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- Xbox now lets you stream games for free, if you sit through two minutes of ads first
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Xbox now lets you stream games for free, if you sit through two minutes of ads first
Xbox is testing free, ad-supported cloud game streaming for Insiders—watch a two-minute ad block, then stream games you own for an hour.
Microsoft has started testing an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming, letting players stream games they already own without a Game Pass subscription. The test went live on Thursday, July 23, and it is open only to members of the Xbox Insider programme. In exchange for skipping the subscription fee, players watch a block of ads before the stream begins, then get a one-hour session with no interruptions in between.The ad block runs for roughly two minutes and plays before you join the streaming queue, according to reports citing Xbox sources. Once you are in, the game runs as normal—no mid-session breaks, no overlays. You do get countdown warnings at the 10-minute and five-minute marks so you can find a save point. Want to keep going after the hour? Watch another two-minute block and requeue.
What you can actually play during the Xbox ad-supported streaming test
Only games you already own, plus free-to-play titles. Variety reported that the eligible list includes Forza Horizon 6 and 007 First Light on the owned side, and Call of Duty: Warzone, Genshin Impact and War Thunder on the free-to-play side. That is a narrower pool than the 1,800-odd titles Xbox Cloud Gaming supports overall.
Why Microsoft is testing free game streaming now
There is a reason this is landing now. Xbox console prices go up again on August 1—the Series X hits $799.99 and the 512GB Series S goes to $499.99—which is the third hike driven partly by the memory shortage. Microsoft has also announced 3,200 layoffs across its games group and is looking to offload four studios. Cloud streaming on a device you already own is a cheaper on-ramp, and Microsoft is openly pitching it at markets where consoles are expensive or hard to find.Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball framed the goal as giving players more affordable options and learning from how they use it. Microsoft published five principles for ads across Xbox, including a promise not to interrupt gameplay. Game Pass subscribers, who pay from $9.99 a month, keep ad-free streaming.
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