# Xbox Is Putting Ads Before Games, And It Feels Gross

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/xbox-is-putting-ads-before-games-and-it-feels-gross/
- Published: 2026-07-23T19:26:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-28T22:44:40+00:00
- Original publisher: GameSpot
- Original article: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-is-putting-ads-before-games-and-it-feels-gross/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Film, Gaming

## Key points

- Xbox is testing adverts before cloud-streamed owned games.
- Players receive one hour of access after watching adverts.
- The article warns this could normalise console advertising.

## Summary

GameSpot argues that Xbox’s trial of ad-supported cloud gaming marks a troubling shift towards pre-game advertising on consoles. The author says the move matters because it could normalise non-interactive adverts as a condition of accessing games, even for people who already own them.

The test is available to Xbox Insiders who do not subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate: they can watch adverts before streaming an owned game from the cloud for up to one hour. Xbox says participation is optional, adverts should add value, and the core game experience will remain unchanged; however, the article questions whether such limits will endure and compares the approach with advertising models adopted by streaming services.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.