Xbox has started telling some subscribers the new Game Pass cloud gaming cap won’t apply to their accounts. The exemption only appears to reach players in certain countries so far.
Microsoft announced last week that starting in November, it will limit how many hours Game Pass members can spend streaming games through the cloud each month. Subscribers who go over the limit will need to buy additional play time to keep streaming. The change affects only cloud sessions, not downloads to console or PC.
How the Game Pass cloud gaming cap breaks down by tier
Xbox caps Game Pass Ultimate subscribers at 15 hours of cloud gaming per month under the new system, Premium members at 10 hours, and Essential subscribers at 5 hours. Once a subscriber hits the monthly limit, they lose access to cloud streaming until the next billing cycle, unless they pay for more hours.
Some subscribers are now receiving emails from Xbox informing them the change won’t affect their existing plans. “At this time, these changes will only affect new purchases and will not affect your current subscription for the market in which you reside, as long as you are on an auto-recurring plan,” the email reads.
“Should you choose to cancel your plan and repurchase, you will receive a set number of cloud gaming hours each month, based on your plan,” it continues.
The email adds that Xbox will give at least 60 days’ notice before making further changes to an existing account. Subscribers will have the option to cancel or switch plans at that point.
Exemption limited to certain regions
Players on Reddit have compared notes on where the email landed. Subscribers in Australia, Brazil, Poland, and Germany report receiving it. Those in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom say they have not.
Local consumer protection rules, rather than a single blanket policy, likely explain the exemption. Some countries restrict how companies can alter subscription terms for existing customers, or require a minimum notice period before doing so.
That could explain why Xbox is carving out exceptions in specific markets while leaving the November rollout unchanged elsewhere.
Xbox has not said whether the Game Pass cloud gaming cap exemption will expand to subscribers in the US, Canada, or UK, or whether the four confirmed countries are the full extent of the carve-out.
Xbox said last week that the change came down to rising costs. “The cost of providing cloud gaming grows as more people use it and play for longer,” the company said.
It added that moving to monthly limits lets it “keep offering the service while continuing to invest in its reliability and performance.”
Xbox acknowledged the caps mean a higher cost for some players. The company said the Game Pass cloud gaming cap affects about 4% of subscribers based on current usage rates.