Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Adjustment
Microsoft has announced a significant price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, raising the monthly subscription cost from $19.99 to $29.99. This represents an additional $120 annually for U.S. subscribers, while UK members will see their monthly fee rise from £14.99 to £22.99, adding £96 to their yearly gaming budget.
New Tier Structure and Benefits
Xbox is introducing three revamped subscription tiers: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. Current Game Pass Core subscribers will automatically transition to Essential, Standard subscribers move to Premium, and Ultimate members remain in the upgraded Ultimate plan. Important to note: only the Ultimate tier is receiving a price increase, with Essential and Premium maintaining their current pricing of $9.99 and $14.99 per month respectively.
According to the original announcement, each tier offers expanded benefits including:
- Larger game libraries with PC titles
- Unlimited cloud gaming access
- Enhanced in-game benefits for Riot Games titles
- Revamped Rewards with Xbox experience
Enhanced Ultimate Benefits
Xbox justifies the price increase by highlighting substantial value additions for Ultimate subscribers. Members will now receive access to 75 day-one game releases annually, supplementing the existing library of over 400 games across Xbox consoles, PC, and cloud platforms. Starting November 18, Fortnite Crew will join the Ultimate package, and the Ubisoft Classics library will become available to subscribers.
Justification for Price Changes
Microsoft attributes the pricing adjustment to several factors, including the continuous addition of new games to Xbox Game Pass and significant improvements to Xbox Cloud Gaming that enhance streaming quality and performance. The company notes that while the price increase may not be ideal for all users, subscribers can offset costs through Store rewards earned by playing games.
Implementation Timeline
The new pricing structure takes effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing members will see the changes reflected in their billing cycles beginning October 4. This pricing update follows the comprehensive coverage of gaming subscription changes across the industry.
