Xbox is introducing time limits to game streaming

Anything but your console or PC can be an Xbox for 5-15 hours a month.

Xbox plans to change how its Xbox cloud gaming feature works starting in November, effectively eliminating unlimited streaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. The change gives all three Game Pass tiers a select number of hours per month, and gives anyone the option to purchase hours of cloud playtime through the Xbox store.

As part of the new plan, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will get 15 hours of streaming per month, Game Pass Premium members will get 10 hours of streaming per month and Game Pass Essential subscribers will get five hours of streaming per month. Xbox says the change should only impact four percent of Game Pass subscribers, which is maybe revealing of how many people were streaming games in the first place, but it’s still a big change considering a $23-per-month Ultimate plan used to get you unlimited game streaming.

One positive of this new approach is cloud gaming is no longer limited to Game Pass subscribers. Now anyone can purchase “cloud playtime hours” through the Xbox Store and stream their Xbox library. As the announcement notes, even Xbox One owners could theoretically stream eligible Xbox Series X/S games without having to upgrade to new hardware, a welcome alternative to purchasing increasingly expensive modern consoles. The make or break for this new setup will be how much those playtime hours cost, something Xbox says will vary per market.

Xbox originally created Game Pass and built out its cloud gaming capabilities because it was imagining a world where you didn’t need a console to play games. That was the idea behind the brand’s unpopular (though not necessarily misguided) “This Is An Xbox” ad campaign. Under new CEO Asha Sharma, Xbox has pivoted away from those plans, slightly lowering the price of its subscriptions, recommitting to exclusive games and hardware and laying off a boatload of employees. The great irony of the company’s position now is that the rising cost of RAM and the likely high price of its upcoming Project Helix console lineup makes cloud gaming look almost preferable to what’s coming next.