A post on Xbox Wire with the innocuous title “Updates to Xbox Game Pass: Introducing Essential, Premium, and Ultimate Plans” caused a lot of outrage in the gaming community. That’s because the post buries the lede – Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is now 50% more expensive.
Introducing the new Xbox Game Pass tiers
Microsoft also renamed half of the plans, so here’s what they are now. The Core plan is renamed Essential, while Standard is now Premium. The Ultimate pass keeps its name, the same goes for the PC Game Pass.
We compiled the prices of the old and new plans below. Keep in mind that there was a pretty recent price hike in July 2024. That one was a fairly minor bump – Ultimate went up from $17 to $20.
| Game Pass plan | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old name | New name | |||
| Core | Essential | $10 (no change) | £7 (no change) | €7 > €9 |
| Standard | Premium | $15 (no change) | £11 (no change) | €13 (no change) |
| Ultimate | Ultimate | $20 > $30 | £15 > £23 | €18 > €27 |
| PC Game Pass | PC Game Pass | $12 > $16.50 | £10 > £13.50 | €12 (no change) |
Microsoft justifies the new price for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with a series of upgrades and additional content. For starters, the streaming resolution is bumped up to 1440p.
For content, Ultimate subscribers will now get access to 75 day one releases a year. From mid-November, they will also get Fortnite Crew (worth $12/month) and Ubisoft+ Classic ($8/month). Starting today, Ultimate subscribers can play Hogwarts Legacy and Diablo IV.
Details for each Xbox Game Pass tier
The list is a lot longer than that – you can find all new games available on Ultimate, Premium and Essential here.
The updated prices are already in effect for new subscribers, existing subscribers will feel the price bump on November 4. Of course, many angry fans already canceled in protest – did you?
