Microsoft is preparing to make some big changes to Xbox Game Pass, announcing today that it will raise the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $19.99 per month in the US while introducing a new Standard tier.
Windows Central was the first to report this. The price changes are real and come alongside a number of other service shifts starting September 12, 2024. Below is the full list of price changes.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $19.99 per month (up from $16.99 per month previously)
- PC Game Pass – $11.99/month (previously $9.99/month)
- Xbox Game Pass Core (the subscription that includes only online multiplayer and a small selection of games) – $74.99 per year from $59.99 per year, but the monthly subscription will remain at $9.99 per month.
Xbox has since confirmed to IGN that these numbers are accurate and that the changes apply to subscribers in the US.
@Jeff Group @destinlegary @Wario64 I just received this email. I am in Canada.
Xbox Gamepass Ultimate is growing for me. pic.twitter.com/emQ450o4h5
— Andrew (@DrewM987) July 9, 2024
Additionally, Xbox Game Pass for Console will soon no longer accept new members (existing subscribers can continue their plans). Instead, new subscribers will be directed to the new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier at $14.99 per month in the US, which includes older catalog games and multiplayer functionality, but does not include day one game releases or Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Finally, Xbox will only allow its users to pre-pay for Xbox Game Pass for consoles for up to 13 months in the future. Users who have already paid for more months than they have already paid for will not be affected.
It’s worth noting that Xbox raised prices on Game Pass last year, raising the price of “Ultimate” from $14.99 per month to $16.99 per month in the first price increase since 2017. Rumors have been circulating since May of this year that Xbox was considering an additional price increase, especially in light of the planned addition of future Call of Duty games on day one of the service following Xbox’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.
The gaming arm has also made a number of cost-cutting changes in recent months, including closing Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin in May, and announcing 1,900 layoffs in January.
Rebecca Valentine is a senior reporter at IGN. Have a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
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