Summary
Xbox Game Passusers were recently shocked to discover that Microsoft is hiking the price of the popular subscription service while also adding a new tier to the platform and. 2024 hasn’t been an especially successful year for Xbox’s reputation, especially from the perspective of its enthusiastic fans and supporters. As the so-called “best deal in gaming” slowly becomes worse, many are left wondering ifGame Pass is still worth their money.
Per reputable insider and journalistJez Cordenon X (formerly Twitter),that will be added to more expensive tiers as Day One launches.
Corden goes on to say thatthe actual waiting time isn’t fixed and will be adjusted on a case-by-case basis. While it was known that the cheaper version of the Game Pass package was doing away with Day One drops, Microsoft has yet to officially confirm when new releases will arrive on the Standard Tier.
Xbox Game Pass Price Increase: New Tiers & How Much They Cost
As previously speculated, Xbox Game Pass will undergo a new restructure, with some tiers ending and others seeing price increases.
Is Xbox Game Pass Losing Ground?
Xbox Players Aren’t Too Pleased
While price increases for subscription services are relatively common (Netflix and Disney+ both went through the same process recently), many users have expressed anger toward Microsoft’s handling of the situation.The price hike comes just months after Xbox reassured players that it had no intentions of increasing the cost of Game Pass, prompting many unsatisfied users to cancel their subscriptions. The latest increase is also substantial as the cost of Xbox Game Pass has increased by up to 55% in some parts of the world.
With many insisting that the best part of Game Pass was the ability to play new releases on the same day they launch on other platforms without paying for them individually, the Standard Tier is lackluster. Yet when compared to the increasingly more expensive tiers, more and more consumers are beginning to doubt the platform. A common theory amongst the community is thatthe price hike is to justify addingCall of Duty: Black Ops 6as a Day One release, with many insisting that a single gamedoesn’t justify the price.
It remains to be seen how Microsoft will handle this transitionary period ofXbox Game Passbut this latest hurdle is just another controversy in a recent string of moves that have left players frustrated.The announcement that some Xbox exclusives would launch on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch angered manywho feltlosing console exclusivityreduced the value of the system.The subsequent closure of popular studios like Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austinhas casteven further doubt on Xbox’s future.
