Xbox Game Pass is getting MAJOR changes, with a new tier without day one games, and a range of price increases
Xbox Game Pass is finally getting its long-awaited price increase.
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What you need to know
Three things in life are certain, death, taxes, and price increases. Today, Microsoft confirmed to us that details on the long-expectedXbox Game Passprice increase is well and truly here — but it comes with some major changes to the basic Xbox console tier as well.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s Netflix-like all-you-can-eat gaming subscription service, and one of its more noteworthy recent gaming innovations. For a monthly fee, players get access to hundreds of games, as well as day-one titles from Microsoft studios. That includes games like Starfield from Bethesda, Halo from 343i, but also future games like the next Call of Duty, set to launch in the Fall.
Microsoft rebranded Xbox Live Gold(the paywall for premium multiplayer titles) to Xbox Game Pass Core a short while ago, and has done some small price increases over the years. Now, we’re getting another name change of sorts, as well as a major change to the basic Xbox Game Pass tier, as well as a range of price increases.
Here’s what you need to know:
According to Microsoft, the vast majority of users today are already on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is their flagship plan for the service. Game Pass Ultimate incorporates all games on Xbox consoles, as well as in the cloud, and on PC too, often with cross-save and cross-progression.
RELATED:Rumors suggest Call of Duty 2023 is coming to Xbox Game Pass in July
Microsoft joins a long list of subscription services like Netflix, Spotify, and others increasing their prices over recent years. For users who play tons of games, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate more than pays for itself, but for those who don’t, Xbox Game Pass increasingly might look like a subscription service worth cutting from their monthly bills to save cash.
Price increases are here, as Microsoft concedes day one games as standard
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Xbox Game Pass has been an amazing service for users, with hundreds of games and thousands of dollars per year in annual savings, if indeed you use the service frequently. I personallydouse it frequently and consistently, particularly for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Indeed,Xbox Cloud Gaming is also slated to allow you to play games you actually own outside of Xbox Game Passfairly soon too, which will boost the value of Ultimate.
Still, the fact that “day one games” are no longer standard seems like a major concession for Microsoft. Since the service’s inception, people have wondered whether or not giving everyone access to games day one was a sustainable model, and post-pandemic, perhaps it simply isn’t at that previous price tier. The vast majority of users are on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate right now I’m told, though.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will continue to get Xbox titles day one, including Call of Duty 2024heading into this holiday season. It’s also a positive step that Microsoft grandfathered in existing Xbox Game Pass for Console users into the system, allowing them to keep their entitlements. I can see it eventually being phased out, though, as more and more users move to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Truth be told, there are undoubtedly some users who simply don’t see the point in paying for “Xbox Live Gold” multiplayer, given that many titles are now free-to-play, and don’t require any form of paywall subscription to play. For them, something like Xbox Game Pass for Console might be a better option overall than Ultimate is. But I suspect it’s probably a small audience at this point.
Unlike Netflix and Spotify which have access to an almost infinite number of devices to grow on, Xbox Game Pass as a subscription service is arguably limited to a subset of devices in a subset of scenarios, while simultaneously competing with platforms like Steam on PC, and PlayStation on console. Apple and Google do everything they can to block Xbox Cloud Gaming from becoming a thing, and Microsoft has struggled to move Xbox One owners toXbox Series XandXbox Series Sas rapidly as I’m sure it would’ve liked. It’ll be interesting to watch how the service evolves from here.
Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow onTwitter (X)andThreads, and listen to hisXB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!
