Microsoft is lowering the price of Game Pass for millions of subscribers. However, there is a catch: future Call of Duty games will not be available on Game Pass at launch, so subscribers will need to buy those games separately if they want to play them right away. Starting now, Game Pass Ultimate costs $22.99 per month instead of $29.99, and PC Game Pass drops from $16.49 to $13.99 per month. This change comes after a leaked memo from new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma, who said Game Pass had become “too expensive for players” and needed a “better value equation”.
What’s changing with Xbox Game Pass?
Starting this year, new Call of Duty titles will no longer join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass on day one. Instead, they will arrive about a year later, during the following holiday season. According to Microsoft’s official blog post, the company is responding to “a lot of feedback” from players. The Xbox team added that while “there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone,” they will continue to listen and learn.
- Lower monthly cost: Game Pass Ultimate is now $7 cheaper per month. PC Game Pass is $2.50 cheaper.
- No more day-one Call of Duty: Future Call of Duty games will not launch on Game Pass. You’ll need to buy them separately or wait about a year.
- Other games unaffected: All other first-party Xbox games will still be available on Game Pass on day one.
- Existing Call of Duty games stay: Games already on Game Pass, including Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, remain available.
The price cut undoes a 50% increase from last October, when Microsoft raised the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $30 per month. That was the second price hike in 15 months and caused many players to cancel their subscriptions. So far, only two Call of Duty games have launched on Game Pass as day-one releases: 2024’s Black Ops 6 and last year’s Black Ops 7. Prices for other Game Pass tiers are staying the same. The Essential tier is still $9.99 per month, and Premium remains $14.99 per month.
In conclusion, Microsoft is lowering Game Pass prices, but subscribers will have to wait a year before playing new Call of Duty games, rather than getting them as soon as they come out. This means they pay less each month but cannot play the newest Call of Duty games right away. Subscribers save money but have to wait for new releases.
