Xbox's future could look very different, as a shakeup in the company's leadership recently led to the retirement of longtime CEO Phil Spencer and former Microsoft CoreAI president Asha Sharma taking over the role. As part of this leadership change, a leaked internal memo from Sharma suggests the new CEO believes so Xbox Game Passthe company's leading gaming subscription service, has become too expensive. If this leak is any indication of the company's stance on the future of Xbox Game Pass, subscribers could see a change in its pricing structure in the future. But that's not all that should be part of a potential Game Pass overhaul.
The ever-growing library of Xbox Game Pass games, including Day One Game Pass releases, has seen the price of the service rise steadily since its launch in 2017. In addition to the library of games that subscribers have access to, Game Pass also includes other services such as online multiplayer access and other game subscriptions such as EA Play, Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics. As the service has evolved over its nearly ten-year lifespan, both the Xbox Game Pass pricing model and the various subscription tiers have become somewhat unwieldy to manage, and a re-pricing of the service would be an ideal time to streamline the subscription tiers.
April 30 is suddenly a very busy day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers
Xbox Game Pass subscribers should mark April 30 on their calendars, as it will be a particularly busy day for the service.
Xbox Rethinking Game Pass pricing should include simplifying tiers
When Game Pass first launched, it was only available as a single-subscription service for Xbox players, separate from Xbox Live Gold, which was still required for online play in supported games. As the service evolved, it brought more iterations for players to choose from when subscribing, such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundled Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, and PC Game Pass, a dedicated service for PC gamers. Eventually, Xbox Live Gold was replaced by Xbox Game Pass Core, which included a small library of available games and access to online multiplayer services.
In October 2025, Xbox overhauled the Game Pass pricing and tier structure in a fairly significant way. The service was divided into four different tiers that offered different levels of library access and other features depending on how much users were willing to pay. The result was a massive increase in the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, meaning players who wanted access to everything the service had to offer had to shell out big bucks or wade through a confusing tier structure to figure out which features they needed and which they didn't.
Current Xbox Game Pass tiers and what they offer
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Xbox Game Pass Essential – $9.99 per month
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Xbox Game Pass Premium – $14.99 per month
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $29.99 per month
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PC Game Pass — $16.49/month
Xbox Game Pass Essential is the most stripped-down of the tiers offered and is essentially a rebranding of the Core tier that was previously offered. With Essential, Xbox Game Pass subscribers get access to more than 50 games on consoles, PC and other supported devices such as Apple and Android devices and Meta VR headsets. This tier also offers access to online console multiplayer services and the ability to stream owned games from Microsoft's Cloud Gaming services.
Xbox Game Pass Premium is a step up from Essential, offering subscribers access to 200+ games from its library along with features included in the Essential tier, such as online console multiplayer and Xbox Cloud Gaming with shorter wait times for game streaming. This tier is offered as the standard tier for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, with new users getting 14 days of access for just $1. However, it still does not include first and third party releases on day one.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most expensive of the tiers, costing twice the monthly price of Premium, but offering subscribers access to most of the content. This tier offers over 500 console and PC games, access to games for a day and libraries from other subscription services such as EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew, along with the benefits of previous tiers. However, at $30 per month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers pay $360 for a full year of service, making it a tough pill for most gamers' wallets to swallow for the full Game Pass package.
PC Game Pass is also a PC-only option for gamers, giving them access to over 300 games, including Day 1 releases, as well as other Game Pass benefits such as EA Play and 50+ Ubisoft+ Classics, without cloud streaming, at a similar price to the Premium level.
How Game Pass could be simplified in the future
With how expensive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has become, gamers would be forgiven for opting for a lower subscription level. However, trying to navigate the vast Game Pass library to determine which games are available at which tier can be a headache that may cause some to just bite the bullet and buy Ultimate. In an effort to save players some money and headaches, there is one way Game Pass could potentially become more affordable and more upfront with which games are offered at which tier.
Perhaps Game Pass could offer a basic tier, similar to Essential or Core, that would give players access to a limited selection of games and essential services like online multiplayer and cloud streaming at an affordable price. Then, instead of having to decide whether to buy Premium or Ultimate to access the games you want, Xbox Game Pass could introduce an add-on service that groups game genres into a bundle for an extra dollar or two depending on the genre.
Match the critics' averages
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Match the critics' averages
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For example, if a Game Pass subscriber is an RPG fan who wants access The Elder Scrolls 6 maybe there could be an RPG level addon for a few extra bucks on release day that would only have a select selection of RPGs. The same could work for other genres like Sports, Life-Sim, Platformers or even something like Indies. This breakdown would make it easier to understand at a glance what each level contains, while still offering a core library of games for fans of all types of genres or newbies to gaming.
A cheaper game subscription can have some major drawbacks
Obviously, in order to make Game Pass cheaper, some offers will have to be cut. Game Pass is currently rumored to be discontinued Call of Dutyas it was largely the reason for the huge price hike in October 2025. However, making other features like EA Play and Fortnite Crew optional add-ons could lower the overall price for players who aren't interested in those parts of the service and want to streamline their Game Pass experience.
