Xbox Cloud Gaming Without Game Pass: Insiders Can Now Buy Playtime

Xbox Insiders can now pay for Xbox Cloud Gaming by the hour instead of subscribing to Game Pass. Microsoft opened the preview with an Xbox Wire post dated October 21, and says the option will reach more players in November.

Introductory prices

Cloud playtime is sold in three packs, which Microsoft labels introductory launch pricing:

Pack	Price
10 hours	$3.99
25 hours	$7.99
50 hours	$11.99

By our math, that works out to roughly 40 cents per hour for the smallest pack and about 24 cents per hour for the largest.

What the packs include

Paid playtime is ad-free. Microsoft also promises shorter waits and high-quality streaming, and purchased hours stay on the account until they are spent rather than expiring.

Insiders without Game Pass already had a second route: Microsoft notes they can stream for free with ads, which it had announced earlier.

Who can try it now

The preview targets Insiders who currently aren’t paying for Game Pass. They can buy playtime, stream on supported devices and send feedback to Microsoft during the test.

There are conditions. Players need to own a cloud-playable version of the game they want to stream, or for some titles have free-to-play access, and a supported device. Microsoft adds that availability, purchase options, eligible games and features can differ by market, device, account eligibility and Insider preview ring.

To join, players download the Xbox Insider Hub app on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or Windows PC.