Following a leaked memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Microsoft is officially lowering the price of Game Pass, its signature subscription service. Starting today, the top-tier Game Pass Ultimate subscription costs $22.99, down from $29.99. The PC-specific version of Game Pass now costs $13.99, a few dollars less than its previous price tag of $16.49. The catch is what is included in these tiers and when.
According to Microsoft, everything that is currently included in either subscription will remain available after the price change. However, future Call of Duty games — including this year’s unannounced Call of Duty entry — will no longer be day one releases on Game Pass. Instead, newer Call of Duty games will be available on Game Pass the following holiday season, or about a year after they first release. Existing Call of Duty titles already on the service will continue to be available for Game Pass subscribers.
The change comes after just two Call of Duty games were day-one releases through Game Pass: 2024’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and last year’s Black Ops 7.
Earlier this month, a memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma called Xbox Game Pass “too expensive.” Sharma said that the company needed to find a better balance when it came to value, and that the solution needed to be flexible. This price decrease appears to be the company’s answer to that dilemma.
