Microsoft has announced that they will be increasing the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate once again in September. Alongside this price hike, they will be introducing a new “standard” subscription that does not include day-one access to first-party Xbox games.
Current Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have been notified via email of the upcoming price increase to $19.99 a month, starting on September 12th. This is a $3 increase from the current $16.99 a month pricing. PC Game Pass subscribers will also see a price hike from $9.99 to $11.99 per month in September.
These price increases come just before Microsoft plans to add games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to its Game Pass service later this year. The majority of these price changes will affect Ultimate subscribers, who make up a large portion of Game Pass subscribers.
In addition to the Ultimate and PC Game Pass price increases, Microsoft will be introducing a new option for an Xbox Game Pass Standard subscription priced at $14.99 per month for new users. Existing Xbox Game Pass for console subscribers will continue as is, but new subscribers will have to wait until the new Game Pass Standard subscription is available.
It was previously rumored that Microsoft was considering raising Xbox Game Pass Ultimate pricing in anticipation of adding Call of Duty to the service. This price increase will help offset the cost of adding the popular series to Game Pass.
Overall, these changes reflect Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to evolve and improve their subscription services for gamers.
