A new leak claims that Xbox Game Pass is going to increase its prices soon and add new tiers. Additionally, PC Game Pass will reportedly be dropped altogether and lose Day 1 games.
Xbox Game Pass Price Increase Leaked
This week, there have been murmurings around the industry of “big news” being announced by Microsoft about Xbox Game Pass. The announcement was supposedly leaked early, and it’s not looking good.
This latest update comes from a moderator on the gaming enthusiast forum ResetEra. According to the account, Game Pass Ultimate will get a price increase to $25.
“Increase in price for Game Pass Ultimate to $25.” The leak does claim that this price change could be delayed until 2026. Still, the decision will likely not be popular with many Xbox players, given that the Xbox service just had a substantial price increase in July 2024.
The leak also claims that Microsoft will introduce forced advertisements in a new tier being added next year.
All Leaked Changes to Xbox Game Pass
Here’s a breakdown of everything reportedly changing with Xbox Game Pass:
- PC Game Pass is going away and will be GamePass Standard and GamePass Core, and no day 1 games
- Increase in price for GamePass Ultimate to $25 (this may be delayed to 2026)
- Cloud streaming included in all tiers
- Subscription name changes, similar to PSN tiers (unconfirmed)
- Gamepass core -> Essential
- Gamepass Standard -> Gamepass Premium
- Coming in 2026: cheaper ad-based tier
- Streaming only free/cheap tier, time-based, and forced ads.
Microsoft Drops PC Game Pass Day 1 Games
One of the biggest changes coming to the Xbox subscription, according to the leak, is its support for Windows Desktop devices. If true, PC Game Pass is going to go away entirely and will no longer support Day 1 games.
This is a pretty substantial blow, as one of the main selling points of Xbox in recent years is “play anywhere.”
Even so, a big focal point of that strategy has been Microsoft’s integration of Xbox and PC devices. Another eyebrow-raising decision here is the supposedly new Game Pass tier that has forced ads on it. Granted, the leak claims this version will be free. But still, I can’t imagine that would be a pleasant experience.
Xbox Fans Slam Game Pass Changes
Xbox players immediately reacted to the leak with negativity. Many fans called out Microsoft for continuously making the subscription service “worse” every year. Others accused the publisher of being greedy, following their recent decision to also increase the price of the Xbox Series X 2TB model to $799.
“$25 is not worth it for the majority of gamers considering most only buy 2 or 3 games a year,” a user on Reddit wrote.
“From putting their games on other platforms, to increasing the price of their hardware twice in 6 months, now to making these awful changes to Game Pass. Microsoft has done a great job in encouraging everyone NOT to invest in an Xbox,” another player vented.
Only time will tell if the rumor ends up being true. But for what it’s worth, the source of this latest Xbox leak is credible. So prepare for the worst.
The post Xbox Game Pass Leak Reveals Price Hike, Forced Ads, and Bad News for PC Players appeared first on VICE.
