Microsoft hikes price of Xbox Game Pass by 50% “to offer more flexibility, choice, and value to all players”

Microsoft is raising the price of its subscription service Xbox Game Pass, with its most expensive tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, increasing from $19.99/£14.99 to $29.99/£22.99 per month.

Xbox Game Pass Standard — now rebadged as Xbox Game Pass Premium — has increased from $11.99/£9.99 to $14.99/£10.99 a month, and its most affordable tier, formerly known as Core but now renamed Xbox Game Pass Essential, costs $9.99/£6.99. The cost for PC Game Pass has similarly been increased from $11.99/£9.99 to $16.49/£13.49 per month.

Microsoft says the increase comes as it expands its offering, with Fortnite Crew (valued at $11.99/month) and Ubisoft+ Classics (valued at $7.99/month) added to its Ultimate library, as well as enhanced Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality and access to over 75 day one releases a year, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

“Our goal with Game Pass has been clear: deliver unmatched value, benefits, and a deep library of games for our players,” the company said. “Since launching in 2017, we’ve steadily grown our subscriber and creator satisfaction – and today, creator participation and player engagement in Game Pass are at an all-time high. But we have the opportunity for Game Pass to help more players find the creators and games they love.

“We know not everyone wants the same thing in their Xbox experience, so we’re evolving Game Pass to offer more flexibility, choice, and value to all players, whether you love day one releases, discovering hidden gems, or playing across multiple devices and screens and across Xbox consoles, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud.”

Some players responding to the news online to check their subscriptions or cancel are reporting issues loading the website or app.

The price increase follows last week’s announcement that a second price increase for Xbox Series X|S consoles in the United States, rising from between $20 to $70 across its hardware range, was on the way.

The price hike also comes just days after new research showed that in August 2025, Xbox players played an average of 5.7 different titles compared to 3.7 titles played by PlayStation users.