Bilawal Bashir 
Microsoft is reportedly gearing up to introduce a new Xbox Game Pass tier and increase the subscription service’s price. Again.
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that provides players with a healthy catalog of games for a monthly fee. For many, it’s also the chief reason to adopt Xbox consoles instead of PlayStations. A flat fee offers access to plenty of games from various genres and gives day-one first-party titles from Microsoft. Even AAA releases like Starfield, Hellblade 2, and Forza are released on the service on launch day.
According to reports, the service now has over 34 million subscribers and is among the biggest money makers for Xbox. That doesn’t mean it’s making enough to cover the costs, though. Microsoft is targeting 100 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers by 2030 despite reports that the user counts have stagnated for years. Recently, a report detailing studio closures at the company also suggested a price increase is on its way for Xbox Game Pass.
Will Xbox Game Pass get a new subscription tier?
Xbox Game Pass may get a new subscription tier.
Jez Corden and Rand al Thor 19 of The Xbox Two podcast discussed the current state of the Xbox brand, with discussion turning to Game Pass. As part of that, it was suggested that Xbox might introduce a new subscription tier.
“I’ve heard there’s a new tier of Game Pass coming but I have no idea what is involved and what it would be or what it is, I’m just pretty sure it’s happening…they have previously talked about wanting to introduce an ad-based tier in Game Pass,” they said.
An Xbox Game Pass subscription tier that introduces ads has been a regular topic of discussion over recent months. This started after Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart suggested that players could access Game Pass by watching ads. Microsoft has yet to announce another tier. The service already offers four tiers to users.
The Xbox Game Pass has four tiers: the Game Pass Core, Game Pass for Console and PC, and Game Pass Ultimate. The Core version costs $9.99 a month and gives access to online multiplayer and 30 games to play. The Xbox Game Pass Console is $10.99 and lets players access the Game Pass library on consoles. The PC version is a dollar cheaper at $9.99 and only gives access to the PC library. The most expensive Game Pass Ultimate is $16.99 monthly, combining everything in previous tiers.
Will Xbox Game Pass get a price increase?
An Xbox Game Pass price hike is reportedly being considered after the company’s latest round of layoffs.
Microsoft increased the prices of the subscription services in July 2023. The base membership went from $9.99 to $10.99, while the Ultimate jumped from $14.99 to $16.99 monthly. Tom Warren of The Verge states that the company is considering another price increase, but hasn’t pulled the trigger.
The report also mentioned Call of Duty skipping Game Pass, which Xbox President Sarah Bond later contradicted.
