Game Pass is making big changes with price hike and new Xbox Game Pass Standard option

It’s Wednesday morning, and we have all gathered here today to figure out what on earth’s going on with the new Game Pass updates, which include Game Pass price changes for new members and an upcoming new Xbox Game Pass Standard option. From the looks of things, one thing this new Standard option won’t offer is day-one releases — this is going to cause some chaos for all the upcoming Game Pass games… Microsoft outlines big changes for Xbox Game Pass plans and pricesSo, let’s dive in. There are a number of updates, but the ones taking effect from today, July 10, are the price changes for new members for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Core, and PC Game Pass, and the fact that new members won’t be able to get Game Pass for console from now on. According to Microsoft’s update post, “Members who are already subscribed to Game Pass for Console and have automatic payment renewal enabled will be able to continue to enjoy their membership” — so if you turn off this automatic payment renewal, you won’t be able to get back on Game Pass for Console and will need to pick one of the other Game Pass plans. You can also still redeem codes for Xbox Game Pass for Console, but when September 18, 2024 arrives, you won’t be able to extend your Game Pass for Console membership beyond 13 months (time you already have stacked up won’t be affected).The first thing to note is that the price changes taking effect today are for new member subscriptions, while the Game Pass team says “the price of recurring charges will change for existing members” on September 12, 2024, with the new prices to “take effect on the next recurring billing charge after September 12, 2024.” With that being said, Microsoft has outlined the price changes — as of today, the price for new members for Game Pass Ultimate, for instance, will go from $16.99 to $19.99 and £12.99 to £14.99. The price for new members for PC Game Pass will go from $9.99 to $11.99 and £7.99 to £9.99, while the price for new members for 12 months of Game Pass core will go from $59.99 to $74.99 and £49.99 to £55.99. Another big change, though, is that a new Game Pass option will soon be introduced with Xbox Game Pass Standard. This change doesn’t take place today, and there’s no date yet for it — just the fact that Xbox Game Pass Standard will arrive “in the coming months.” So, what’s the difference? For starters, the price: Xbox Game Pass Standard seems to sit somewhere between Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass Core, and will cost $14.99 USD per month. Microsoft has outlined the difference in plans, and it seems the key things you don’t get with Xbox Game Pass Standard are day one releases, EA Play membership, cloud gaming, and free perks. What it has over Xbox Game Pass Core seems to be its access to far more games. “Xbox Game Pass Standard gives you hundreds of high-quality games to play on your console. It also features all the benefits of Game Pass Core, such as online console multiplayer and select member deals and discounts, including up to 50% off select games,” Microsoft says, while “In addition to having all the benefits in Game Pass Standard, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also includes day one titles, specific entries to the Game Pass Ultimate library, access to EA Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Perks, Quests, and discounts on games in the Game Pass library.”As for how it differs from Xbox Game Pass for console, the Xbox team has a somewhat confusing answer. “Unlike Xbox Game Pass for Console, online console multiplayer is included with Xbox Game Pass Standard. The Game Pass Standard library includes hundreds of high-quality games.” However, “Xbox Game Pass for Console may have select titles that are not included with Xbox Game Pass Standard.”Then there’s the fact that “some games available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one will not be immediately available with Xbox Game Pass Standard and may be added to the library at a future date.” These are major changes, and the introduction of Standard will no doubt cause a fair bit of confusion as to how and when everybody gets access to Game Pass games. Game Pass Standard isn’t available yet, so we might see more explanation and clarification from Microsoft, especially on what this all means for upcoming Xbox exclusives.



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