Xbox Cloud Gaming is one of the key selling points of Xbox Game Pass, and it generally works well. The service lets gamers stream Xbox titles to a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, handhelds and select smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Hisense. However, following the Xbox Game Pass price increase from November, streaming alone may not be enough to keep some subscribers on board, which is where an ad-supported tier could come into play.
Microsoft confirmed the existence of an ad-supported tier last year but has not shared details on when it will launch or what it will include. New screenshots shared by players suggest the tier may be arriving soon, though questions remain about how it will work and what limitations it may have.
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When will the Xbox Cloud Gaming ad-supported tier launch?
Microsoft hasn't made an official announcement yet, but it's expected to roll out sometime this year, according to Windows Central. Last month, some gamers saw a different loading screen for Xbox Cloud Gaming with a message saying "1 hour of ad-supported play time per session," which would point to the ads coming soon.
looks like ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/c8hAERrVB9
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) January 17, 2026
How much will the Xbox Cloud Gaming ad-supported tier cost?
In October, Microsoft confirmed it was internally testing the ad-supported tier, and at the time, said it would be free. Going by the load screen message I mentioned earlier, there will likely be a limit on how long people can play on the tier and during internal testing, players would have to watch a 2-minute ad.
What games will be available on the ad-supported tier?
Rumors about the internal testing suggested players would only have access to certain games for free, but the question is, which ones? Microsoft has a significant number of games available to stream, whether it's purchased digital games or those available with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Microsoft may allow all the digital games in a player's library to be streamed and might make a few games available for free on a weekly or monthly basis, similar to the Free Play Days games.