A gamer plays soccer title Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 on an Xbox console.
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Microsoft is raising the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription price by 50% to $29.99 per month, effective immediately, the company announced Wednesday.
The $10 spike comes with a slew of changes to all its Game Pass plans, though its Essential and Premium plans will remain the same price at $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.
The Game Pass Core tier will no longer exist and instead will be rolled into the Essential tier, while Standard subscribers will move to the Premium tier.
“As we continue to evolve Xbox Game Pass, we’re focused on delivering more value, more benefits, and more great games across every plan,” the company said in a release. “Whether you play on console, PC, cloud – or all three – there’s a Game Pass option designed to fit your playstyle.”
The new Ultimate tier would cost $359.88 over the course of a year, with the Premium tier at $179.88 yearly and the Essential tier at $119.88 yearly.
Comparatively, PlayStation Plus Premium’s highest tier is set at $159.99 annually, with the Extra tier at $134.99 and the Essential tier at $79.99.
Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will now have access to over 400 games and more than 75 day-one releases each year, with over 45 new titles added on Wednesday.
Ubisoft+ Classics is joining the Ultimate tier to offer a selection of Ubisoft games, including “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown,” “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” and more. Users will also see improved streaming quality up to 1440p and a new rewards program.
Premium subscribers will also get an expanded library of over 200 games, while the Essential tier will receive over 50 titles. Both will additionally gain unlimited cloud access, which was previously only available through the Ultimate plan.
Microsoft previously reported a record 34 million Game Pass subscribers in 2024 and a total revenue of almost $5 billion over the last fiscal year. Gaming accounted for 8% of the software giant’s total revenue in 2025, company data showed.
Growth in gaming has been bolstered in recent years by Microsoft’s landmark $75.4 billion acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard in 2023, the largest deal in the company’s history.
However, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S are still struggling to compete against Sony‘s PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch 2.
The company reported decreasing console sales in FY 2025, with Xbox hardware revenue down 25% over the last year.
Several Xbox consoles will see price hikes in the U.S. starting in October for the second time this year. The Series X and Series S will increase to $699 and $399, respectively.
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