Xbox caps cloud gaming at 15 hours a month for Game Pass subscribers

Starting in November, Xbox will impose monthly time limits on cloud gaming for subscribers of its Game Pass service. Under the new policy, gamers using the £16.99 Ultimate monthly plan will be able to stream games for up to 15 hours each month before needing to purchase more cloud play time. Xbox cited rising costs of cloud gaming as the reason for the limits, which aim to maintain service reliability and performance.

While the service's usage is unclear, Xbox believes it accounts for only about 4% of Game Pass users, potentially affecting around 1.2 million people. Critics argue the limits are excessive, with some suggesting the 15-hour allowance is insufficient. Microsoft's cloud gaming feature will also be available without a Game Pass subscription, purchasable directly through the Xbox store at a cost yet to be announced.

This move comes as Xbox CEO Asha Sharma stated the company needs to innovate on affordability and efficiency amid a computing price crisis. Microsoft's July financial report revealed a 7% drop in Xbox revenue to about $21.8bn (£16.1bn), leading to job cuts. Despite Amazon's head of gaming expressing optimism about streaming games, cloud gaming's reliability remains a challenge due to high-speed internet requirements, and additional fees could further deter mainstream adoption.