For years now, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass has set itself apart by offering subscribers launch-day access to new first-party titles in addition to a large legacy library of older games. That important “day one” perk is now set to go away for all but the highest tier of Game Pass’ console subscribers, even as Microsoft asks for more money for Game Pass across the board.
Let’s start with the price increases for existing Game Pass tiers, which are relatively straightforward:
- “Game Pass Ultimate” is going from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.
- “Game Pass for PC” is going from $9.99 to $11.99 per month.
- “Game Pass Core” (previously known as Xbox Live Gold) is going from $59.99 to $74.99 for annual subscriptions (and remains at $9.99 for monthly subscriptions).
Things get a bit more complicated for the $10.99/month “Xbox Game Pass for Console” tier. Microsoft announced that it will no longer accept new subscriptions for that tier after today, though current subscribers will be able to keep it (for now) if they auto-renew their subscriptions.
I tend to pick up Gamepass for 1 month at a time when there is a game I want to play on there. Last time it was Hellblade 2, I grabbed it and played a couple sittings to finish it and then cancelled the sub immediately. I feel that is good value for money since I can check out a few other games in the 30 days.
I wouldn’t consider it worthwhile if I didn’t have an Xbox Series S though. If my main gaming device was a PC then I’d stick to being patient and waiting for sales. Series S + Nintendo Switch has been a solid combo for my budget gaming needs this gen.
Why?
I do the same thing you do, just on PC. What makes PC different, to you?