New Xbox streaming prices mean you don’t need to subscribe to Game Pass

Prices for Xbox’s cloud gaming service’s new hourly bundles have been shared ahead of a public rollout, but they’re no longer exclusive to Game Pass subscribers.

While everyone is far more distracted by reports of the next Xbox console potentially costing more than £1,000, when it launches in 2028, Microsoft has shared an update on its new cloud gaming plans.

Microsoft announced last month that it would begin limiting how many hours of cloud gaming you could partake in, depending on your Xbox Game Pass subscription, and that you’d have to spend more money for additional hours.

It was a decision that seemed tailor made to annoy the small fraction of Xbox players who frequently cloud-stream their games and make the service less appealing in general. But it seems the company realised this, and it is now experimenting with making cloud gaming available outside of Game Pass.

This offer is currently only available to members of the Xbox Insiders programme, where you can test new features early, but an Xbox Wire post mentions that it will be rolled out ‘more broadly’ in November.

You’re still limited to a certain number of hours, and need to pay more money for longer sessions, but Microsoft describes the three bundles as having ‘introductory launch pricing’, so it’s entirely possible these figures will increase in the future.

For now, though, this is what Microsoft is offering:

• 10 hours for $3.99 (about £2.97)
• 25 hours for $7.99 (about £5.95)
• 50 hours for $11.99 (about £8.93)

Presumably, these same bundles will be available to Game Pass subscribers, who automatically receive a set number of hours of cloud gaming depending on which tier they’re paying for.

Those already subscribed to the base £6.99 per month tier of Game Pass will only receive five hours of cloud gaming time. The Premium tier, which costs £10.99 a month, includes 10 hours and the Ultimate tier, which costs £16.99 a month, includes 15 hours.

Making its cloud gaming service its own separate option is likely an attempt by Microsoft to bring in new customers who otherwise wouldn’t pay for Game Pass.

If all you care about is the cloud gaming option, paying roughly £3 for 10 hours of playtime is a more attractive option than the £6.99 minimum for Game Pass. Although you’ll be limited to digital games you already own, whereas Game Pass lets you cloud stream games available in its catalogue.

Cloud gaming also remains a tough sell as it’s heavily reliant on strong and stable internet connections, which not everyone has. And by Microsoft’s own admission, its cloud gaming service has a very small audience, with its new hourly limits only impacting 4% of Game Pass subscribers.

That makes it clear none of this is going to have a large impact on the Xbox business, which continues to face backlash over its continuous layoffs and misguided messaging.

Just recently, some lapsed Xbox owners received emails from Microsoft encouraging them to sell their consoles, because they hadn’t been using them enough.

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