With a recent shakeup of the company's leadership, longtime CEO Phil Spencer retiring and former president of Microsoft CoreAI Asha Sharma taking over the role, Xbox's future could look very different. As part of this leadership change, an internal memo leaked by Sharma states that the new CEO believes: xbox game passThe price of the company's leading game subscription service has become too high. If this leak is indicative of the company's attitude toward the future of Xbox Game Pass, subscribers could see changes to the pricing structure in the future. But that's not all that should be included in a potential Game Pass rework.
Xbox Game Pass' ever-growing library of games, including the original Game Pass launch, has led to steady increases in the price of the service since its launch in 2017. In addition to the library of games subscribers can access, Game Pass also includes other services such as online multiplayer access and subscriptions to other bundled games like EA Play, Fortnite Crew, and Ubisoft+ Classics. As the service has evolved over nearly a decade, both Xbox Game Pass' pricing model and various subscription tiers have become somewhat more difficult to manage, and reevaluating the service's pricing would be the perfect time to streamline its subscription tiers.
April 30th is suddenly a very busy day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers should mark their calendars for April 30, as it's a particularly busy day for the service.
Any Xbox Game Pass pricing reevaluation should include streamlining tiers.
When Game Pass first launched, it was only available as a single subscription service for Xbox console players, separate from Xbox Live Gold, which is still required for online play of supported games. As the service evolves, there are more recurring features players can choose from with their subscriptions, including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, and PC Game Pass, a dedicated service for PC players. Xbox Live Gold was eventually replaced by Xbox Game Pass Core, which provided a small library of available games and access to online multiplayer services.
In October 2025, Xbox overhauled Game Pass pricing and tiers in a very significant way. The service was divided into four tiers, offering varying levels of library access and other features depending on how much users were willing to pay. As a result, the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has increased significantly. That meant players who wanted access to everything the service had to offer had to either pay big bucks or navigate a confusing hierarchy to determine which features they needed and which they didn't.
Current Xbox Game Pass tiers and offers
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Xbox Game Pass Essentials — $9.99/month
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Xbox Game Pass Premium — $14.99/month
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — $29.99/month
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PC Game Pass — $16.49/month
Xbox Game Pass Essential is the most basic tier on offer and is essentially a rebrand of the core tier that was previously available. Essential gives Xbox Game Pass subscribers access to more than 50 games across consoles, PC, Apple and Android devices, and other supported devices such as the Meta VR headset. This tier also provides access to online console multiplayer services and the ability to stream games you own from Microsoft's cloud gaming service.
Xbox Game Pass Premium goes a step further than Essential, giving subscribers access to over 200 games from the library and features included in the Essential tier, such as online console multiplayer and low-latency Xbox Cloud Gaming for game streaming. This tier is sold as a standard tier for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, with new users getting 14 days of access for just $1. However, it still doesn't include first-party and third-party releases from day one.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most expensive of the tiers, costing twice the premium monthly price, but gives subscribers access to the most content. This tier of service includes the benefits of previous tiers along with over 500 console and PC games, day one game access, and libraries from other subscription services like EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew. However, at $30 a month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will pay $360 for a year of service, making the full Game Pass package a tough pill to swallow for most gamers' wallets.
PC Game Pass is also an option for PC-only players, giving them access to over 300 games, including day one releases, as well as other Game Pass benefits like EA Play and over 50 Ubisoft+ Classics without the cloud streaming option, at a similar price to the Premium tier.
How Game Pass could be streamlined in the future
With how expensive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has become, gamers could be forgiven for opting for a lower subscription tier. But navigating Game Pass's massive library to see which games are available through which tiers can be a headache that will lead some users to just buy Ultimate. In an effort to save gamers money and headaches, here's one way Game Pass could potentially become cheaper and more proactive about which games are available at which tiers.
Perhaps Game Pass could offer a base level tier similar to Essential or Core, giving players access to basic services like online multiplayer and cloud streaming and a limited selection of games for a limited price. Then, rather than having to decide whether to buy Premium or Ultimate to access the games you want, Xbox Game Pass can introduce additional services that group game genres into packages for an extra dollar or two depending on the genre.
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For example, if a Game Pass subscriber is an RPG fan looking to access the following games: The Elder Scrolls 6 On launch day, RPG-tier add-ons that include only select RPGs may be available for a few dollars more. The same goes for other genres like sports, Life-Sim, platformers, and even indies. This categorization not only makes it easier to understand what's included in each tier at a glance, but also provides a basic library of games for fans of all types of genres or those new to gaming.
The cheaper Game Pass may have some major drawbacks.
Obviously, making Game Pass cheaper will require cutting back on some products. The current rumor is that the Game Pass offering will be discontinued. call of dutyBecause that was the reason for the significant price increase in October 2025. However, making other features like EA Play and Fortnite Crew optional add-ons could lower the overall price for gamers who aren't interested in that part of the service and want to streamline their Game Pass experience.
