Microsoft just gave Xbox players a reason to log off… forever! The price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate jumped from $19.99 to $29.99 a month, and fans wasted no time flooding the cancellation page. The site even overloaded, which probably isn’t the kind of traffic Microsoft was hoping for.
On X, the commentary was brutal. One user wrote, “30 dollars a month to not own a single game.” Another quipped, “When I said I wanted the 360 era back, I didn’t mean $360 a year.” And then this post definitely deserves a reward: “$29.99… that’s not a subscription, that’s rent for my console.” Honestly, it’s hard to argue with that math.
To soften the blow, Microsoft rolled out a set of rebrands and upgrades. Game Pass Core is now Game Pass Essential, Standard becomes Game Pass Premium, and Ultimate stays Ultimate but with more perks.
Dustin Blackwell, Microsoft’s director of gaming and platform communications, insisted during a press briefing that players are actually getting more for their money: “What’s new for everyone across all three Xbox Game Pass plans is bigger game libraries, including PC games across each of the plans. There is also unlimited cloud gaming, which is new to Essential and Premium subscribers.”
That sounds good on paper, but gamers are doing the calculations. A $10 increase per month is a 50 percent hike. For many, that’s simply too steep, even if Microsoft is stacking the service with Hogwarts Legacy, Assassin’s Creed titles, and Ubisoft Plus Classics. As one frustrated player put it: “Paying $29.99/month for digital games that might not always be available?”
To be fair, Ultimate is getting more than 400 games globally, with 45 new titles added right now and over 75 day-one releases expected each year. Ubisoft Plus Classics adds another chunk of value, and in November, Fortnite Crew will join the lineup with V-bucks and a Battle Pass. Blackwell argues that together these perks bring $28 worth of extras to subscribers.
Game Pass Premium is priced at $14.99, includes more than 200 games, and finally opens up PC access. It also adds unlimited cloud gaming and in-game perks, while promising Microsoft-published games within a year of release (with the exception of Call of Duty). Essential, the cheapest at $9.99, doubles its game library from 25 to 50 titles and also introduces cloud access. Even PC Game Pass is climbing, from $11.99 to $16.49, though it offers little beyond extra Ubisoft titles.
Still, timing is everything, and Microsoft’s recent moves, raising console prices again, revealing the $999 Xbox Ally X handheld, don’t exactly scream consumer-friendly. Fans are right to question the direction. One comment summed it up best: “Microsoft got so arrogant with that thirty dollar a month price hike they literally caused a bank run on their own subscription service.”
For those willing to game the system (pun intended), Amazon is still selling codes at the old rate. That’s $19.99 for a month or $59.99 for three. You can stack up to a year’s worth for $239.96, effectively dodging the increase for now. That’s a lot of money upfront, but for players who aren’t ready to pay console rent every month, it might be the only way to hold onto Game Pass without breaking the bank.
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