Microsoft is easing off the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price rise in a handful of countries.
It has been reported that existing members in Germany, Ireland, South Korea, Poland, and India will keep paying their current rate for now, as long as their plan stays on auto-renew.
New subscribers in those places move straight to the higher price. The pause doesn’t apply to the US or UK.
How the pause works
Emails going out to affected customers say the old price sticks while auto-renewal is active. Cancel and re-join, and you’ll pay the new rate.
Reports say this reflects local rules around subscription changes, which often require extra notice.
In Ireland, for example, people staying on auto-renew keep the €17.99 monthly fee instead of the new €26.99, with at least 60 days’ warning promised before any change. That’s a pivot from last week’s messaging, which pointed to October 1 for new sign-ups and the next billing cycle (likely November 4) for existing users. The high-end Ultimate tier, for instance, is increasing from £14.99/$19.99 to £22.99/$29.99 a month.
What it means day to day
For now, some long-time members are paying less than newcomers in the same region. It’s a weird split, but it buys Microsoft time to sequence the rise without tripping over local regulations.
The hike still exists, just not for everyone and not yet. A cleaner timeline and one plain explanation would go a long way here. Until then, some people get a breather, others start paying more, and the rest of us keep refreshing our renewal screen to see which camp we’re in.
