A free tier of Xbox Cloud Gaming is in the works, Microsoft has confirmed. Currently in testing, the ad-supported Xbox service would be the company’s first game streaming offering fully independent of Game Pass.
The first beta version of Microsoft's streaming platform debuted under the name xCloud in November 2019. It was rebranded as Xbox Cloud Gaming ahead of its September 2020 launch. After initially being offered as an XGP Ultimate membership exclusive, Xbox Cloud Gaming expanded to all Game Pass tiers except the PC plan in August 2025.
Another expansion may now be on the horizon, with Microsoft presently working on an ad-supported version of the service. A company official revealed as much in a statement to The New York Times, saying that the free platform is being tested internally. The disclosure corroborates a recent report from The Verge that claimed an ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier was made available to some Microsoft employees as of early October 2025.
Microsoft did not provide further details on its testing efforts, leaving it unclear how long the internal trial might continue. There is also no assurance that the test will progress to a public phase, as this is...
