diff --git a/packages/react-query/src/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx b/packages/react-query/src/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx
index 9f0cbce408..d0f8817912 100644
--- a/packages/react-query/src/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-query/src/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx
@@ -5964,6 +5964,110 @@ describe('useQuery', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  describe('subscribed', () => {
+    it('should be able to toggle subscribed', async () => {
+      const key = queryKey()
+      const queryFn = vi.fn(async () => 'data')
+      function Page() {
+        const [subscribed, setSubscribed] = React.useState(true)
+        const { data } = useQuery({
+          queryKey: key,
+          queryFn,
+          subscribed,
+        })
+        return (
+          <div>
+            <span>data: {data}</span>
+            <button onClick={() => setSubscribed(!subscribed)}>toggle</button>
+          </div>
+        )
+      }
+
+      const rendered = renderWithClient(queryClient, <Page />)
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.getByText('data: data'))
+
+      expect(
+        queryClient.getQueryCache().find({ queryKey: key })!.observers.length,
+      ).toBe(1)
+
+      fireEvent.click(rendered.getByRole('button', { name: 'toggle' }))
+
+      expect(
+        queryClient.getQueryCache().find({ queryKey: key })!.observers.length,
+      ).toBe(0)
+
+      expect(queryFn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+
+      fireEvent.click(rendered.getByRole('button', { name: 'toggle' }))
+
+      // background refetch when we re-subscribe
+      await waitFor(() => expect(queryFn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2))
+      expect(
+        queryClient.getQueryCache().find({ queryKey: key })!.observers.length,
+      ).toBe(1)
+    })
+
+    it('should not be attached to the query when subscribed is false', async () => {
+      const key = queryKey()
+      const queryFn = vi.fn(async () => 'data')
+      function Page() {
+        const { data } = useQuery({
+          queryKey: key,
+          queryFn,
+          subscribed: false,
+        })
+        return (
+          <div>
+            <span>data: {data}</span>
+          </div>
+        )
+      }
+
+      const rendered = renderWithClient(queryClient, <Page />)
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.getByText('data:'))
+
+      expect(
+        queryClient.getQueryCache().find({ queryKey: key })!.observers.length,
+      ).toBe(0)
+
+      expect(queryFn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(0)
+    })
+
+    it('should not re-render when data is added to the cache when subscribed is false', async () => {
+      const key = queryKey()
+      let renders = 0
+      function Page() {
+        const { data } = useQuery({
+          queryKey: key,
+          queryFn: async () => 'data',
+          subscribed: false,
+        })
+        renders++
+        return (
+          <div>
+            <span>{data ? 'has data' + data : 'no data'}</span>
+            <button
+              onClick={() => queryClient.setQueryData<string>(key, 'new data')}
+            >
+              set data
+            </button>
+          </div>
+        )
+      }
+
+      const rendered = renderWithClient(queryClient, <Page />)
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.getByText('no data'))
+
+      fireEvent.click(rendered.getByRole('button', { name: 'set data' }))
+
+      await sleep(10)
+
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.getByText('no data'))
+
+      expect(renders).toBe(1)
+    })
+  })
+
   it('should have status=error on mount when a query has failed', async () => {
     const key = queryKey()
     const states: Array<UseQueryResult<unknown>> = []
diff --git a/packages/react-query/src/types.ts b/packages/react-query/src/types.ts
index 9f6d7c315f..8bbb351a85 100644
--- a/packages/react-query/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/react-query/src/types.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,13 @@ export interface UseBaseQueryOptions<
     TData,
     TQueryData,
     TQueryKey
-  > {}
+  > {
+  /**
+   * Set this to `false` to unsubscribe this observer from updates to the query cache.
+   * Defaults to `true`.
+   */
+  subscribed?: boolean
+}
 
 export type AnyUseQueryOptions = UseQueryOptions<any, any, any, any>
 export interface UseQueryOptions<
diff --git a/packages/react-query/src/useBaseQuery.ts b/packages/react-query/src/useBaseQuery.ts
index bcbf700ef7..1ee2f1cd07 100644
--- a/packages/react-query/src/useBaseQuery.ts
+++ b/packages/react-query/src/useBaseQuery.ts
@@ -82,14 +82,16 @@ export function useBaseQuery<
       ),
   )
 
+  // note: this must be called before useSyncExternalStore
   const result = observer.getOptimisticResult(defaultedOptions)
 
+  const shouldSubscribe = !isRestoring && options.subscribed !== false
   React.useSyncExternalStore(
     React.useCallback(
       (onStoreChange) => {
-        const unsubscribe = isRestoring
-          ? noop
-          : observer.subscribe(notifyManager.batchCalls(onStoreChange))
+        const unsubscribe = shouldSubscribe
+          ? observer.subscribe(notifyManager.batchCalls(onStoreChange))
+          : noop
 
         // Update result to make sure we did not miss any query updates
         // between creating the observer and subscribing to it.
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ export function useBaseQuery<
 
         return unsubscribe
       },
-      [observer, isRestoring],
+      [observer, shouldSubscribe],
     ),
     () => observer.getCurrentResult(),
     () => observer.getCurrentResult(),
diff --git a/packages/react-query/src/useQueries.ts b/packages/react-query/src/useQueries.ts
index 90ef2e32ad..dd4ac9f96e 100644
--- a/packages/react-query/src/useQueries.ts
+++ b/packages/react-query/src/useQueries.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ type UseQueryOptionsForUseQueries<
   TQueryKey extends QueryKey = QueryKey,
 > = OmitKeyof<
   UseQueryOptions<TQueryFnData, TError, TData, TQueryKey>,
-  'placeholderData'
+  'placeholderData' | 'subscribed'
 > & {
   placeholderData?: TQueryFnData | QueriesPlaceholderDataFunction<TQueryFnData>
 }
@@ -231,6 +231,7 @@ export function useQueries<
   }: {
     queries: readonly [...QueriesOptions<T>]
     combine?: (result: QueriesResults<T>) => TCombinedResult
+    subscribed?: boolean
   },
   queryClient?: QueryClient,
 ): TCombinedResult {
@@ -271,19 +272,21 @@ export function useQueries<
       ),
   )
 
+  // note: this must be called before useSyncExternalStore
   const [optimisticResult, getCombinedResult, trackResult] =
     observer.getOptimisticResult(
       defaultedQueries,
       (options as QueriesObserverOptions<TCombinedResult>).combine,
     )
 
+  const shouldSubscribe = !isRestoring && options.subscribed !== false
   React.useSyncExternalStore(
     React.useCallback(
       (onStoreChange) =>
-        isRestoring
-          ? noop
-          : observer.subscribe(notifyManager.batchCalls(onStoreChange)),
-      [observer, isRestoring],
+        shouldSubscribe
+          ? observer.subscribe(notifyManager.batchCalls(onStoreChange))
+          : noop,
+      [observer, shouldSubscribe],
     ),
     () => observer.getCurrentResult(),
     () => observer.getCurrentResult(),