Microsoft announced on Oct. 1 a new set of changes for Xbox Game Pass that will affect across all three tiers of the service, including folding Windows PC games into every tier — and raising the price for one. The announcement comes from an Xbox Wire post outlining all the changes, though it’s light on specifics in some areas and doesn’t explain how to alter your current subscription if you want to upgrade or downgrade.
Below, we’ve outlined what the Xbox Game Pass changes include, how it affects you, and how to change your subscription.
Xbox Game Pass changes, explained
At a glance, Xbox Game Pass is still available in three tiers: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Premium, and Xbox Game Pass Essential. The latter two effectively replace Xbox Game Pass Standard and Xbox Game Pass Core respectively. That’s a lot of proper nouns to describe things that already had proper nouns. Let’s break it all down.
Most of the changes Microsoft outlined are reserved for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and so is the price increase. Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions previously cost $19.99 per month, and they’ll now run you $29.99 per month. For that price, Microsoft offers:
- Day-one releases for Xbox-published games
- Ubisoft+ Classics, EA Play, and, starting in November, Fortnite Crew
Ubisoft+ Classics includes access to Ubisoft’s retro library and games such as The Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Microsoft put the value of the Ubisoft+ Classics subscription at $15.98 per month, though you can subscribe to it by itself or through PlayStation for $7.99 per month. Fortnite Crew, Fortnite‘s monthly subscription that costs $11.99 each month, gives you 1,000 V-Bucks, along with a few unique items.
Microsoft also promised the “shortest wait times” and “best quality” for Xbox Cloud Gaming, but offered no estimates for wait times and no hard numbers for what that quality is. There’s also a chance to earn up to $100 per year in store rewards. Otherwise, the new Game Pass Ultimate is the same as the old. Microsoft didn’t say whether current subscribers are locked in at the previous Game Pass Ultimate price or whether they’ll be charged retroactively. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update if we hear back.
Xbox Game Pass Standard is now Xbox Game Pass Premium, and its price remains $14.99 per month for now. The biggest change is that Game Pass Premium now includes PC games, where the tier previously only gave subscribers access to console games. This tier still has no launch day access to Xbox-published games, but Microsoft reiterated the promise to make them available to Game Pass Premium subscribers within a year of their release. Premium subscribers will have unlimited access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, though Microsoft didn’t say what quality you’ll have access to or what to expect from wait times. You can also earn up to $50 per year in store rewards.
Then there’s Xbox Game Pass Essential, the new name for Xbox Game Pass Core. Its price also remains unchanged at $9.99 per month, though under this plan, you won’t have access to Xbox-published games for free at any point. Game Pass Essential does include PC games and unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming access, though, again, no word on quality or expected wait times for the latter. This tier gives you the chance to earn $25 per year in store rewards.
All three tiers come with in-game benefits for live-service games on Xbox, including Riot’s games, Overwatch 2, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
How to check your Xbox Game Pass tier
You have a couple of ways to check which tier you’re currently in. On your Xbox console or the Xbox app, open your profile, and scroll down to the “subscriptions” section. It should be directly under your general account information on the first tab, and you’ll see whether you’re currently subscribed to Game Pass and, if so, what tier you’re at.
You can also log in to your Microsoft account. Open the “subscriptions” tab from the navigation bar on the left, and you’ll see your active Game Pass subscription among any other Microsoft subscriptions you currently have.
If you’re fine with what you have, though, you don’t have to do anything. Xbox is automatically moving Game Pass subscribers to the equivalent tier based on which tier you’re currently subscribed to. Here’s how that breaks down.
- Game Pass Ultimate subscribers remain in the same tier
- Game Pass Standard subscribers are moved to Game Pass Premium
- Game Pass Core subscribers are moved to Game Pass Essential
How to change Xbox Game Pass tiers
If you want to upgrade or downgrade your subscription tier, here’s how to do it.
If you’re in the Xbox app or on your console:
- Open your profile settings
- Navigate to “subscriptions”
- Choose the subscription you want to manage, and select “change subscription”
- Select the new tier you want
And if you’re using a web browser:
- Log in to your Microsoft account, and select the “subscriptions” tab
- Choose your Game Pass subscription, and select “manage”
- Pick the tier you want to upgrade or downgrade to
If you upgrade to a new tier, you’ll be charged immediately for the price difference between the old and new tier. If you downgrade, you’ll start paying the new tier’s price when your subscription renews. For example, if you downgrade from Premium to Essential in the middle of the month, you finish that month as a Premium member and start the next as an Essential member.
How to cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription
Follow the steps outlined above to access your subscription. Under your “manage” options, choose to cancel your subscription. Bear in mind that there’s no way to refund what was already spent. Your subscription will just expire at the end of its current period instead of being renewed.
