Microsoft has announced a major overhaul of its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, introducing new pricing tiers and significantly raising costs — with the most notable change being a 50% price increase for the popular Game Pass Ultimate plan.
New Xbox Game Pass Tiers Revealed
In a recent post on Xbox Wire titled “Updates to Xbox Game Pass: Introducing Essential, Premium, and Ultimate Plans,” Microsoft outlined a new structure for its subscription service. The changes include renaming existing plans:
Core is now Essential
Standard becomes Premium
Ultimate retains its name
PC Game Pass remains unchanged
The updated plans and pricing are as follows:
Old Name New Name New PriceCore Essential $10 (no change)
Standard Premium $15 (no change) Ultimate Ultimate $20 → $30
PC Game Pass PC Game Pass $12 → $16.50
This price hike follows a smaller adjustment in July 2024, when Ultimate increased from $17 to $20.
New Features for Ultimate Subscribers
Microsoft defends the steep price rise by highlighting new perks for Ultimate subscribers. These include:
Improved streaming quality up to 1440p
Access to 75 day-one releases annually
Fortnite Crew membership (worth $12/month)
Ubisoft+ Classic access ($8/month)
Immediate access to popular titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Diablo IV
Price Hike Timeline and Fan Backlash
The updated prices are already active for new subscribers, while existing members will see changes on November 4, 2025. However, the news has sparked backlash across the gaming community, with many fans expressing frustration and canceling subscriptions in protest.
Despite the outrage, Microsoft aims to position Game Pass as a more content-rich, premium service — but the question remains whether players will accept the steep new costs.