Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass game subscription service raises prices, with the top plan increasing by 50%
On October 1, 2025 local time, Microsoft added a new plan to its paid game subscription service,
Updates to Xbox Game Pass: Introducing Essential, Premium, and Ultimate Plans - Xbox Wire
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/10/01/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-premium-essential-plans/
Game Pass Price Hike Announced, Will Cost $30/Month For Ultimate - GameSpot
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-pass-price-hike-announced-now-costs-30-month-for-ultimate/1100-6535138/
Game Pass Ad Tier Could Come Next, Expert Says - GameSpot
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-pass-ad-tier-could-come-next-expert-says/1100-6535154/
What the latest Xbox Game Pass changes mean for your subscription
https://www.polygon.com/xbox-game-pass-changes-2025-ultimate-premium-essential-explained/
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Is Getting An Overhaul And A 50 Percent Price Increase - Game Informer
https://gameinformer.com/2025/10/01/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-is-getting-an-overhaul-and-a-50-percent-price-increase
Since the service launched in 2017, satisfaction among Xbox Game Pass subscribers and game creators has steadily increased, with creator participation and player engagement at an all-time high. However, not all users have the same desires. Some want to play new titles on release day, others want to discover hidden gems, others want to play games on multiple devices, and still others want to play games on Xbox Cloud Gaming .
Therefore, Microsoft announced that it will introduce three plans to Xbox Game Pass to suit users' play styles: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. Existing Core users will automatically be moved to the Essential plan, Standard users will automatically be moved to the Premium plan, and Ultimate users will automatically be moved to the Ultimate plan. Core and Standard users will not see any change in their subscription fees due to the plan name change, but Ultimate users will see a 50% increase in their monthly subscription fee, from $19.99 (approximately $2,940) to $29.99 (approximately ¥4,400).
Details of each plan are as follows:
・Essential
For $9.99 (approximately ¥1,470) per month, you can play over 50 games. You'll also get unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming and in-game benefits, including Riot Games titles. You'll also get multiplayer online gameplay on Xbox, and you can earn up to $25 (approximately ¥3,680) in rewards per year by playing games.
・Premium
For $14.99 (approximately 2,200 yen) per month, you can play over 200 games. In addition to the benefits of Essential, you'll also get access to new Xbox titles released within the past year. Plus, you can earn up to $50 (approximately 7,360 yen) in rewards per year.
・Ultimate
For $29.99 per month, you can play over 400 games. In addition to Premium benefits, you can play over 75 Xbox titles from release date. You can also earn rewards from other companies' game subscriptions, such as Ubisoft+ Classics (equivalent to $8.00 per month), EA Play (equivalent to $9.00 per month), and Fortnite Crew (equivalent to $13.20 per month). Plus, you can earn up to $100 (approximately $14,700) in rewards per year.
The '75+ Xbox titles playable from launch day' available with the new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate include upcoming titles such as ' Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 ,' ' High on Life 2 ,' ' Keeper ,' and ' NINJA GAIDEN 4. '
In addition, Xbox Cloud Gaming has been significantly enhanced, providing the highest quality streaming and lowest latency, exclusively for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You can check the list of games playable on Xbox Cloud Gaming below.
Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox.com
https://www.xbox.com/ja-JP/Play
The revamped Xbox Rewards program offers a variety of benefits, including up to 30% off eligible Xbox Game Pass titles, 4x points on game and add-on purchases, and 10% back on eligible Xbox Game Pass library titles and add-ons.
In addition, the price of PC Game Pass will increase from $11.99 (approximately ¥1,760) to $16.49 (approximately ¥2,420) per month. However, there will be no upgrades to PC Game Pass, only a price increase.
'The big question going forward is whether Xbox Game Pass can be a sustainable product outside of consoles, and how it can best reach customers,' said Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at gaming industry research firm Niko Partners . 'At the very least, this will require experimental plans, such as lower-cost plans, plans dedicated to cloud gaming, cheaper ad-supported plans, and mobile-first plans.' He called for a wider range of pricing options.
The primary concern for Xbox at this time is managing the transition from a closed console based ecosystem to an open multi-device ecosystem.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 1, 2025
Console sales have dropped considerably, PC Game Pass uptake has been slow, and cloud is still seen as an extension of existing play,… https://t.co/2xekB8BD8y
Related Posts:
in Web Service, Game, Posted by logu_ii