Microsoft Starts Testing Free Ad-Supported Game Streaming With Xbox Insiders

Microsoft has just started testing a free ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming with select Xbox Insiders. Testers will see ads before their game starts streaming, and play sessions are also limited to one hour.

Until now, you needed an Xbox Game Pass subscription to stream cloud-enabled Xbox games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. The only exception is Fortnite, which can be streamed for free with a 60-minute per session time limit.

With this new ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier, Xbox Insiders can stream select cloud-enabled Xbox games they own for free for up to an hour after watching ads. The Xbox team said today that this is all about expanding access to Xbox games on devices players already own, adding that these pre-roll ads won’t change the core gameplay experience.

“Advertising has existed in gaming for decades, from in-game placements to free-to-play models. But it hasn’t always been built with the player in mind. When done well, advertising can help lower the cost of access. It creates another way for players to get into games without an upfront streaming purchase and expands audiences through new ways to play,” the Xbox team said today.

Microsoft also listed a set of principles that it will stick to to make ad-supported game streaming valuable and respectful to players and game developers. Overall, the Xbox team said that ads should “create value”, “not interrupt the flow of gameplay, and “fit what players expect on each platform.”

Gaming is competing more and more with new forms of entertainment, including ad-filled social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Microsoft has been investing in cloud gaming for years, and maybe this new ad-supported option will help Xbox Cloud Gaming to really take off. “We’ll learn from this test and continue to improve it based on how players use it and what they tell us,” the Xbox team said today.