Xbox Puts Monthly Limits On Cloud Gaming For Game Pass Subscribers
You'll have between 5 and 15 hours of playtime.
Xbox has been in the spotlight lately following its "reset" under Asha Sharma, and it's back in the headlines as it prepares to introduce pretty strict limits on cloud streaming in the coming months.
Starting in November, Game Pass plans will include a set number of cloud gaming hours each month. Different Game Pass subscription tiers will have different limits: Ultimate subscribers will get 15 hours, Premium users will receive 10 hours, and those on the Essential tier will be limited to 5 hours. Once players reach their limit, they can purchase additional playtime through the Xbox Store.
Currently, Game Pass subscribers can stream games through the cloud without a monthly time limit. According to Xbox, these new limits will affect approximately 4% of all Game Pass subscribers. The company says the changes respond to the significant increase in the cost of providing cloud gaming services:
"We're introducing this model because the cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer. Moving to monthly limits allows us to keep offering the service while continuing to invest in its reliability and performance. We understand that for some players, the practical result is a higher cost."
From November, Xbox will also let players use its cloud gaming service without requiring a Game Pass subscription. You can buy cloud playtime through the Xbox Store and stream compatible games on supported devices.
More details on pricing, purchasing additional hours, and how players can check their remaining cloud gaming time are expected to be announced in November.
In comparison, Sony currently has no monthly time limit for its cloud streaming service, while NVIDIA's GeForce NOW limits users to 100 hours of cloud gaming per month.