If you’ve been using Xbox Games Pass to access your MMOs and other online games, steel yourself for a significant price hike. Microsoft is preparing to jack up the prices on its all-you-can-game platform by as much as 25% globally starting September 12th.
All of the tiers of access will see an increase of this “Netflix for gamers:”
- Xbox Game Pass for Console will be retired for new users, although existing ones can maintain their subscription.
- PC Games Pass is jumping from $10 a month to $12.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is increasing from $17 to $20.
- The Xbox Game Pass Core (which used to be called Xbox Live Gold) will go from $60 to $75 if you buy it on an annual basis (it will remain $10/month otherwise).
- Microsoft also is introducing an Xbox Game Pass Standard option for $15/month.
Additionally, Microsoft is pulling back somewhat on its previous approach to providing “Day One” games that release elsewhere.
With the price hikes, some have renewed the call for Xbox to offer family plans for households with multiple gamers. “There is no single reason that Microsoft could ever get me to accept that’s not BS that there is no Family Plan for Game Pass beyond a financial one. YouTube has one, Spotify has one, and Netflix has one. So what’s going on?” an author asked at Read Write.
