Xbox Game Pass Could Be Getting the Fix It Desperately Needs, but It May Not Be Enough

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Xbox Game Pass has faced some recent challenges, and many fans, including myself, are disappointed. The price increase planned for 2025 initially caused a lot of upset, but people have mostly accepted it now. While the game library remains strong, the added features that increase the price are frustrating for those who want a simpler, more straightforward service. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like things will return to how they were anytime soon, if ever.

Xbox Game Pass has recently faced criticism, but there’s hope for improvement. The new head of Xbox, Asha Sharma, is said to have promising plans to address concerns about the service becoming too expensive and underwhelming. This is especially good news since prices are reportedly going up soon. While these changes could offer a short-term boost, Game Pass may need even more flexibility to win back and keep players long-term.

Xbox Boss Is Reportedly Thinking About Making Game Pass Cheaper

Following the significant price increases planned for Xbox Game Pass in 2025, many have hoped that Sharma would reverse the decision, particularly after she demonstrated a clear understanding of the negative reaction to the previous leadership’s plans. According to a new report, she appears to be considering ways to make Xbox Game Pass more affordable and accessible. While it’s reasonable to expect Xbox leadership to explore this, it’s encouraging news, as it suggests potential changes – similar to her quick decision to scrap the poorly received “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign.

The report indicates that Sharma has been exploring ways to make Xbox Game Pass more attractive to customers, particularly by experimenting with different price options, including potentially lower-cost plans. It’s unclear exactly what these changes might look like, or if she plans to add new, cheaper tiers. This is somewhat puzzling, as Game Pass already has an ‘Essential’ tier. While the ‘Essential’ tier does offer some value, it’s hard to see how it could be made cheaper without significantly reducing what it offers to players.

Many gamers have been hoping for this change. Game Pass used to be the best value in gaming, but that’s not really true anymore. While it’s still cheaper than buying games individually, most major titles on the service go on sale for significant discounts, and new releases people want will likely be discounted soon after they come out. There are always a few exceptions, but even Xbox’s own games eventually get heavily discounted. Paying $360 a year doesn’t seem worth it when most of us already have plenty of games to play while we wait for sales on new releases.

It’s no surprise fans are hoping Game Pass returns to being a great value, but it’s likely just as important to Xbox itself, as the service may be losing money. Xbox won’t publicly share subscription numbers, so we’ll never know for sure how the price increase affected things. Interestingly, the cancellation page crashed shortly after the price went up, and many people online have been talking about cancelling their subscriptions. While this isn’t definitive proof, it suggests a possible decline in subscribers and isn’t a promising sign.

Xbox Game Pass Needs A Lot More Flexibility

The main problem with changing Xbox Game Pass pricing is that Xbox can’t easily lower the cost of its existing plans. Right now, the service includes things like Fortnite Crew, EA Play, and Ubisoft Classics, which unnecessarily raise the price. Because of these additions, Xbox can’t reduce costs and had to increase prices instead. The best solution is to offer more flexible and affordable options, instead of sticking with the current, expensive setup.

Instead of making everyone pay more for games they don’t want – like Fortnite, EA titles, or Ubisoft games – Xbox could offer these as optional add-ons. This would allow customers to customize their Game Pass subscription and potentially pay less. Currently, the price has increased, likely to offset the cost of acquiring Activision-Blizzard, and including games like Call of Duty contributes to that. If Xbox let players choose what they want, those who aren’t interested in certain games – like Call of Duty – could pay a lower price for a Game Pass subscription that better suits their needs.

This model is already common practice – Amazon Prime, for example, lets users add subscriptions like Paramount+ directly through its platform in the UK. It’s convenient, keeping everything in one place and simplifying management. It’s unclear why Xbox Game Pass hasn’t offered a similar option, particularly since they actively partner with services like EA and Ubisoft.

It seems clear to me that this approach benefits consumers by preventing them from being locked into Xbox’s higher prices. However, I believe that if people have no other options, they’ll eventually cancel the service altogether, as its appeal will diminish. Unlike movies and TV, where renting a new release can be surprisingly expensive, making a subscription seem worthwhile, gaming offers plenty of affordable choices, both digitally and physically. Game Pass isn’t essential for enjoying games. But, if the price were lowered, similar to how Netflix started, it could once again feel like a necessary service.

What improvements would you like to see for Xbox Game Pass? Share your thoughts in the ComicBook Forum discussion!

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2026-03-31 15:11