We all know the saying about death and taxes, but it’s funny to think that Xbox Game Pass wasn’t part of the original list…
Good morning, Xbox fans! We have some updates about Xbox Game Pass for you today.
Xbox Game Pass is widely considered the best value in gaming, and it’s easy to see why. For a low monthly price, you get access to a huge library of hundreds of games, plus extra perks. It’s a fantastic option for anyone who owns an Xbox, especially now. 2025 has been an incredible year for the service, with major releases like DOOM: The Dark Ages, the Oblivion Remake, Hollow Knight Silksong, Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Atomfall, and many other great games available from day one.
Xbox Game Pass is so popular that some critics wonder if it can actually make money in the long run. There’s been a lot of discussion about whether it hurts traditional game sales and how it affects the gaming industry as a whole. While developers who use the service generally like it, concerns persist about how it impacts Microsoft’s own game studios, since their new games are available on Game Pass right away.
The good news, and then the bad news
Xbox Game Pass is getting a major overhaul, bringing both improvements and significant price adjustments.
Xbox Game Pass has been updated! Game Pass Core is now called Game Pass Essential, and Game Pass Standard is now Game Pass Premium. Plus, Xbox Cloud Gaming is officially launching – it’s now included with all Game Pass tiers except PC Game Pass.
| Game Pass Tier | Old Benefits & Price | New Benefits & Price |
|---|---|---|
| Game Pass Core (now Game Pass Essential) | $9.99/mo (US) £6.99/mo (UK)Xbox consoles only25+ curated console gamesMember deals & discountsOnline console multiplayer |
$9.99/mo (US) £6.99/mo (UK) Xbox, PC, and cloud 50+ curated Xbox, PC, cloud games Unlimited access to cloud gaming and Stream Your Own Game (longer waiting times) Member deals & discounts Online console multiplayer Microsoft Rewards from gaming up to $25 (25k points) In-game benefits for Riot Games (and others) |
| Game Pass Standard (now Game Pass Premium) | $14.99/mo (US) £10.99/mo (UK)Xbox consoles onlyHundreds (200+) of curated console gamesMember deals & discountsOnline console multiplayerNew Xbox Game Studios titles added up to a year after launch |
$14.99/mo (US) £10.99/mo (UK) Xbox, PC, and cloud Hundreds (200+) of curated Xbox, PC, and cloud games Unlimited access to cloud gaming and Stream Your Own Game (shorter waiting times) Member deals & discounts Online console multiplayer New Xbox Game Studios titles added up to a year after launch (but not Call of Duty) Microsoft Rewards from gaming up to $50 per year (50k points) In-game benefits for Riot Games, Overwatch, etc. |
| PC Game Pass | $11.99/mo (US) $9.99/mo (UK)Windows PC onlyHundreds (400+) of PC gamesDay-one Xbox Game Studios titles (including Call of Duty)EA Play vault accessMember deals & discounts In-game benefits for Riot Games (and others) |
$16.49/mo (US) £13.49/mo (UK)Windows PC onlyHundreds (400+) of PC gamesDay-one Xbox Game Studios titles (including Call of Duty)EA Play vault access Ubisoft+ classics access (40+ games)Member deals & discounts In-game benefits for Riot Games, Overwatch, etc. |
| Game Pass Ultimate | $19.99/mo (US) £14.99/mo (UK)Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and cloudHundreds (400+) Xbox, PC, and cloud gamesDay-one Xbox Game Studios titles, including Call of DutyEA Play vault accessOnline console multiplayerMember deals & discountsIn-game benefits for Riot Games, Overwatch, etc |
$29.99/mo (US) £22.99/mo (UK)Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and cloudHundreds (400+) Xbox, PC, and cloud games A guarantee of 75+ day one game launches per year Unlimited access to cloud gaming and Stream Your Own Game (shortest waiting times, 1440p resolution and boosted bitrate)Day-one Xbox Game Studios titles, including Call of DutyEA Play vault access Ubisoft+ classics access Online console multiplayerMember deals & discounts In-game benefits for Riot Games, Overwatch, etc. now includes Fortnite Crew subscription |
Both Game Pass Core (soon to be Essential) and the higher tiers will receive significant improvements. Core’s game library will more than double to over 50 titles, and now includes games playable on PC and through the cloud. Plus, members will get unlimited access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, though there might be wait times depending on demand. The price will stay the same, making the added cloud gaming and extra games a great value.
