TLDR:
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now cost $20 per month, offering day-one releases, EA Play titles, and the entire Game Pass catalog.
- A new subscription tier, Xbox Game Pass Standard, will become available in the coming months for $15 per month, lacking day-one releases and EA Play access, but still offering the Game Pass catalog.
- PC Game Pass will now cost $12 monthly, offering day-one releases and the Game Pass catalog on PC, excluding EA Play.
- Xbox Game Pass Core will remain available for the same price as before.
Microsoft finally raised the Game Pass prices for both PC and Xbox consoles, reducing the value of the service for consumers without adding any new content or offerings.
As of now, there are only two Xbox Game Pass subscription tiers for new members: The cheapest version is still Xbox Game Pass Core for $10, which only gives access to a handful of Game Pass catalogs while allowing players to play multiplayer games as well.
Next, you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which now costs $20 per month. This is the highest-tier subscription plan and the only tier for Xbox consoles that provides access to day-one releases. Besides, players can also enjoy EA Play titles, use Cloud Gaming, and benefit from all Game Pass features on a PC next to their Xbox console.
A third tier will also become available in the coming months, named Xbox Game Pass Standard. This one will provide access to the entire Game Pass catalog but excluding EA Play titles and day-one releases. Also, Standard will only be available on Xbox and lacks access to Cloud Gaming. This new tier will cost $15 per month.
So, as you can already guess, the only way for you to play day-one releases via Game Pass on Xbox is to pay $20 per month. Previously, day-one releases were available via a basic Game Pass subscription on Xbox for $15 per month.
When it comes to PCs, however, changes are not too harsh. PC Game Pass will now cost $12 per month with a 20% increase, but the subscription’s features will not be reduced. You will still have access to day-one releases as well as the entire PC catalog of Game Pass, but not EA Play titles.
It doesn’t need complicated calculations to figure out that Game Pass is now much more valuable on PC than Xbox. You can play day-one releases for $12 per month on PC instead of paying $20 per month on consoles. This way, you can save $96 per year on PC, unless you can’t ignore EA Play titles or you are really into Cloud Gaming.
Honestly, we have been long expecting such a price increase from Microsoft, but it was a poor and greedy move by the company to apply the new prices before any of the Call of Duty titles were added to the service, especially with Black Ops 6 on the horizon.
While new players will have to buy the Game Pass subscriptions with new prices as of today, those who are already members of the service with the recurring bill enabled will have to adapt to the new prices from September 12, 2024.
