Xbox Game Pass is making big changes to the way that cloud gaming works by limiting how much time subscribers can spend utilizing it every month. Prior to this change going into effect, Xbox Game Pass provided unlimited cloud streaming time, albeit with some limits on what games could be accessed depending on the subscription tier of the user.
Xbox Implements Cloud Gaming Time Limits
Xbox has now announced that cloud gaming will be subject to hourly limits per month for all Xbox Game Pass subscribers starting in November. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be limited to 15 hours per month, Game Pass Premium will be set to a 10 hour limit, and Game Pass Essential will provide just 5 hours of cloud gaming time. While going from an unlimited amount to hourly limits like these may concern some users, Xbox alleges that it expects the change to only impact about 4% of current game pass subscribers. Those who surpass the limit will be given the option of purchasing more blocks of time to use cloud gaming, and when the change goes into effect, non-Game Pass subscribers will also be able to pay for cloud playtime hours separately.