Nvidia, the most valuable company in the world, has announced a new monthly streaming cap for GeForce Now subscribers, limiting the amount of playtime for all users. As announced on Reddit, from January 2025, new subscribers to GeForce Now will only be able to stream 100 hours of gameplay per month, to ensure the platform has “exceptional quality and speed” as well as shorter queue times.
The 100-hour monthly playtime allowance will also hit existing subscribers on the Performance and Ultimate tiers from January 2026. Only those on the Founders tier will be free to play uncapped – although if these subscribers change their membership or there’s a lapse month-to-month, they will lose this privilege. (Founders may switch between tiers at will, as long as there’s no lapse in payment.)
According to Nvidia, only 6% of users will be impacted by this newly-implemented cap. They will also be able to pay an additional USD $2.99 for 15 more hours on the Performance tier, and an additional USD $5.99 for 15 more hours on the Ultimate tier. There is a rollover implemented, so players who don’t use all of their cap may start a new month with up to 115 hours of playtime available (although this doesn’t stack).
As a final push for new subscribers, Nvidia has outlined that anyone looking to avoid the streaming cap for an additional year will need to subscribe by 31 December 2024.
Read: Optus and Pentanet form GeForce Now partnership for Australia
Despite these allowances, and having over a year to settle into the idea, Nvidia’s announcement has caused major backlash online. While many players admit this cap won’t impact their personal playtime with GeForce Now, many have still lamented what’s perceived as the “enshittification” of the subscription service.
Many others are claiming it’s now time for them to build a custom PC, rather than relying on the cloud service provided by GeForce Now. Even more have questioned why Nvidia are charging select customers more for a service that already runs in satisfactory condition, and whether the limitations on streaming hours may tighten in future.
“Time to stop procrastinating and build a rig,” one user wrote. “Trillion dollar company btw.”
To soften the blow of the announcement, Nvidia has also announced some additional perks for the service. Those on the Performance tier will be able to stream at 1440p going forward, and support for UltraWide monitors will also be added, alongside a new feature for saving graphics settings across streaming sessions.
Nvidia has asked for in-app feedback from those with any problems, questions, or suggestions.