Microsoft has made Xbox Game Pass cheaper after last year’s massive price hike.
READ MORE: Xbox Game Pass 2026: what’s new and what’s worth playing?
In October, Microsoft announced it would be making Xbox Game Pass more expensive. The cheapest Essential tier increased to £6.99, Standard was renamed Premium and rose to £10.99 while Ultimate subscribers started paying £22.99 a month after previously being charged £14.99. “We know not everyone wants the same thing in their Xbox experience, so we’re evolving Game Pass to offer more flexibility, choice, and value to all players,” the company said at the time
Microsoft doesn’t share details about subscriber details but a number of fans said they’d be cancelling their Game Pass membership in protest. Earlier this year, new Xbox boss Asha Sharma admitted that Xbox Game Pass had become “too expensive” and revealed she wanted to make it “more affordable”. Last night (April 21), Microsoft confirmed a price cut for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.
With immediate effect, Ultimate is now priced at £16.99 a month and PC Game Pass will set you back £10.99, down from £13.49. “Game Pass Ultimate has become too expensive for too many players. Starting today, we’re dropping the price,” Sharma wrote on X. “We’ll keep learning and evolving Game Pass to better match what matters to players.”
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.
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…
— Asha (@asha_shar) April 21, 2026
However, new Call Of Duty games will no longer be added to Xbox Game Pass on launch day, with Ultimate subscribers needing to wait “about a year” to be able to play them. “Existing Call Of Duty titles already in the library will continue to be available,” reads a blog post.
“Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far. We’ll continue to listen and learn.”
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a Day One Xbox Game Pass release and went on to become the best-selling game of 2024. However last year’s Black Ops 7 struggled with sales and Call Of Duty had a “tough” 2025.
In other news, the long-awaited Call Of Duty movie adaptation has a release date, but you’ll be waiting until 2028 to watch the blockbuster.
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