As announced, Xbox Game Pass Standard is now called Game Pass Premium. This upgraded service now includes PC and cloud games, plus over 40 titles from the Xbox back catalog, including popular games like Forza Horizon 5, Minecraft, Hogwarts Legacy, Frostpunk 2, and Diablo IV. You’ll also get access to Xbox Cloud Gaming with faster loading times. Microsoft promises that all new games from Xbox Game Studios (except for Call of Duty) will be available on the service within a year of their release. And the best part? The price stays the same!
The monthly price of PC Game Pass is going up from $11.99 to $16.49. However, the price increase includes access to Ubisoft+ Classics, which adds 40 more games to the library. You’ll still get new games from Xbox Studios, including Call of Duty, on the day they’re released. Unfortunately, this version of Game Pass won’t include cloud gaming.
Here’s the biggest change: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now cost $29.99 per month, a 50% price increase from its previous price of $19.99. Microsoft says you’ll get over 75 new games added to the service each year, including high-quality titles like Expedition 33, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and Call of Duty. Plus, Ultimate subscribers will also get access to the Ubisoft+ Classics library with over 40 games, and a Fortnite Crew subscription with free in-game currency and items. Finally, Xbox Cloud Gaming for Ultimate members is getting an upgrade with sharper 1440p resolution, faster streaming speeds, and priority access.
Microsoft is also updating how Microsoft Rewards works with Xbox Game Pass. Users have noticed they can no longer directly buy Game Pass subscriptions using Rewards points. Now, the amount of Xbox credit you earn through Rewards depends on your Game Pass tier – Ultimate members get the most, while Essential members get the least. Microsoft has also set a yearly limit on how much credit you can earn, likely because the previous system was too rewarding.
New games joining Xbox Game Pass today
I’m so excited – a whole bunch of new games just dropped on Xbox Game Pass! A lot of them are from the Ubisoft+ Classics collection, which is awesome, but they also surprised us with some other titles, like Hogwarts Legacy! It’s a really great day to be a Game Pass subscriber.
New games in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (October 1, 2025):
Load full list ↴
- Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed II (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed III Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag: Freedom Cry (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Revelations (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection (Cloud and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Unity (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Child of Light (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry 3 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry Primal (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Hungry Shark World (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Monopoly Madness (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Monopoly 2024 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- OddBallers (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (Cloud and Console)
- Rabbids: Party of Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Rayman Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Risk Urban Assault (Cloud and Console)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Skull and Bones (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series XS)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- STEEP (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- The Crew 2 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- The Settlers: New Allies (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trackmania Turbo (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Transference (Cloud and Console)
- Trials Fusion (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trials of the Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trials Rising (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- UNO (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- WATCH_DOGS (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Wheel of Fortune (Cloud and Console)
- ZOMBI (Cloud, PC, and Console)
New games in Xbox Game Pass Premium (also in Ultimate):
- 9 Kings (Game Preview) — PC
- Abiotic Factor — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Against the Storm — Cloud, PC, Console
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition — PC
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — PC
- Age of Mythology: Retold — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Ara: History Untold — PC
- Arx Fatalis — PC
- Back to the Dawn — Cloud, PC, Console
- BATTLETECH — PC
- Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) — PC
- Cataclismo — PC
- Cities: Skylines II — PC
