Streaming services have already seen significant price increases in 2025, and now gamers are facing similar changes. Xbox has announced updates to its Game Pass subscriptions, with the most comprehensive ‘Ultimate’ tier jumping in price by a substantial 50%.
Starting this month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will cost $29.99 per month, up from $19.99. This means members will pay an extra $120 over the course of a year. This price increase follows a previous one in July 2024, when the monthly cost went from $16.99 to $19.99. Xbox is adding new features to each subscription level alongside the price change.
Updates To Tier Plans
Xbox is introducing three new Game Pass options: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. Essential replaces the previous Core plan, while Premium takes the place of Standard. All three plans offer bigger game selections, the ability to play games on the cloud, special perks within games, and a refreshed rewards program.
Microsoft is changing its Game Pass plans. Subscribers to the basic Game Pass Core will be upgraded to the Essential plan. Those with the Standard plan will move to Premium, and Ultimate subscribers will keep their current Ultimate access. The price of Ultimate is going up by 50%, but Essential and Premium will stay at their current prices of $9.99 and $14.99 per month, respectively. The PC Game Pass price is also increasing, going up to $16.49 a month – a rise of over 33%.
Now, with our Ultimate plan, you’ll get even more – it includes Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics for the first time!
If you’re looking for ways to sneak around the price hike, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
To get the most out of your Xbox Game Pass, it’s best to buy as many membership codes as possible (up to 36 months) before stores like Amazon update their prices. Right now, Amazon still has one-month codes for $19.99 and three-month codes for $59.99. You can add up to 12 months at a time, which would cost $719.88 total – about $239.96 per year.
At the new price of $29.99 per month, a three-year Game Pass Ultimate subscription would cost $1,079.94. This is $359.76 more expensive than the price through Amazon.
We understand spending over $700 on a subscription all at once isn’t ideal. However, if you were already intending to subscribe, purchasing now would ultimately save you a significant amount of money – potentially a few hundred dollars. Currently, stores like GameStop, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart haven’t increased their prices like Microsoft has.
Price Breakdown Of Xbox Game Pass Tiers, As of October 2025
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $29.99 a month (up from $19.99 a month)
- Xbox Game Pass Premium – $14.99 a month (same as the old Standard subscription)
- Xbox Game Pass Essential – $9.99 a month (same as the old Core subscription)
- PC Game Pass – $16.49 a month (up from $11.99 a month)
New customers will see the price increase starting October 1st, while current customers will see it starting November 4th.
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2025-10-07 02:03