A free level of Xbox Cloud Gaming is reportedly coming soon, according to some new insights from a well-known Microsoft insider. The same source also shared what appears to be the first look at the upcoming Xbox service.
Originally launched as xCloud, Microsoft's game streaming offering has been available in select markets since November 2019 as an exclusive benefit of Xbox Game Pass. Access to it was originally linked to the ultimate tier of the service, although Microsoft expanded Xbox Cloud Gaming to all non-PC Game Pass tiers in August 2025. Three months later, the company revealed that it was exploring the possibility of launching a free, ad-supported tier of the service, confirming months of rumors on the matter.
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The ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming Tier will reportedly offer 1-hour sessions
The long-rumored freemium membership may finally be nearing launch, according to The Verge Senior Editor Tom Warren. On BlueSky on Jan. 16, the well-known Microsoft insider shared what appears to be an Xbox promotional image advertising “1 hour of ad-supported gameplay per session” while specifically relating it to an ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier, which he characterized as “coming soon.” Warren did not reveal the source of the image, which includes a plane icon with a design that loosely resembles artwork used throughout the Xbox app.
How the free tier of Xbox Cloud Gaming will reportedly work
Microsoft has been internally testing a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming since at least early October 2025, according to one of Warren's previous reports. At the time, the insider said the test involved a level that required users to watch roughly two minutes of ads before they could stream titles via Xbox Cloud Gaming. The original report did not suggest that ads would be inserted mid-game or otherwise interrupt gaming sessions. While the image Warren shared on January 16 seems to indicate that free sessions can last up to an hour, it's still unclear if a single pre-roll ad segment would consistently unlock the full 60 minutes, or if sessions could be broken up further by additional ad inserts.
While Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently tied to Game Pass, Warren reports that the ad-supported version of the service will be offered as a completely standalone tier. The free plan is expected to support the same streaming catalog as the paid version, including most Xbox Game Pass titles as well as a growing range of titles labeled “Stream Your Own Game” (SYOG). That library was last expanded at the end of December 2025 with about 50 additional games, incl Blood West, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, Resident Evil 3and Octopath Traveler 0. Most new Xbox Game Pass add-ons will also support Xbox Cloud Gaming, provided they have a console version, as Microsoft's streaming infrastructure is built on custom Xbox Series X hardware. However, titles that leave Game Pass are rarely kept available for cloud streaming via the SYOG program.
The freemium tier of Xbox Cloud Gaming is expected to be available on all platforms currently supported by the rest of the service: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and mobile devices. Ditto for handhelds, including everything from the Windows-powered ROG Xbox Ally X to the Linux-based Steam Deck. Geographically, the free tier will probably launch in all countries where the paid service is already available. The list currently spans 29 countries, including all of North America, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Based on Microsoft's track record of launching new consumer platforms, the ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier will likely debut in a public beta before being made available to all eligible customers.
