Big changes announced for Xbox Game Pass in the UK, including a 50% price hike
Microsoft has overhauled its Xbox Game Pass tiers and implemented a significant price hike for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
In a blog post published on Wednesday 1 October, Microsoft announced it is introducing three new tiers for Game Pass plans: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate.
The Game Pass Ultimate tier has seen a significant increase in price, rising over 50% to £29.99 per month. The UK pricing for the newly announced Game Pass packages is below:
- Xbox Game Pass Essential – £9.99 per month
- Xbox Game Pass Premium – £14.99 per month
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – £29.99 per month
Today’s Game Pass Core subscribers will automatically move to the Essential plan, and Standard subscribers will move to the Premium plan. Those with Game Pass Ultimate plans will remain on the Ultimate tier under the new model.
Those on the Ultimate plan will have upgraded access to games and new features, with Microsoft promising to include more day-one releases than ever before, as well as adding Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew and enhancing Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming quality up to 1440p.
The new Xbox Game Pass plans will see Ultimate subscribers get access to over 75 day-one releases per year.
Microsoft also said it has overhauled its rewards programme, which allows subscribers to earn Store rewards through playing games, as well as earning discounts on popular titles.
The image below summarises the new Xbox Game Pass packages announced by Microsoft.
