Xbox to cap cloud gaming streaming hours starting in November
Microsoft is ending unlimited Xbox cloud gaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, moving instead to monthly hour limits across all three subscription tiers starting in November. At the same time, cloud streaming will become available to anyone, not just Game Pass members.
Microsoft has announced a major change to how Xbox cloud gaming works, set to take effect in November. Previously, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers enjoyed unlimited game streaming, but under the new system every subscription tier will receive a fixed number of hours each month.
Under the revised plan, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get 15 hours of cloud streaming per month, Game Pass Premium members will receive 10 hours, and Game Pass Essential subscribers will be allotted five hours. Once those hours run out, users will be able to buy additional cloud playtime through the Xbox Store.
According to Xbox, the change is expected to affect only about four percent of Game Pass subscribers, suggesting that relatively few people were using cloud streaming heavily. Still, the shift is significant, since the $23-per-month Ultimate tier previously included fully unlimited streaming.
Cloud gaming opens up to everyone
One notable upside of the new approach is that cloud gaming will no longer be restricted to Game Pass subscribers. Anyone will be able to purchase cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store and stream titles from their existing Xbox library. This means even owners of older Xbox One consoles could theoretically stream newer Xbox Series X/S games without buying new hardware.
The actual cost of these playtime hours, which Xbox says will vary by market, will likely determine how successful this new model becomes.
Xbox originally built out Game Pass and its cloud gaming capabilities around the vision of a future where a console wouldn't be necessary to play games — the concept behind its polarizing "This Is An Xbox" ad campaign. However, under new CEO Asha Sharma, the company has shifted away from that direction, slightly reducing subscription prices while recommitting to exclusive games and hardware, alongside significant staff layoffs.
