Microsoft is reworking its Xbox Game Pass offerings, with new names for its three subscription tiers and a price hike on the Ultimate tier — the only tier that offers day-one access to new games from Xbox Game Studios. Perhaps the biggest impact will be a $10 price increase to Game Pass Ultimate, which will now cost $29.99 per month.
Game Pass‘ current subscription tiers — Core, Standard, and Ultimate — will henceforth be known as Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans.
The Ultimate plan will include access to games on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and cloud. Ultimate will offer access to 400-plus games, including more than 75 day-one games per year, including all Xbox-published games on day one, Microsoft says.
Ultimate is getting some upgrades, with EA Play (previously included), Ubisoft Plus Classics, and Fortnite Crew now included as part of the monthly subscription. Cloud gaming users will also get access to “unlimited cloud gaming at our best quality with the shortest wait times,” Microsoft says.
Microsoft is adding 45 new titles to the Ultimate tier, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Skull and Bones.
The Premium tier of Xbox Game Pass now includes more than 200 games on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and supported devices, for $14.99. So no price change there. The library includes venerable classics like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto 5, plus games like Forza Horizon 5, Diablo 4, and Hogwarts Legacy. Microsoft promises new Xbox-published games within a year of their launch — excluding new Call of Duty titles.
The Essentials tier will offer “unlimited cloud gaming, online multiplayer, in-game benefits, and Rewards with Xbox, plus a curated catalog of 50+ games playable on both console and PC,” Microsoft says, for the same price: $9.99 per month.
Microsoft previously raised prices and rearranged offerings for Game Pass in July 2024. That’s when the company bumped the Ultimate subscription to $19.99 (a price hike of $3) and phased out Xbox Game Pass for Console.
Xbox prices for hardware are also going up later this week. Microsoft announced a substantial price hike on Xbox Series X and S consoles effective Oct. 3, with the Xbox Series X console to cost $649.99, up from $599.99.
