- Microsoft has jacked up the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price from $19.99 to $29.99.
- The new pricing also brings two new lower subscription tiers, Essential and Premium.
- Ultimate now comes with Ubisoft+ and Fortnite Crew included.
Microsoft has been in deep water lately with its constant change in pricing of Series S|X consoles and launching its ambitious handheld portable gaming device, Xbox Ally, which fans aren’t quite impressed with. Despite Phil Spencer’s efforts to include more games, even PlayStation exclusives, into the Xbox ecosystem, fans are upset with the kind of premium pricing they have to pay to get the best of its services.
To mitigate the high game costs, Xbox players usually head to its subscription model, the Game Pass, which offers them free monthly games and exclusive access to new titles on the day of their release. The beauty of Game Pass can’t be ignored, as you can seamlessly carry that subscription from an Xbox console to a PC running the Xbox app.
The subscription’s most premium tier, Game Pass Ultimate, has been the obvious choice for Xbox loyalists as they get access to an endless library of games and more Day One titles, all for a price of $19.99. However, that fun has now been ruined, thanks to the new pricing and subscription models in the Game Pass that have jacked up Ultimate’s price by 50% all the way up to $29.99.
Microsoft Jacks Up Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price by 50% and Introduces PlayStation Plus Style Tiers
In a recent update to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft released an entire Xbox Wire blog post and a 4-minute video informing players about the new changes. To begin with, the name for Xbox Game Pass Core is now Xbox Game Pass Essential, Xbox Game Pass Standard is now Xbox Game Pass Premium, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate stays the same.
These names, as per players, bear a striking resemblance to PlayStation Plus’ subscription tiers (Essential, Extra, and Premium). However, the real shocker came when players saw that the price of the Ultimate subscription has now increased from $19.99 to $29.99.
Here are the pricing changes to Xbox Game Pass starting October 2025:
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: $29.99 a month, up from $19.99 a month
- Xbox Game Pass Premium: $14.99 a month, same as old Standard subscription
- Xbox Game Pass Essential: $9.99 a month, same as old Core subscription
- PC Game Pass: $16.49 a month, up from $11.99
The Game Pass Ultimate now includes Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics, which Microsoft claims provide substantial additional value to users. The Ultimate membership provides members with more than 75 new games at launch each year and enhanced cloud streaming, now up to 1440p and officially out of beta, is also part of the package.
The new features have received criticism despite their introduction, as players are slamming them as “daylight robbery.” The price of Ultimate has climbed to almost $30 per month, which makes Xbox users worry that the company is adding unwanted features to the subscription service.
Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics provide individual value to players, yet they mostly offer recycled content that dedicated gamers either possess already or show no desire to play again. The day-one lineup now includes additional games that are less well-known than the major titles but could help increase sales figures rather than enhance the overall quality of the package.
Microsoft presents these updates under its “open ecosystem” concept, although critics view them as a move to force players into costlier subscriptions instead of delivering actual lasting benefits.
Microsoft has also restructured its Game Pass tiers for mid and entry-level subscribers to present budget-friendly plans that offer extensive access to Xbox games. The Premium plan at $14.99/month now offers access to more than 200 games, which span across console, PC, and cloud platforms and include recent additions such as Diablo IV and Hogwarts Legacy.
Microsoft guarantees “value and flexibility” through its policy, which includes first-party Xbox games (except Call of Duty) in its subscription service within one year of their release. Premium subscribers receive unlimited cloud gaming access and the ability to play across different devices, and special in-game perks for League of Legends and Rainbow Six Siege.
Premium raises questions about whether the middle pricing tier exists to push customers toward higher plans rather than making the service more accessible. The 200-game library appears large, but it includes many older titles that players have already bought, while new major releases must wait for staggered release dates. The reward system and cosmetic item distribution appear to serve Microsoft’s goal of keeping subscribers on their platform instead of delivering actual value to players.
The Essential plan at $9.99/month provides users with access to a limited game library of 50+ titles and cloud gaming capabilities, and multiplayer features. The Essential plan operates as an affordable starting point, which seems to exist mainly for subscribers to move up to more costly plans.
Ultimately, these changes signal Microsoft’s long-term push to normalize higher subscription costs while steering players toward its cloud-first strategy, reinforced by hardware like the Xbox Ally. But the trade-off is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.
At $360 a year, Game Pass Ultimate no longer feels like the accessible, player-first service it was initially praised for, but rather a premium gatekeeping model built on bundled add-ons and inflated pricing. As the cost climbs, many players may begin to reconsider whether endless access is worth more than simply buying the games they truly want outright — without being locked into a subscription treadmill that grows more expensive with every “upgrade.”
What do you think of the new Xbox Game Pass models? Let us know in the comments below!
