The Ultimate tier of Xbox Game Pass is now $30 per month, but angry subscribers might want to hold off on canceling just yet. Microsoft shocked fans around the world when it announced that it was jacking up the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 per month to $29.99. The Game Pass price hike also came with a revamp to the subscription service that saw Core and Standard tiers replaced by new Essential and Premium tiers.
As one might imagine, the Xbox Game Pass price increase did not go over well. So many people flocked to the Game Pass cancellation page that it crashed the site. It's incredibly frustrating that Xbox is raising the price of Game Pass, but it might be better for disgruntled fans to hold out a little bit and wait to cancel mid-November.
Microsoft Exec Comments on Xbox Game Pass Price Increase
Following a major price increase for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, one Microsoft director is commenting on the frustrating situation.
It's no accident that Microsoft chose now to announce the Xbox Game Pass price increase. Xbox Game Pass is about to go on yet another ridiculous hot streak, where the subscription service will be treated to a variety of exciting day one games. October alone will see the likes of Double Fine's Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is dropping in November. Considering all the big games releasing in the next month and a half or so, it may be better to wait and cancel Game Pass when the service is about to experience a content drought anyway.
List of New Day One Xbox Game Pass Games Coming Soon
- Little Rocket Lab - October 7
- Sopa - October 7
- Ball x Pit - October 15
- Pax Dei 1.0 - October 16
- Keeper - October 17
- Ninja Gaiden 4 - October 21
- Bounty Star - October 23
- Moonlighter 2 - October 23
- The Outer Worlds 2 - October 29
- Terminull Brigade - October 31
- Football Manager 26 - November 4
- Whiskerwood - November 6
- Winter Burrow - November 12
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 - November 14
Historically, there aren't nearly as many big new day one Game Pass games released at the end of November and throughout December. The first couple of weeks of January are typically even slower. In fact, while 2025 has been an incredible year for Game Pass, things really didn't get started until the end of January. If you are someone that wants to play games like Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and Black Ops 7 at a massive discount, it may make more sense to get your money's worth with those and then cancel Game Pass.
From that point forward, someone that isn't happy about the Game Pass price increase but still wants to take advantage of day one deals may want to simply be more selective about when they sign up for the Ultimate tier. If a game is coming out that month that typically costs $70, it may make more sense to sign up for Game Pass Ultimate to play it, and then cancel when you're done. It's not particularly convenient, but it's still possible to get a lot of value out of Game Pass even with the price increase.