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Microsoft’s Game Pass, once the best deal in gaming, is now a mess of convoluted subscription tiers. I previously called it Xbox’s first step into enshittification. This week, Microsoft made the changes to Game Pass official, and it already seems console gamers are getting the short end of the stick. Console gamers who are Game Pass subscribers will need to pay more to access the same services—including access to day-one games.
Previously, the Xbox Game Pass Console tier offered loads of services, including game downloads, discounts on other titles, and access to day-one releases like last year’s Starfield. That’s done away with in favor of two lower-cost subscription tiers that offer less. Xbox Game Pass Core only nets you discounts, online multiplayer, and a few games available for download. The new $15-a-month Standard tier allows access to the full game download library, but if you want day-one releases, you’ll need to pay $20 a month for Game Pass Ultimate. That same tier only costs $17 if you purchased it before Sept 10.
Meanwhile, PC subscribers still have everything they did previously, though it now costs $12 a month instead of the previous $10. That includes day-one releases, discounts, and hundreds of games available to download. Unless you want to do cloud gaming—a service currently restricted to Ultimate—you’re already set on PC.
👋 Say hello to the newest @XboxGamePass plan: Game Pass Standard.
Curious to see which plan fits how you play? We've got all the info you need right here: https://t.co/ahQxZYbtij pic.twitter.com/MVn6NvkvWJ
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 10, 2024
To make that graphic more clear, here’s the pricing structure for Game Pass now:
PC Game Pass: $12 a month Game Pass Core: $10 a month Game Pass Standard: $15 a month Game Pass Ultimate: $20 a monthAs per an FAQ published by Microsoft, current Ultimate, Core, and PC Game Pass subscribers will need to start paying more for their subscriptions on Thursday, Sept. 12. The price changes will be evident the next time you pay for your subscription.
If you’re a console gamer and want to maintain the benefits of Xbox Game Pass for Console, you’ll need to keep up your automatic payments. Starting Sept. 18, the maximum extension you’ll get for that previous subscription tier is 13 months. As soon as you turn off automatic payments, you’ll lose the benefits of the Console tier and need to switch to Core, Standard, or Ultimate.
PC gamers only have to worry about a hit to their wallet. Those on Xbox Series X or Series S lose access to day-one games unless they pay $5 to $10 more monthly. This change comes a few months before major games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl are set to drop as day-one games. The upcoming Frostpunk 2, set to release Sept. 20, will only be available for download for Game Pass PC or Ultimate subscribers. The result is that PC gamers are far better positioned than their contemporaries on Xbox to enjoy the biggest releases of the year.
Ultimate is still a relatively good deal if you find there are games on it you’ve been desperate to play for a while. It’s how I finally managed to play Pentiment and Persona 3 Reload. I’ve found the in-game latency was low enough to stream most single-player games, though I would hesitate to try the same with multiplayer titles. If you have a fair-to-good gaming PC, you really don’t need to pay the extra $8 a month unless you want to game on the go. I personally enjoy streaming games on my Steam Deck.
For console gamers, it’s just a harder pill to swallow. It might still be worth paying for Ultimate if you really want to try the new Indiana Jones game on release Dec. 9. But, let’s remember, a little patience can go a long way.
