Xbox is reportedly close to announcing a major change affecting free-to-play gaming on one of its services, and an early clue is already pointing toward ad-supported cloud gaming. Microsoft has introduced new loading screens in Cloud Gaming showing the message: “one hour of ad-supported gameplay per session”.

Microsoft has said it more than once: 2026 is shaping up to be a major year for Xbox. Games like Forza Horizon 6, Fable, and Gears of War: E-Day are on the way, a Developer Direct is being lined up with fresh reveals about upcoming projects, and it now looks like the company’s services could be in for some changes too. According to earlier reports, the Redmond giant is preparing to unveil a free, ad-supported option for Xbox Cloud Gaming – and there’s already a first sign that seems to back that up.

As reported by Tom Warren at The Verge, the Xbox app was recently updated and now includes Cloud Gaming loading screens displaying the message: “One hour of ad-supported gameplay per session.” That fits neatly with Warren’s October 2025 reporting claiming Microsoft had been working on a free, ad-supported plan for its cloud gaming service, where users would get one hour of playtime per session, capped at five hours per month, after watching ads. According to his sources, internal testing has included roughly two minutes of advertising before players were granted access to a game.

In other words, everything appears to suggest Xbox is gearing up to reveal its free, ad-supported plan for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Warren’s sources claim Microsoft’s goal is to roll it out first as a test for members of the Xbox Insider program, refining the model before expanding it to the broader community.

For now, we’ll have to wait for an official Microsoft presentation to confirm what’s changing with Cloud Gaming, but the clues strongly suggest an announcement may be close. It’s also worth noting that this Cloud Gaming initiative isn’t designed to provide access to a Game Pass-style catalog: Warren has previously stated the free version would be limited to games the user already purchased, titles and experiences included in the Free Play Days program, and those available under Xbox Retro Classics.

Hopefully, it won’t take long for Microsoft to outline the exact details of the strategy – and for players to jump into Cloud Gaming under this new model.

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