Xbox Just Dropped The Price Of Game Pass Ultimate, But There's A Catch

Those with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscription are about to save some money, though it will come at a cost. Originally announced back in July 2025, Microsoft told consumers that prices were going to rise for those who subscribe to the services, and the company also announced that it was eliminating its previous models in place of a new three-tiered system. Now, the company is lowering the price of two of these services, though it comes at the price of accessing the latest release for a popular gaming series.

While prices for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass are dropping, players will no longer be able to access the latest "Call of Duty" title from the streaming platforms in the future. Considering modern day gaming titles can range anywhere in price from $59.99 to $69.99, some gamers may find themselves determining if the cost of a subscription outweighs the cost of getting the latest entry in the popular first-person shooter series.

Other than the price and the removal of future "Call of Duty" games, Microsoft notes that virtually everything about PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate will stay the same. The company promises that users will still have day-one access to other gaming titles, and they will still be able to access online multiplayer and in-game perks. Considering the service hit over 20 million users back in November 2022, the news is likely to have an impact on a number of players.

In a press release, Microsoft has announced that the price for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has dropped from $29.99 a month to $22.99 a month. Additionally, the price of PC Game Pass is dropping from $16.49 a month to $13.99 a month. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will need to decide for themselves if the new deal is too good to be true.

While the price of Game Pass Ultimate is now lower, Microsoft has also announced that future "Call of Duty" releases will no longer be joining these services at launch. While users can still find past "Call of Duty" titles available on PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, future releases will now join these services "during the following holiday season." However, Microsoft clarifies that this essentially means gamers can expect the latest "Call of Duty" about a year later.

Subscribers will now be faced with the choice of purchasing the latest game in the "Call of Duty" franchise outright or waiting about a year before getting to play the game. Additionally, this news arrives after a report from The Verge noted that the new Chief Executive Officer for Microsoft Gaming, Asha Sharma, released a memo to Xbox employees at the start of April that the services have become too expensive for subscribers.