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It’s all changed again for Xbox. Microsoft has once again introduced a new pricing structure for its flagship gaming subscription, Xbox Game Pass. And while we’d all appreciate a price drop of some sort, it’s of course gone the other way, with an increase at every tier, in addition to the introduction of a new standard subscription.
With so many changes, it can be a minefield. After all, we all want to play the latest games for a reasonable price. To make it easier, we’ve broken down all the Xbox Game Pass tiers. This includes monthly, annual, and the differences between PC Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
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Another change we mentioned that’s coming is that Microsoft has announced a new tier — Xbox Game Pass Standard — which will cost $15 and be available starting in mid-September. It won’t include day-one releases like Call of Duty, Indiana Jones, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it’s still a cheaper way to get access to the subscription.
Either way, we’ll continue to update this page as more Xbox deals appear, so check back often to see what the best prices are.
Game Pass Core vs. Console vs. Ultimate
This announcement comes with new pricing and tiers. New subscribers will immediately pay new prices for all tiers. Existing Xbox Game Pass subscribers will see price increases starting in September, giving them a few months to take advantage of the current pricing. Below, we’ll break down each tier and what changes they make. Microsoft also announced a new tier Xbox Game Pass Standardwhich costs only $15 per month. It is also scheduled for release in September.
Game Pass Core
Game Pass Core will remain $10 per month, but the annual fee will jump from $60 per year to $75 per year. It includes everything previously included with a Gold subscription, including access to online multiplayer for console gamers. This new membership also includes access to a library of more than 25 titles, including popular games like Halo 5: Guardians and Fallout 4.
PC Game Pass
If you’re a PC gamer, PC Game Pass is still budget-friendly. It’s going from $10 to $12 per month, but it still includes access to a much larger library of hundreds of PC games, as well as day one access to new games. This subscription also includes an EA Play membership, which adds a few extra titles to your library and provides exclusive rewards and content for select EA games.
Game Pass console
Game Pass Console subscriptions are being phased out. You can enjoy them if you are an existing subscriber to this plan, but new signups will not be able to choose this from one of Microsoft’s options.
Game Pass Standard
This new tier appears to be Microsoft’s replacement for Game Pass Console. It’s not available yet, but is expected to launch in the coming months. Once it’s out, it will cost $15 per month and offer benefits like select discounts, online multiplayer, and other perks of the soon-to-be-defunct Console tier. It won’t include games released on day one.
Game Pass Ultimate
Game Pass Ultimate is the best of all worlds, and it’s more or less untouched by the revamp. Going from $17 a month to $20, an Ultimate subscription bundles the benefits of both a Core and Console membership. You’ll get access to the entire Game Pass library across console, PC, and mobile, including day one access to select titles, and the ability to participate in online multiplayer, too.
You also get perks like exclusive offers and in-game content, and it includes the EA Play subscription that you get with the PC membership. Like many, our reviewer called Game Pass Ultimate the “best content deal in gaming,” and it’s the best option for all-round gamers who don’t want to compromise.
Best subscription deals available now
In contrast to the similar subscriptions for PlayStationThere’s no official annual membership plan. Deals directly from Xbox do pop up occasionally, but they’re usually only for new subscribers. Since the renewal is still fairly new, there aren’t too many discounts available yet, but you can save some money via third-party providers with a little digging. To help you save a little money each month, we’ve rounded up some of the best (and only) deals currently available below.
If you only want to go one month at a time, you don’t need to worry about Microsoft’s official pricing. CDKeys has the same Xbox Game Pass Ultimate monthly subscription available, but for $9 cheaper. Get access to hundreds of games across console, PC, and cloud, along with day one releases, discounts, and an EA Play membership for 34% less. Why pay more?
This CDKeys deal is the best value you’ll find right now if you’re looking for a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Ultimate already saves you just over $3 per month by bundling a Game Pass Core and Console membership, and this quarterly subscription deal saves you $29 over 3 months. Existing or previous Game Pass subscribers can purchase these codes, and they stack. You can renew your membership and prepay for multiple months at a lower cost.
Another retailer offering a cheaper solution than Microsoft’s official pricing is Amazon’s subsidiary Woot. It has both a monthly and a three-month subscription for sale and while it’s not as cheap as CDKeys, it’s ideal for anyone looking to stack discounts, with the latter only allowing a quantity of five.
If you don’t feel like signing up for a yearly subscription, there’s a great six-month option that usually costs $10 per month. This CDKeys deal brings the subscription down to the equivalent of around $6 per month.
If you just want a basic Game Pass Core membership, you can save big if you sign up through CDKeys. This deal gets you a 12-month subscription for just $43, which works out to just under $4 per month instead of the usual $10. That’s a whopping $77 saving.
