The future of Xbox could look very different as shake-ups in company leadership recently saw longtime CEO Phil Spencer retire and former president of Microsoft’s CoreAI Asha Sharma take over the role. As part of this change in leadership, a leaked internal memo from Sharma indicates that the new CEO believes that Xbox Game Pass, the company’s premier game subscription service, has gotten too expensive. If this leak indicates the company’s attitude toward the future of Xbox Game Pass, subscribers could see a change to its pricing structure in the future. But that’s not all that should be included in a potential Game Pass rework.
Xbox Game Pass’s ever-growing library of games, including day-one Game Pass releases, has caused the price of the service to increase steadily since it launched back in 2017. Aside from the library of games subscribers can access, Game Pass also includes other services like online multiplayer access and other game subscriptions bundled in, like EA Play, Fortnite Crew, and Ubisoft+ Classics. As the service has evolved over its almost decade lifespan, both Xbox Game Pass’s pricing model and different subscription tiers have become somewhat unwieldy to manage, and a re-evaluation of the service’s pricing would be the perfect time to streamline its subscription tiers as well.
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Xbox Re-Evaluating the Price of Game Pass Should Include a Streamlining of Tiers
When Game Pass first launched, it was only available as a single subscription service for Xbox console players that was separate from Xbox Live Gold, which was still required for online play in supported games. As the service evolved, it spawned more iterations that players could choose from when subscribing, such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundled Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, and PC Game Pass, a dedicated service for PC players. Eventually, Xbox Live Gold was replaced with Xbox Game Pass Core, which featured a small library of available games and access to online multiplayer services.
Back in October 2025, Xbox overhauled the Game Pass pricing and tier structure in a pretty significant way. The service was divided into four different tiers, offering varying levels of library access and other features depending on how much users were willing to pay. The result saw a huge price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which meant that players wanting access to everything the service had to offer had to shell out big, or navigate the confusing tier structure to determine which features they needed and which they didn’t.
Current Xbox Game Pass Tiers and What They Offer
- Xbox Game Pass Essential — $9.99/Month
- Xbox Game Pass Premium — $14.99/Month
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — $29.99/Month
- PC Game Pass — $16.49/Month
Xbox Game Pass Essential is the most bare bone of the tiers offered, and is basically a rebranding of the Core tier that was previously offered. With Essential, Xbox Game Pass subscribers get access to 50+ games on console, PC, and other supported devices like Apple and Android devices and Meta VR headsets. This tier also offers access to online console multiplayer services and the ability to stream owned games from Microsoft’s Cloud Gaming services.
Xbox Game Pass Premium goes a step beyond Essential to offer subscribers access to 200+ games from its library, along with the features included with the Essential tier like online console multiplayer and Xbox Cloud Gaming with shorter wait times for game streaming. This tier is marketed as the standard tier for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, with new users being able to get 14 days of access for only $1. However, it still doesn’t include first and third-party releases on day one.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most expensive of the tiers, costing double the monthly price of Premium, but offers subscribers access to the most content. Included in this tier’s offerings are 500+ console and PC games, access to day-one games, and libraries from other subscription services like EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew, along with the benefits of the previous tiers. However, at $30 a month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are paying $360 for a full year of service, making it a tough pill for most gamers’ wallets to swallow for the complete Game Pass package.
PC Game Pass is also an option for PC-only players, giving them access to 300+ games, including day-one releases, as well as other Game Pass perks like EA Play and 50+ Ubisoft+ Classics, without the option for Cloud streaming, at a similar price to the Premium tier.
How Game Pass Could Be Streamlined in the Future
With how expensive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has become, gamers would be forgiven for opting for a lower subscription tier. However, trying to navigate Game Pass’s massive library to determine which games are available through which tier can be a headache that might cause some to just bite the bullet and purchase Ultimate. In an effort to save gamers some money and headache, there is one way Game Pass could potentially become more affordable and more upfront with which games are offered in which tier.
Perhaps Game Pass could offer a base-level tier, similar to Essential or Core, that gives players access to a limited selection of games and basic services like online multiplayer and Cloud streaming at an affordable price. Then, rather than having to decide whether to purchase Premium or Ultimate to access their desired games, Xbox Game Pass could introduce an add-on service that groups game genres into a package for an additional dollar or two depending on the genre.
Balance the critic averages
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Medium (8)
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Critical Mass
Pick games to balance the averages.
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Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)Start
Critical Mass
Pick games to balance the averages.
Time: 00:00
Diff: —
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For example, if a Game Pass subscriber is an RPG fan that wants access to The Elder Scrolls 6 on release day, maybe there could be an RPG tier add-on for a few more dollars that only includes a curated selection of RPGs. The same could work for other genres, like Sports, Life-Sim, Platformers, or even something like Indies. This breakdown would make it easier to understand at a glance what each tier includes, while still offering a baseline library of games for fans of all types of genres or newcomers to gaming.
A Cheaper Game Pass Could Come with Some Major Drawbacks
Obviously, in order to make Game Pass cheaper, some offerings will have to be cut. The current rumor is that Game Pass will stop offering Call of Duty, since that was largely the reason for the huge price hike back in October 2025. However, making other features, such as EA Play and Fortnite Crew optional add-ons could reduce the overall price for gamers who aren’t interested in those parts of the service and want to streamline their Game Pass experience.
