Microsoft Announces Major Price Changes to Xbox Game Pass
Last year, Microsoft announced that the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate would increase by $10 to $29.99 per month.
Game Pass Ultimate is the top tier of the subscription service, giving users access to a rotating catalog of games each month. Game Pass Ultimate also includes the ability to play most of Xbox's first-party and partner studio games on Day 1, a perk that makes it an attractive option for players who want to experience the latest games.
The price increase was widely criticized, with many players saying that they felt the cost outweighed the benefits of a subscription. Some said that they intended to cancel their subscriptions when the price increase went into effect, and the pressure was felt internally at Microsoft.
Microsoft Responds to Game Pass Price Concerns
According to a leaked memo obtained by The Verge, Microsoft's Xbox chief Asha Sharma admitted that Game Pass pricing had ballooned out of control.
“Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one,” Sharma said in the memo.
“Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around.”
Game Pass Ultimate has become too expensive for too many players. Starting today, we’re dropping the price from $29.99 to $22.99/month.
— Asha (@asha_shar) April 21, 2026
Future Call of Duty titles will no longer join Game Pass Ultimate on day one. They will join this tier the following holiday after launch (about…
On Tuesday, the company revealed sweeping changes to Game Pass, its pricing structure and even which games would be available on release.
"Starting today, Game Pass Ultimate drops from $29.99 to $22.99 a month. PC Game Pass will also drop from $16.49 to $13.99 a month," Xbox said in a statement, noting that prices may vary regionally.
Xbox Shifts Strategy on 'Call of Duty' Releases
Xbox also announced a change to availability for future Call of Duty games, a decision that comes after many attributed the price increase to the popular series' inclusion in the service.
"Beginning this year, future Call of Duty titles won’t join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch," Xbox says.
"New Call of Duty games will be added to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass during the following holiday season (about a year later), while existing Call of Duty titles already in the library will continue to be available."
Game Pass continues to be an awesome place for players to discover games, including Call of Duty. Our focus remains unchanged: to deliver the best possible Call of Duty game experience for players across every platform. We’ll continue to support Game Pass through catalog titles…
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) April 21, 2026
After Microsoft's acquisition of Activision (Call of Duty's publisher) in 2023, the most recent Call of Duty releases were available from launch on Game Pass.
This included 2024's "Black Ops 6," which Microsoft says dropped $300M in sales after being offered on Game Pass. 82% of "Black Ops 6" sales were noted on PlayStation, a platform with a less comprehensive gaming subscription service.
Many developers and voices within the gaming industry have discussed Game Pass and the impact it has on game sales.
With Call of Duty being one of the flagship games on offer from Activision, it appears that the decision to postpone its arrival on Game Pass could boost sales once again.
As PlayStation and Nintendo continue to assert themselves as leaders in the current console landscape, Xbox will look to regain some of the customer goodwill lost after the Game Pass price increases of 2025. We'll see if the move results in more subscriptions, or if users feel the value of the service compares to what they can get elsewhere.