In a bold move to maintain competitive pricing, Nvidia has announced significant changes to its popular cloud gaming service, GeForce Now. Starting January 1, 2025, new subscribers to the Performance (formerly Priority) and Ultimate tiers will face a 100-hour monthly playtime limit.
This decision comes as Nvidia aims to preserve service quality and short queue times without increasing membership fees. The company states that this change will affect less than 6% of its user base, suggesting that most gamers fall well within this new limit.
For those who exceed the cap, Nvidia offers the option to purchase additional playtime in 15-hour blocks. Performance tier users can buy extra time at $2.99 per block, while Ultimate tier users will pay $5.99.
In a show of appreciation for its loyal customers, Nvidia is granting all active paid subscribers as of December 31, 2024, an extra year of unlimited playtime until January 1, 2026. New users can still lock in this benefit by subscribing before the end of 2024.
Along with these changes, Nvidia is enhancing its service offerings. The rebranded Performance tier now supports 1440p streaming, ultrawide resolutions, and the ability to save graphics settings across sessions. These improvements come at no additional cost to subscribers.
To soften the blow of the upcoming restrictions, Nvidia is currently offering a 25% discount on Ultimate and Performance day passes. Users can upgrade these passes to monthly or six-month memberships to secure a full year of unlimited playtime before the caps take effect.
As the cloud gaming landscape continues to evolve, Nvidia's strategy aims to balance service quality with affordability. While some users may find the new limits restrictive, the company hopes that the improved features and stable pricing will keep GeForce Now competitive in the growing cloud gaming market.