- Crime Scene Cleaner — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Diablo — PC
- Diablo IV — PC, Console
- An Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire — PC
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard — PC
- Fallout — PC
- Fallout 2 — PC
- Fallout: Tactics — PC
- Football Manager 2024 — PC
- Frostpunk 2 — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Halo: Spartan Strike — PC
- Hogwarts Legacy — Cloud, PC, Console
- Manor Lords (Game Preview) — PC
- Minami Lane — Cloud, PC, Console
- Minecraft: Java Edition — PC
- Mullet Madjack — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- My Friendly Neighborhood — Cloud, PC, Console
- One Lonely Outpost — Cloud, PC, Console
- Quake 4 — PC
- Quake III Arena — PC
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein — PC
- Rise of Nations: Extended Edition — PC
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Sworn — Cloud, PC, Xbox Series XS
- Terra Invicta (Game Preview) — PC
- Volcano Princess — Cloud, PC, Console
- Warcraft I: Remastered — PC
- Warcraft II: Remastered — PC
- Warcraft III: Reforged — PC
- Wolfenstein 3D — PC
New games in Xbox Game Pass Essential (also in Ultimate and Premium):
- Cities: Skylines Remastered (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S)
- Disney Dreamlight Valley (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Hades (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (Cloud, PC, and Console)
A nice boost for the lower tiers, but a hard pill for Ultimate
The changes coming to Xbox Game Pass are closely tied to Microsoft’s plans for Xbox hardware made by other companies. Devices like the Xbox Ally, and a future “Xbox PC” currently in development for 2026, don’t easily fit the existing Game Pass model unless you have the most comprehensive Game Pass Ultimate subscription. When you buy an Xbox Ally, you also get access to some PC games and cloud gaming as part of the package.
As a researcher following Microsoft’s gaming strategy, I’ve been watching their moves with Xbox Game Pass closely. They’ve recently expanded the benefits of Game Pass to include more PC users, and removed the ‘Beta’ label from Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is a great sign of maturity. They’ve also improved the streaming quality. While providing cloud gaming at this scale isn’t inexpensive – running all those servers adds up – I appreciate that Microsoft is including it as part of the existing Game Pass subscription at no extra cost.
The recent, significant price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is hard to ignore. It seems likely this change is meant to offset the financial impact of including Call of Duty games in the service. It’s notable that this is happening right before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in November. Going forward, only Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have access to the newest Call of Duty games, and the service’s price was already increased when Call of Duty was first added.
If you don’t play games like Call of Duty or subscribe to Fortnite Crew, the new Xbox Game Pass options don’t seem very appealing. It would be great to customize plans based on how you play, but the system is complicated enough as it is. We’re still waiting for a family plan or the ability to easily add extra users, similar to Netflix. It’s also unclear how well Xbox Cloud Gaming will work for those on lower-priced plans, making it hard to say if those tiers will be worthwhile.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is still a great deal, but only if you regularly use everything it offers. Many people feel there are simply too many games available, which raises the question of whether recent changes are meant to genuinely improve the service or are focused on offsetting the impact of adding (or potentially losing) Call of Duty. Call of Duty is incredibly popular, but also very costly to produce. It’s likely that offering it through Game Pass was hurting overall sales, as players were choosing the subscription instead of buying the game for its full $70 price, and that problem would likely have worsened over time.
If that were the case, Microsoft would likely have removed Call of Duty from Xbox Game Pass. However, they actually *added* it to the service as a key reason to convince regulators to approve their purchase of Activision-Blizzard. Keeping Xbox Game Pass Ultimate appealing with a diverse range of games was probably becoming hard, since Call of Duty was taking up so much of the subscription revenue. Microsoft essentially charges Game Pass a fee – which goes back to game developers – to cover potential lost sales from players buying the game separately.
Currently, Xbox Game Pass has around 35 million members, though Microsoft hasn’t recently announced any specific subscriber numbers. It’s unclear whether recent changes will help the service attract more players or have a negative impact.
What do you think? Vote in our poll, and drop a comment.
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2025-10-01 17:21