Microsoft imposes new monthly time caps on Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming
Starting in November, Microsoft will limit how many hours per month Game Pass subscribers can stream games via Xbox Cloud Gaming, ending years of unlimited access. The company says only a small share of subscribers will be affected.
Microsoft has announced a major shift in its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, ending the unlimited streaming access that Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have enjoyed since 2020, when the feature launched under the name Project xCloud.
New monthly limits
Beginning in November, each Game Pass tier will come with a fixed monthly streaming allowance. Game Pass Ultimate, priced at $23 per month, will include 15 hours of streaming. Game Pass Premium, at $15 per month, will offer 10 hours, while Game Pass Essential, at $10 per month, will be limited to 5 hours.
Subscribers who exhaust their monthly allotment will have the option to purchase additional streaming time, though Microsoft has not disclosed pricing or availability details for that add-on. Downloadable versions of games included in a Game Pass subscription are not affected by the change — players who install and play games locally will see no difference.
Microsoft also said that people without a Game Pass subscription will be able to buy timed streaming access to eligible games they already own on supported devices. Separately, the company began testing a free, ad-supported streaming option in June that lets users access their cloud game libraries without an extra fee.
How rivals compare
Sony currently allows subscribers to its top-tier PlayStation Plus Premium plan, priced at $20 per month, to stream select PlayStation games with no time restrictions. Nvidia's GeForce Now service instead caps the length of individual streaming sessions, ranging from one hour on its free, ad-supported tier to eight hours on its $20-per-month Ultimate tier, though users can start new sessions as often as they like.
Scale of the impact
Microsoft acknowledges the new limits will mean higher costs for some users, but says the change will affect only about 4 percent of Game Pass subscribers. Based on an estimated 30 million total subscribers, that suggests roughly 1.2 million people currently stream heavily enough to be affected by the new caps.
