MICROSOFT has hiked monthly subscription prices for millions of Xbox owners around the world.
The gaming giant has jacked up the cost of its popular Xbox Game Pass plan by 50%, leaving gamers furious and vowing to quit.
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Xbox Game Pass is a paid-for service that gets you access to several perks.
There are three tiers, all of which get you online console multiplayer, the ability to play games over the cloud, and a selection of free games to play.
The top plan is rising from £14.99 / $19.99 a month to £22.99 / $29.99 a month.
That’s a massive 50% increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
And it brings the total yearly cost of an Ultimate plan to £275.88 / $359.88.
In a statement, Microsoft said: “Our goal with Game Pass has been clear: deliver unmatched value, benefits, and a deep library of games for our players.
“Since launching in 2017, we’ve steadily grown our subscriber and creator satisfaction – and today, creator participation and player engagement in Game Pass are at an all-time high.
“But we have the opportunity for Game Pass to help more players find the creators and games they love.
“We know not everyone wants the same thing in their Xbox experience, so we’re evolving Game Pass to offer more flexibility, choice, and value to all players.”
Xbox says that the new tiers include expanded game libraries and a revamped rewards scheme.
Here’s how the new plans break down.
XBOX GAME PASS ESSENTIAL
The entry level plan is Xbox Game Pass Essential, which was previously called “Core”.
The list of perks includes:
- 50+ games
- Playable on PC, console, and cloud
- Unlimited cloud gaming
- In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
- Online console multiplayer
- Store rewards
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This one has unchanged pricing, and will cost you £6.99 or $9.99 a month.
XBOX GAME PASS PREMIUM
Next up is Xbox Game Pass Premium, which was previously called Standard.
The perks include:
- 200+ games
- Playable on PC, console, and cloud
- New Xbox published games within a year of launch
- Unlimited cloud gaming (with shorter wait times)
- In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
- Online console multiplayer
- Bigger store rewards
This is going up from £9.99 / $11.99 to £10.99 / $14.99.
XBOX GAME PASS ULTIMATE
Lastly, there’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
This has the longest list of perks – but it’s also been hit with the biggest price hike.
MORE GAMES LAND ON XBOX GAME PASS
Microsoft noted that a large number of games are coming to Xbox Game Pass this week.
Here are the lists of titles being added to Xbox Game Pass plans…
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed II (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed III Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag: Freedom Cry (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Revelations (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection (Cloud and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Unity (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Child of Light (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry 3 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry Primal (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Hungry Shark World (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Monopoly Madness (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Monopoly 2024 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- OddBallers (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (Cloud and Console)
- Rabbids: Party of Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Rayman Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Risk Urban Assault (Cloud and Console)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Skull and Bones (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Steep (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- The Crew 2 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- The Settlers: New Allies (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trackmania Turbo (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Transference (Cloud and Console)
- Trials Fusion (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trials of the Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trials Rising (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Uno (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Watch_Dogs (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Wheel of Fortune (Cloud and Console)
- Zombi (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Xbox Game Pass Premium (also in Ultimate)
- 9 Kings (Game Preview) (PC)
- Abiotic Factor (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Against the Storm (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC)
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (PC)
- Age of Mythology: Retold (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Ara: History Untold (PC)
- Arx Fatalis (PC)
- Back to the Dawn (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Battletech (PC)
- Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) (PC)
- Cataclismo (PC)
- Cities: Skylines II (PC)
- Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Diablo (PC)
- Diablo IV (PC and Console)
- An Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire (PC)
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC)
- Fallout (PC)
- Fallout 2 (PC)
- Fallout: Tactics (PC)
- Football Manager 2024 (PC)
- Frostpunk 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Halo: Spartan Strike (PC)
- Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Manor Lords (Game Preview) (PC)
- Minami Lane (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Minecraft: Java Edition (PC)
- Mullet Madjack (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- One Lonely Outpost (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Quake 4 (PC)
- Quake III Arena (PC)
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
- Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (PC)
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Sworn (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC)
- Volcano Princess (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Warcraft I: Remastered (PC)
- Warcraft II: Remastered (PC)
- Warcraft III: Reforged (PC)
- Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
Xbox Game Pass Essential (also in Ultimate and Premium)
- Cities: Skylines Remastered (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S)
- Disney Dreamlight Valley (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Hades (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Here’s what you get:
- 400+ games
- Playable on PC, console, and cloud
- 75+ day one games a year, including all Xbox published games day one
- Ubisoft+ Classics and EA Play included, with Fortnite Crew coming in November
- Unlimited cloud gaming at best quality with the shortest wait times
- In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
- Online console multiplayer
- Biggest store rewards
But for those perks, your monthly bill rises from £14.99 / $19.99 to £22.99 / $29.99.
GAMER REACTIONS
Unsurprisingly, gamers have reacted with fury over the changes.
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Several Reddit threads have popped up, packed with angry Xbox owners voicing their concerns about the pricing update.
One user wrote: “Now it’s just cheaper to buy the games of theirs you want. A 50% increase is wild.”
Another said: “Just cancelled my sub. Microsoft is delusional.”
One wrote: “That’s going to price so many people out, and really ironic after they literally just talked about it being profitable. It’s just not worth it for casual gamers.”
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Another said “I’m not paying that much”, with a fellow gamer calling it “ridiculous”. A different player said that they “won’t be renewing after this one expires”.
And one irate gamer said of the Ultimate plan: “I’ll never touch it again.”
