Xbox Game Pass is getting a price hike alongside complicated tier overhaul

Microsoft just announced some price hikes and tier changes for Xbox Game Pass, its video game subscription service. The changes, which go into effect on July 10, were quietly announced on Xbox’s support site before being noticed by Wario64 and Windows Central.

The most notable change is that Microsoft will no longer allow people to purchase Game Pass for Console. While existing subscriptions won’t be affected, people will have to instead opt for Xbox Game Pass Core or the new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier, which is launching “in the coming months.” Xbox Game Pass Standard will cost $15 a month and give subscribers access to online multiplayer on consoles, but won’t support cloud gaming or have immediate access to “some games available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one.”

More importantly for current subscribers, price hikes are coming. These take effect on July 10 for new subscribers and September 12 for existing members. Here’s the breakdown of how each tier is changing in price in the United States:

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will go from $17 a month to $20 a month.
• PC Game Pass will get a price hike from $10 a month to $12 a month.
• A 12-month Xbox Game Pass Core subscription will go up in price from $60 to $75.

2024 is shaping up to be a big year for Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft just brought the service to Amazon Fire TVs, and it’s getting plenty of exciting day-one games this year. Next week, Capcom’s Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will launch on Xbox Game Pass. Later this year, first-party titles such as Age of Mythology: Retold, Avowed, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will also be added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as day-one titles.

Microsoft seems to think this is enough to justify a price hike and some significant changes to its popular subscription service. Personally, I find these changes very confusing and wish Xbox were clearer in its messaging about all this outside of saying that “these changes will enable us to bring members more value and more great games to Game Pass.”