A New Era of Game Pass
Microsoft has announced another round of changes to Xbox Game Pass. It’s getting more expensive. The Ultimate tier is jumping from $20 to $30 per month. PC Game Pass is also seeing an increase from $12 to $16.50.
Meanwhile, Core and Standard have been rebranded as Essential ($10) and Premium ($15), though their prices remain unchanged. For most subscribers, the real pain is asking Ultimate members to pay 50% more than before. Microsoft is hoping to sweeten the pot with a set of new perks they say justifies the price hike.
The Ultimate Bundle Gets “More Ultimate”
Ultimate subscribers are promised “more day-one games than ever before”, with more than 75 titles in a year. They’ll also get Fortnite Crew, which is normally $12 a month. This perk gives members the current battle pass, 1,000 V-Bucks each month, along with other in-game rewards.
Game Pass Ultimate now has Ubisoft+ Classics, usually $16 a month. Classics brings a rotating library of Ubisoft titles across console, PC, and cloud.
There’s also the long-awaited upgrade to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which just exited beta. Ultimate members get sharper visuals thanks to streaming quality boosted up to 1440p with higher bitrates (up to 27Mbps compared to the previous 10–17Mbps range). It’s the first major visual upgrade since Microsoft moved its cloud servers to Series X hardware back in 2021.
On paper, the combined value of those perks outweighs the new $30 price tag. Are these extra features something players actually want or is Microsoft inflating the package to justify higher prices?
The Call of Duty Factor
Then there’s the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. It launches on November 14, 2025 and yes, it’ll be on Game Pass day one. You’ll need a Game Pass Ultimate subscription if playing it on launch day is important to you.
The timing of these new changes isn’t a coincidence. The Call of Duty franchise has sold over 500 million copies of their games. A lot of gamers use Game Pass to play games they wouldn’t pay full price for. I wouldn’t put past Microsoft to use the new Call of Duty game to extract as much money as they can during that first week.
A Risky Bet in a Tough Market
It’s crazy that Microsoft is raising prices at a time when everything is getting more expensive. Most U.S. players are priced out from buying Xbox consoles. Speaking of Xbox, they’re not selling all that well. Some retailers like Costco have removed all their Xbox inventory, most likely due to low sales.
That means Game Pass is doing heavy lifting as Xbox’s main selling point. When prices get too high, you risk killing the appeal that made the service popular. Originally only $10 a month, Game Pass was supposed to be an affordable way to access a massive library of the hottest games.
Microsoft is betting that adding flashy extras like Fortnite Crew or improved streaming quality will keep players hooked. If those perks aren’t compelling enough to the average subscriber, they may decide to cancel their subscription instead.
Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Worth the Extra Price?
Is Game Pass Ultimate at $30 a month worth it? That depends on how you use it.
If you’re the kind of player who takes advantage of day-one releases, loves Fortnite or Ubisoft games, you’re getting more than you pay for. If you’re only interested in playing Black Ops 7 on launch day, play then cancel the subscription or wait until it goes on sale.
Microsoft is testing how far gamers’ loyalty to Game Pass can go. By tying price hikes to a blockbuster launch, the company is trying to convince subscribers that $30 a month is the new normal.
Whether that gamble pays off depends on whether players see Ultimate as an irresistible all-in-one package. For now, they see it as a bloated subscription plan with features they don’t actually need. Either way, gamers will have to decide if these upgrades are worth paying extra.
