Xbox Game Pass price increase announced, and it costs more than your other monthly subscriptions

A colossal price hike for Xbox Game Pass has landed, spelling a nightmare for gamers who have been relishing the opportunity to play day one titles at a somewhat reasonable cost.

Xbox Game Pass has long been a crucial element of immersing oneself in Microsoft's gaming ecosystem, with the service boasting an impressive line-up of games for players to dive into. This was highlighted in recent weeks, with the enormous second September Xbox Game Pass drop featuring Hades before its sequel hit Nintendo Switch 2, and the first Xbox Game Pass September delivery granting users access to Hollow Knight: Silksong.

It's a significant component of Xbox's broader offering, and evidently, they're eager to expand it even further. The problem is, however, that the service has now ballooned to such an astronomical size that players simply can't afford to keep up.

Xbox has announced a major revamp is on the horizon, but in doing so, has priced players out of the chance to play new games on day one, potentially leading to a massive exodus of players. Here's what you need to know about the hefty Xbox Game Pass price increase, and what's changing to justify it (or, at least attempt to).

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Xbox Game Pass price increase and shakeup

Microsoft has unveiled a massive revamp to its Xbox Game Pass worldwide, including significant name and price changes in a new blog post. The service now comprises Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium and Ultimate, offering lower tier players more opportunities to play the Essential lineup of games across PC and Cloud, and extending up to the addition of Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew (starting in November) and a chance to earn money in the store with its rewards system.

However, this major overhaul, while providing players with more, will hit the most dedicated subscribers hard. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now set you back a total of £22.99 / $29.99 / AU$35.95, marking a hefty increase of $10 in the US.

It's a shocking turn of events, as despite the enhanced offerings, it's clear that Microsoft hasn't taken into account that even with these improvements, it's still a significant amount of money to shell out on a gaming subscription.

This Xbox Game Pass price hike is likely to trigger a mass wave of unsubscriptions, as the increased cost across the board has made access to day one titles (the biggest draw of Xbox Game Pass) prohibitively expensive. What was once a justifiable subscription is now only a smart choice if you already pay for Fortnite Crew separately. What once seemed too good to be true, now largely is.

As one might expect, gamers are fuming and cancelling their subscriptions in droves. Players are venting their immense disappointment in the replies to tweets from the Xbox Game Pass Twitter account, demonstrating that this move was enough to prompt them to unsubscribe completely.

It's hardly surprising, particularly as this manoeuvre has been executed just before the release of Black Ops 7, seemingly in an attempt to make sure players eager to get their hands on the game on its release day are paying top dollar. It's a difficult predicament for gamers, but it appears they're already making their feelings known by voting with their wallets.