Microsoft has started rolling out pay-per-hour cloud streaming to Xbox Insiders, charging between 24 and 40 cents for each hour of access to games players already own. The move, reported by Ars Technica, marks a shift away from all-you-can-play streaming toward metered, a la carte billing.
The new option, called Cloud Playtime, follows Microsoft's September decision to sharply limit the game-streaming allowance bundled with Game Pass subscriptions. At the time, Microsoft said non-subscribers would soon be able to buy cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store and stream eligible titles they own on supported devices.
Xbox Cloud Playtime pricing in detail
Microsoft describes the current rates as "introductory launch pricing." Playtime bought by users "remains available until it's used," according to Microsoft, so a 50-hour pack does not expire before players finish it.
The charges sit on top of the price of the games themselves. Cloud Playtime packs require a cloud-playable game purchase or, for select titles, free-to-play access, Microsoft says. Subscribers who already pay for Game Pass, by contrast, get a few hours of monthly streaming access to hundreds of games as part of their subscription.
- 24 to 40 US cents per hour of cloud streaming
- Introductory launch pricing, according to Microsoft
- Purchased playtime does not expire until it is used
- Requires owning a cloud-playable game, or free-to-play access for select titles
