Microsoft Caps Cloud Gaming Time for Game Pass Members
Microsoft will cap cloud gaming hours for Game Pass subscribers starting in November, with 15 hours per month on the Ultimate plan (lower limits for Premium 10 hours and Essential 5 hours). Excess time can be bought via cloud playtime hours, and non-subscribers can access cloud gaming by purchasing hours. The company says the limits reflect rising cloud costs and funding for better reliability and performance; about 4% of Game Pass users use cloud gaming, roughly 1.2 million of 30 million subscribers. The move follows broader industry concerns about affordability and compute costs.