☁️ Microsoft is expanding Xbox Cloud Gaming to everyone
💰 It’ll be charging for the service, with prices starting at $3.99 for ten hours
📈 This rises up to $7.99 for 25 hours and to $11.99 for 50 hours of playtime
⏰ It comes soon after time limits were introduced for Game Pass subscribers, depending on your tier
Microsoft has announced it’s expanding Xbox Cloud Gaming to everyone, even if you don’t have an active Game Pass subscription.
As per a new Xbox Wire post, Microsoft is rolling out a new way for folks to purchase cloud playtime without a Game Pass subscription for Xbox Insiders.
Microsoft’s post says it’s designed to give Xbox Insiders an early look at a service that will roll out more broadly in November, allowing them to “purchase cloud playtime, stream games on supported devices, and share feedback to help us continue improving the experience.”
At introductory launch pricing, Microsoft is charging $3.99 for 10 hours, $7.99 for 25 hours and $11.99 for 50 hours of cloud playtime. It’s not known if this will increase with a broader rollout next month.
Microsoft says its cloud playtime features “an ad-free cloud gaming experience” as well as “shorter wait times, high-quality streaming, and playtime that remains available until it’s used.”
If you don’t want to pay for the privilege, then it has been testing a free tier supported with ads with Xbox Insiders for the last few weeks.
Back in September, Microsoft announced it was introducing monthly limits for Xbox Cloud Gaming based on your Game Pass tier and that it would be possible to purchase additional hours if you ran out – this appears to be that scheme in action.
If you’re a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you now get 15 hours a month, while Premium members get 10 and Essential subscribers get five hours of playtime a month.
Microsoft said at the time this change would only affect around 4% of Game Pass subscribers, suggesting only a small percentage use Xbox Cloud Gaming for more than five hours a month.
Up next: Xbox Game Pass could become ‘á la carte’ allowing subscribers to pick and choose what they pay for
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.