All Xbox Game Pass Changes, Explained

Microsoft has shaken up Xbox Game Pass once again, effectively relegating Day One releases to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. But that’s not all, so to clear things up, here are all Xbox Game Pass changes explained.

Here’s How the Xbox Game Pass Changes Will Affect You

Before I dive into every one of these slightly baffling Xbox Game Pass changes, I’ll give you the short version. Here’s how these changes will affect you personally, depending on what Xbox Game Pass tier you subscribe to.

No Xbox Subscription (Xbox): You’ll still need, at minimum, an Xbox Game Pass Core subscription to play online (free-to-play games aside) on your console. But if you do decide to subscribe, your choices are now Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Standard and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Game Pass Core (Xbox): The only thing that’s changed for you is that if you pay yearly for Xbox Game Pass Core, the price has gone up from $59.99 to $74.99. The monthly cost of Core remains the same.

Xbox Game Pass Console (Xbox): Xbox Game Pass Console (once known as Xbox Live Gold) has been shuttered to new users. So, if you’re paying monthly, or have paid 12 months in advance, you’ll retain the same benefits.

That includes the whole Xbox Game Pass library with Day One games. However, if you cancel or your subscription lapses, you won’t be able to resubscribe. You now can’t stack more than 13 months on your account, so loading your account with years of Xbox Game Pass console isn’t an option.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Xbox and PC): Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is going up by three dollars, from $16.99 to $19.99. You’ll have all the same benefits, but you’ll be paying more. The price rise hits new members now, but as an existing member you won’t feel it till September 12, 2024.

PC Game Pass (PC): PC Game Pass is going up from $9.99 to $11.99, now for new members and after September 12, 2024 for existing members. Your benefits remain the same.

Related: Everything Announced at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase (Summer Game Fest)

Here’s What You Need to Know About Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass’ New Tiers

There are a couple of takeaways from these changes. Firstly, some tiers are becoming up to 25% more expensive. And secondly, Day One Xbox Game Pass games have been relegated to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Here’s what each tier has to offer. Xbox Game Pass Standard hasn’t launched yet but will shortly. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed how long Xbox Game Pass Standard subscribers will have to wait for Day One games to hit the regular Game Pass library.

• Xbox Game Pass Core ($9.99 a month) Online play, access to a limited Xbox Game Pass library.
• Xbox Game Pass Standard ($14.99 a month): Online play, access to the full Xbox Game Pass Library, but no Day One games.
• PC Game Pass ($11.99 a month): Access to the full PC Game Pass Library, including Day One games (the PC doesn’t require a subscription for online play), plus EA Play and discounts and perks.
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($19.99) : Online play, access to the full Xbox and PC Game Pass Libraries including Day One games, Plus EA Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming and discounts and perks.

Twitter user Klobrille has come up with a chart showing the various perks.

At $14.99, Xbox Game Pass Standard is only slightly cheaper than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate used to be, though it does include online gameplay. Yes, Xbox Game Pass Console did not include online gameplay, which was another confusing move on Microsoft’s part.

You can find more details here on Microsoft’s own website, but hopefully, this has cleared things up. And those are all Xbox Game Pass changes explained.