Microsoft Rolls Out New Xbox Game Pass Pricing & A New ‘Standard’ Tier

Microsoft has just unveiled the new pricing model for their Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and in September fans will see a price increase after just over a year, with three total models to choose from.

The heads over at Microsoft has just released a new pricing plan for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service available for Xbox Console owners. Not only will the price hike touch those who already subscribe to the $16.99 monthly Game Pass Ultimate, but previous ‘Core’ users will also be affected by the price increase. While previous ‘Game Pass Core’ subscriptions appear to also increase by roughly 10-18% (variance depending on which territory), Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are going to have to pay up by over 20% more monthly. For example, those who have been paying the previous $16.99 will expect to pay $19.99 when the new pricing lands on September 12.

Many fans have speculated Xbox has been attempting to raise their pricing model for Xbox Game Pass since the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been confirmed to be a day-one launch for the service, and that speculation has finally come to fruition. Back in March 2023, Xbox had claimed that their merger with Activision Blizzard (which had yet to take place) would not increase the price of their Xbox Game Pass subscription, but since that announcement, the Game Pass subscription has gone up to nearly double what it was ($12.99 back in March 2023) by September where it lands at $19.99. The last price increase happened back in June 2023, and the price went from $12.99 to $16.99 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate then.

The new additional tier to the service, this time a ‘standard’ tier for those who don’t want access to the day-one releases that Xbox has been touting at their showcases. Xbox Game Pass standard will be priced at $14.99 per month for new users to the service. When Xbox closed Tango Gameworks after layoffs happened at Microsoft, Xbox President Sarah Bond said then, “And it means that the situation and what successes for each game in the studio is also really unique. There’s no one-size-fits-all to it for us” while also previously touting ‘every screen is an Xbox‘ three months before those studio closures.

It appears the one-size-fits-all is Xbox Game Pass price increasing, and interestingly enough, another price increase is looming for September 12 while another Call of Duty (an Activision title) is making its way to the platform. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been rumoured to land on the service sometime this month (according to Insider Gaming), which makes sense for the timeline of the price hike announcement.

Fans looking to see how much the price has increased in certain countries can head over to the price hike page here. Although it is heavily speculated, Modern Warfare 3 has yet to be officially announced by Xbox, Microsoft or Activision Blizzard, so fans should take these rumours with a grain of salt until a formal announcement has been finalized.