Microsoft Is Expanding Xbox Cloud Gaming to TVs While Limiting How Much You Can Use It

Xbox Cloud Gaming is about to reach even more living rooms. Microsoft has partnered with TCL to bring the Xbox app to select TCL Smart TVs in the coming months, letting users stream supported Xbox games directly through their TVs without an Xbox console.

There is, however, some awkward timing here. Just one day before announcing the TCL partnership, Xbox confirmed that Game Pass will introduce monthly limits on cloud gaming starting in November. Ultimate subscribers will get 15 hours per month, while Premium and Essential subscribers will get 10 and 5 hours, respectively.

Xbox is essentially making Cloud Gaming available on more TVs at the same time as it starts putting a clock on how much its Game Pass subscribers can actually use it.

Xbox Is Bringing Cloud Gaming to More Smart TVs

Play… has no limits? | Credits: Xbox/Microsoft

Microsoft announced on September 4 that it is partnering with TCL to bring the Xbox app to select TCL Smart TVs over the coming months (via Xbox Wire). The company says the rollout will reach millions of TCL TV users across more than 25 countries, although TCL has not yet revealed the exact TV models, markets, or rollout dates.

Once supported, users will need the Xbox app, a compatible controller, and cloud playtime through Game Pass or a separate purchase. Game Pass subscribers will be able to access supported games through Xbox Cloud Gaming and carry their saves, achievements, and other account information across the Xbox ecosystem.

The TCL partnership is also part of a wider push to put Xbox on devices people already own. Microsoft recently brought the Xbox app to millions of VIDAA OS-powered Smart TVs, including supported Hisense models, allowing Game Pass subscribers to stream hundreds of games without dedicated Xbox hardware.

Xbox Is Putting a Price on Extra Cloud Gaming Time

“Purchased cloud playtime is yours until used.” | Credits: Xbox/Microsoft

The change arrives after months of Xbox marketing cloud gaming as an unlimited part of Game Pass. A December 2025 Xbox guide described Essential as offering unlimited cloud gaming for $10 per month and Ultimate as offering unlimited cloud gaming alongside its larger game library and other benefits.

That wording has now aged rather badly. In its latest September 3 Xbox Wire announcement, Microsoft confirmed that unlimited cloud gaming will end for Game Pass subscribers in November. Ultimate will include fifteen hours per month, Premium ten hours, and Essential just five.

That said, once those included-with-your-subscription hours run out, it’s not like you have to wait for the next month for a reset. Xbox says subscribers will be able to purchase additional cloud playtime through the Xbox Store. The company has not yet announced the price, with pricing and purchase options set to vary by market:

In November, we’ll provide more information about pricing, purchasing additional hours, eligible games, market availability, and how players can check their remaining time. We’ll listen closely to player feedback before and after the change takes effect and share any adjustments we make.

Microsoft says the change is necessary because cloud gaming becomes more expensive as usage grows, particularly as people spend longer playing through the service. It expects the limits to affect around 4% of Game Pass subscribers, but admits “that for some players, the practical result is a higher cost.”

Will the new cloud gaming limits make the Xbox Cloud Gaming service less appealing to you overall? Let us know in the comments below!