Microsoft is making a big price change to Xbox Game Pass and some details remain unclear, like when new releases will arrive on the new Game Pass Standard tier.
On July 10, Windows Central reported that Microsoft is increasing the price of Xbox Game Pass, introducing a brand new tier for new users, and making existing tiers unavailable to new subscribers. Game Pass Standard will be available in September and will include Xbox’s back catalog at $14.99 per month. But there’s a catch. The new tier won’t include titles on launch day, which was Game Pass’ main value offering for thrifty players.
Starting in September, players must pay another $5 more to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to enjoy games like upcoming Black Ops 6 immediately on launch. This change was reported on for months prior, but was still slammed by players.
Alongside the frustration regarding the price change, many want to know when newly released games will become available on the Game Pass Standard tier so they can weigh their options.
When will newly released games be added to Xbox Game Pass Standard?
Newly released games will reportedly be added to Game Pass Standard six to 12 months after launch.
Microsoft has remained silent about timetables for when games will be added to the new subscriber tier. But according to Jez Corden who first broke the news, day one games may become playable on Game Pass Standard between “6 and 12 months” after release, but could sometimes take even longer. This will reportedly be handled on a case-by-case basis, which means there’s no set window.
The ambiguity has garnered even more frustration from fans, who are looking for clear communication from Microsoft for multiple reasons. Firstly, consumers want clarity on their purchases, and secondly, the limited time window implies that certain third-party games may never become accessible to Game Pass users. This new system could mean a game like Persona 3 Reload, which arrived on Xbox Game Pass on day one but will be cycled out after a year, simply won’t arrive on the new default tier.
Microsoft may reveal a plan that allows new third-party releases to enter the standard tier earlier than first-party games, but that would only drive players to either purchase their games normally or upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate. The latter seems to be Microsoft’s goal.
The thing that’s frustrating fans the most is that Microsoft likely has a plan, but hasn’t yet disclosed it to the subscribers yet. If the report ends up being true, third-party or not, players won’t get as much out of the base tier of Xbox Game Pass.