoles without needing a Game Pass subscription.

Details about the ad-supported game streaming service are sparse, but Microsoft is close to testing the program with Xbox Insiders, The Verge reported. The source for the publication said that “the Xbox parent’s internal testing of the free cloud gaming service has been limited to one-hour sessions, with up to five free hours per month.”

The ad-supported service will also apparently allow users to stream selected Xbox games they have purchased online, as well as some eligible Free Play Days and Xbox Retro Classics titles with preroll ads that unlock if the user has accessed ‘cloud play session’.

However, Xbox has not yet announced when it will launch its ad-supported Cloud Gaming service. However, the company has recently expanded its game streaming service to include games for more than a decade.

The Xbox released three new and upgraded Game Pass plans in October 2025 Ultimate, Premium and Essential as well as unlimited cloud gaming support for each tier. Xbox Cloud Gaming was previously only available in beta to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and had been a feature of Xbox cloud gaming.

A month later, Microsoft launched Cloud Gaming in India to allow Game Pass subscribers in the country to stream games on supported devices without downloading the title first. The Xbox app is available on PC, Mac, iOS and Android mobile devices, tablets, Samsung and LG smart TVs as well as Amazon Fire TV.