Microsoft reportedly mulls ad-infested free Xbox Cloud Gaming plan — Game Pass Ultimate subscriber allegedly catches ad during game loading

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Public tests coming very soon.

Xbox Cloud Gaming cover
(Image credit: Microsoft/Xbox)

We've heard rumblings of a free version of Xbox Cloud Gaming for years at this point, but it seems like that's finally becoming a reality. According to The Verge, Microsoft is currently testing a limited version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, which will be offered for free without requiring a Game Pass subscription. Historically, Xbox Cloud Gaming has been limited to Game Pass Ultimate members — which recently saw a very controversial price hike — and was expanded to Essential and Plus tiers of Game Pass a few days ago.

The main caveat with free Xbox Cloud Gaming will be the presence of ads. Sources close to the matter tell The Verge that two-minute-long pre-roll ads will play before each gaming session, which will be limited to just an hour. A monthly cap of five hours will be imposed, meaning you cannot simply start new one-hour sessions each time your previous one expires. What's funny, though, is that ads seem to permeate Xbox Cloud Gaming in the Game Pass Ultimate tier as well, as one user on Twitter angrily pointed out.

According to sources from The Verge, you'll only get access to a limited library of games, including eligible titles from the Free Play Day (free game trials over weekends) and Xbox Retro Classics programs. You'll also be able to "stream" the games you already own. There's no word on resolution or bitrate, for instance, with free Xbox Cloud Gaming. The newly offered Xbox Cloud Gaming in lower-tier Game Pass subscriptions is limited to 1080p at 12 Mbps, whereas Game Pass Ultimate members can enjoy up to a 1440p feed at 30 Mbps, as well as a 1080p feed at up to 20 Mbps.

Previously, Fortnite was exclusively available as part of a free Xbox Cloud Gaming tier (which doesn't have ads). Microsoft is reportedly set to announce public tests for free Xbox Cloud Gaming soon, with a full launch scheduled for months later. None of the features are finalized yet, so that they could change upon release, including the session limits. The ad-supported, free tier of Xbox Cloud Gaming is expected to launch on PC, mobile, Xbox consoles, and supported web browsers. Regional availability remains uncertain.

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Hassam Nasir
Hassam Nasir
Contributing Writer

Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Notton
    Oh, I can see it now...

    Tank: Healer! We need healing! Now!
    Healer: I can't! I'm stuck watching a 2min ad break!
    Party: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
    Reply
  • ezst036
    Microsoft's full embrace of the ad model that Google was so successful with is arguably the biggest benefit for Linux I've ever seen.

    Every hard core gamer I have ever met has always had a bad taste in their mouth with Microsoft's bloat. But now it's not just some ever present mung that's floating around, sucking up frame rates. Microsoft wants to make it hyper-visible. And impose other limitations. "Where is Microsoft's bloat Mike?" "Ans: It's right there, did you just see that ad?"

    Why not just buy a Steam Deck? No ads, it's cheaper, and that long standing knowledge of Microsoft bloatware means that it's a performance increase going to Linux which is not bloated.

    Microsoft does get a thing right here, get a thing right there, but overall. Microsoft does not listen. Microsoft has a tin ear.

    I could not be happier about this.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    Aside from the 5 hour monthly limit I think there'd be a decent market for this, much like GeForce Now's free tier, assuming it integrated with your Steam and other game libraries for "games you own" and not just ones from XBOX Store. With increasing subscription fatigue FAST services are seeing huge growth, and profits. so I think ad supported game streaming services are the next frontier. It's obviously not a perfect solution for multiple hour gaming sessions, but think of if you only have a few hours a week to play on your phone, or if you travel once or twice a month and it doesn't make sense to bring anything but your phone...I think by this time next year we'll be seeing XBOX Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now ad supported tiers with unlimited time per month in 1 hour sessions, 1 minute ads before the first session per day and 2 minute ads before each subsequent per day, and getting high use figures while delivering measurable revenues to nVidia and Microsoft.
    Reply
  • Heat_Fan89
    ezst036 said:
    Microsoft's full embrace of the ad model that Google was so successful with is arguably the biggest benefit for Linux I've ever seen.
    My only Windows PC's are strictly for gaming and 1 laptop because the programs have been sunset for years and require Windows. Everything else is on Linux. A few months ago I purchased an Acer Green laptop from Best Buy. It was cheap had decent specs including a 400nits 1920x1200 display, numeric pad and backlit keybd. I picked it up for $350. The downside was 8GB of soldered RAM.

    With Windows bloat along with Acer apps, the laptop would freeze at times. A check of task mgr showed Disk activity pegged at 100%. It would stay that way sometimes for 15-20 mins. I disabled as many services as I could, it helped but didn't solve the problem.

    I switched to Ubuntu and that same laptop came alive and is now very responsive and RAM is usually around 25% whereas with Windows the lowest it would get was 55% and it would jump to 85-90%.

    Windows needs to be a free operating system at this point. It is an advertising vehicle for Microsoft. I would not pay a penny for it.
    Reply
  • adamXpeter
    Never expected "ad-infested" mentioned badly by a Tom's Hardware journalist. Owl tells a sparrow that he is a big-headed bird...
    Reply