If you’re among those gamers who likes using the cloud gaming service of GeForce NOW, then this news will be important for you: Nvidia announced on Reddit (of all places) that the service will soon be enforcing playtime limits for paying subscribers, restricting users to 100 hours of gaming access per month.
The restrictions in question, which will take place for any new subscribers starting January 2025, are being put into place to “continue providing exceptional quality and speed” as well as shorter queue times, while Nvidia says that the “ample limit comfortably accommodates 94% of members, who typically enjoy the service well within this timeframe.” Up to 15 hours of unused time will be carried over into the next month, though that will also face a cap at 115 accumulated hours.
In a totally shocking twist, players will be able to purchase additional time: Players can purchase 15 hours of Performance access at $2.99, or they can buy 15 additional hours of Ultimate access for $5.99. Incidentally, those who secure an active subscription before December 31st, 2024, and those who have maintained an active subscription in good standing will not see these restrictions go into effect until January 2026. Those who have maintained a Founders tier of access will not see any restrictions on their play time.
As one might expect, reaction to this new layer of GeForce NOW’s business model is not exactly sunny. Most replies to the announcement admit that it’s finally time to save up for a gaming PC, while others bemoan yet another service sinking into the mire of enshittification, argue that this wouldn’t have an affect on server load if the limit truly was hit by 6% of the user base, and resolve to cancel their subscriptions.
