Heads up: Microsoft has put a price on hourly Xbox Cloud Gaming passes, so you will be able to play in the cloud without a Game Pass subscription. The passes have been in testing with Xbox Insiders since October 21, with a wider launch planned for November.
How much it costs
- 10 hours: US$ 3.99
- 25 hours: US$ 7.99
- 50 hours: US$ 11.99
The hours do not expire: they stay on your account until you use them up. Streaming goes up to about 1080p. Microsoft has not announced prices in other currencies or confirmed when the passes reach Brazil.
There is also a free version, with ads
There is also a free, ad-supported option: you watch up to two minutes of ads before you start, and sessions are short (30 minutes in the Insider test). One important detail: buying hours does not unlock the Game Pass library. You need to own the game in a cloud-compatible version, or pick one of the selected free-to-play games.
Game Pass may change
The news arrives as Microsoft rethinks Game Pass itself. According to Fortune, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is weighing a split that would let players pay separately for cloud gaming, online multiplayer and console exclusives. The report says the service has about 30 million subscribers, short of an internal target of 77 million by the end of fiscal 2026. Microsoft has not confirmed the plan.
For people who play a little, or just want to try a game in the cloud now and then, paying by the hour may cost less than the subscription. For heavy players, Game Pass still makes more sense.
Where to buy
Source: Microsoft (via Windows Central and gHacks) and Fortune.
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