Xbox Cloud Gaming Gets Monthly Hour Caps Starting in November
The change effectively raises the cost of cloud gaming for heavy users while Microsoft opens the service to non-subscribers as a separate paid option.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Microsoft will cap monthly cloud gaming hours for Game Pass plans starting in November. Game Pass Ultimate gets 15 hours, Premium gets 10, and Essential gets 5. Extra time can be bought through the store. Microsoft cites rising service costs from more users and longer play sessions. The change affects 4% of current subscribers. A separate cloud-gaming-only plan for people without Game Pass is also planned, with details to come.
Microsoft announced the change on September 3. The monthly caps apply to Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and Essential plans, and players who exceed their allowance can buy additional cloud gaming hours through the store. Microsoft said the limits let it keep investing in service reliability and performance as usage grows. A cloud-gaming-only plan for users without Game Pass is planned for November, with pricing and details to be announced later.
- Game Pass Ultimate: 15 hours of cloud gaming per month
- Game Pass Premium: 10 hours of cloud gaming per month
- Game Pass Essential: 5 hours of cloud gaming per month
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.