Xbox Game Pass has always been pitched as the best value in gaming, but Microsoft has confirmed it’s about to get pricier.
Starting this month, the newly rebranded Game Pass tiers will rise in price, with Ultimate increasing from £14.99/$19.99 to £22.99/$29.99 a month. That makes it one of the most expensive mainstream gaming subscriptions, but Microsoft is trying to soften the blow with bigger libraries, more day-one releases, and added perks.
The Ultimate upgrade
Microsoft says Ultimate subscribers will now get access to over 75 day-one releases each year, including heavy hitters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and The Outer Worlds 2. Fortnite Crew is also being bundled in, alongside Ubisoft+ Classics and EA Play, meaning players gain instant access to series like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, as well as 400 games total.
Cloud gaming is stepping up too, with 1440p streaming and faster queue times now exclusive to Ultimate. Xbox is even promising up to £100/$100 a year in rewards for players who rack up Store points just by playing. It’s a package that dwarfs the competition in scope, but also pushes Ultimate into a price bracket above rival services.
Premium and Essential
Premium isn’t getting a price hike – staying at £10.99/$14.99 a month – but it is getting an improved library. More than 200 games will be available across Xbox and PC, giving you access to games like Diablo 4, Hogwarts Legacy, and Minecraft.
Premium subscribers are also getting unlimited cloud access for the first time, allowing you to stream games from their library.
The important thing to note here is that while Premium users do not access to new games on launch day, Microsoft has committed to bringing those games to the service within one year. Call of Duty games, however, are exempt from this promise.
Like Ultimate, Premium subscribers get a number of in-game perks and have the opportunity to earn £50/$50 in rewards just by playing.
The price for the Essential tier is staying the same at £6.99/$9.99, but will now include 50 games across PC and console. It’ll also give you Unlimited cloud access – something that was previously locked away under an Ultimate subscription.
Essential subscribers will be able to stream some games that they own, we well as access in-game perks for games like Overwatch 2, Warzone, and League of Legends. They’ll also be able to earn up to £25/$25 per year in the store by playing games.
PC Game Pass
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft is also increasing the price of PC Game Pass from £9.99/$11.99 to £13.49/$16.49. There’s not really a lot to write home about here, other than that while they won’t get Ubisoft+ Classics, they will get “about 50% additional Ubisoft titles”.
It’ll still continue to get day one games, though.
What next?
The profitability of Xbox Game Pass has come under scrutiny in recent years and it’s clear Microsoft is working hard to improve its numbers. However, the Ultimate and PC Game Pass price hikes risks testing how far players are willing to stretch their budgets for day one access.
Opinion
Game Pass Ultimate remains unmatched in scope, but at nearly $30 a month it’s no longer the easy sell it once was. The question now is whether the steady stream of blockbusters and perks justifies that premium, or if more casual players will settle for the cheaper tiers instead.
