Xbox Game Pass Price: Every Tier, Cost and What You Get (2026)

• Xbox Game Pass starts at $9.99/month (Essential) and goes up to $22.99/month (Ultimate).
• Ultimate dropped from $29.99 to $22.99 in April 2026 — but new Call of Duty titles no longer launch on the service.
• PC Game Pass also dropped, from $16.49 to $13.99/month.
• Essential and Premium prices did not change — $9.99 and $14.99 respectively.
• A free Starter Edition is available inside Discord Nitro memberships.
• All prices vary by region — check xbox.com for your local pricing.

Xbox Game Pass price has changed significantly over the past year. After steep increases in October 2025, Microsoft cut the cost of its top two tiers in April 2026 following widespread subscriber backlash. Whether you are deciding which tier to join or trying to work out if your current plan still offers good value, this guide breaks down every Game Pass price, what each tier includes, and which one makes the most sense for your budget.

Xbox Game Pass Price: All Tiers at a Glance (June 2026)

Here is a quick reference table for all current Game Pass prices in the US and UK.

Prices may vary by region. Always check the official Xbox Game Pass comparison page for the exact price in your country.

Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition — Free Inside Discord Nitro

The Starter Edition is the newest and most accessible entry point into Game Pass. It is not a separate paid subscription. It is included as a free perk inside an existing Discord Nitro membership ($9.99/month or $99.99/year).

What you get:

• 50+ console and PC games, including Fallout 4 and Stardew Valley
• 10 hours of cloud streaming per month
• No day-one Xbox releases

If you already pay for Discord Nitro, this is effectively a free introduction to Game Pass with no extra cost. Link your Microsoft account to Discord to activate it.

Xbox Game Pass Essential Price — $9.99/Month

Essential is the cheapest standalone Game Pass tier. It costs $9.99 per month and includes online console multiplayer and access to a curated library of 50+ games. In the UK, it costs £6.99 per month.

What you get:

• 50+ games on Xbox console
• Online console multiplayer
• Member discounts on games and add-ons
• In-game perks for live-service titles like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone
• No cloud gaming
• No day-one Xbox releases
• No PC access

Essential is the modern successor to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Core. It is a solid entry point if you game casually on console and primarily want online multiplayer without paying for a larger library.

Is Essential worth it? Yes, if online multiplayer is your main need. No, if you want to play new Xbox first-party games at launch — for that, you need at least Premium or PC Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass Premium Price — $14.99/Month

Premium replaced the old Standard tier in October 2025 and kept the same $14.99/month price. The Premium plan replaced the former Standard tier, kept the same price, but gained a much larger game library with 200+ games available. In the UK, Premium costs £10.99 per month.

What you get:

• 200+ games on Xbox console, PC, and cloud
• Online console multiplayer
• Cloud gaming access
• New Xbox-published games within one year of launch (Call of Duty excluded)
• Member discounts and in-game perks
• No EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, or Fortnite Crew
• No day-one access to new releases

Is Premium worth it? It is a good middle ground. You get a large library and cloud gaming without the full Ultimate price. The catch is that you wait up to a year for new Xbox games, and Call of Duty is excluded even then. If you are happy waiting, Premium at $14.99 is solid value.

Xbox Game Pass PC Game Pass Price — $13.99/Month

PC Game Pass dropped from $16.49 to $13.99 a month as part of Microsoft’s April 2026 pricing update. In the UK, it costs £10.99 per month.

What you get:

• 500+ games on Windows PC
• Day-one access to new Xbox Game Studios releases on PC
• EA Play included
• Cloud gaming access
• Member discounts and in-game perks
• No console access
• No Ubisoft+ Classics or Fortnite Crew

Is PC Game Pass worth it? It is arguably the best value tier in the entire lineup for Windows gamers. You get the full 500+ game library, day-one first-party releases, EA Play, and cloud streaming — all for $13.99. The only things missing versus Ultimate are console access, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew. If you only game on PC, start here before considering Ultimate.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price — $22.99/Month

Ultimate is the flagship tier and the one that has seen the most pricing turbulence. Starting 21 April 2026, Game Pass Ultimate dropped from $29.99 to $22.99 a month. In the UK, that works out to £16.99 per month under the new pricing structure.

What you get:

• 500+ games on Xbox console and Windows PC
• Day-one access to new Xbox Game Studios releases
• Unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming at 1440p (best quality)
• EA Play included
• Ubisoft+ Classics (50+ Ubisoft games)
• Fortnite Crew (1,000 V-Bucks/month, all active Passes, Rocket Pass Premium)
• Online console multiplayer
• Member discounts and in-game perks
• Microsoft Rewards up to 100,000 points per year
• New Call of Duty titles arrive approximately one year after launch (not day one)

For the full breakdown of every Ultimate feature and benefit, see our dedicated Xbox Game Pass Ultimate guide.

Is Ultimate worth it? For active gamers who play across console and PC and want the full package, yes. The bundled perks — EA Play ($4.99/mo), Fortnite Crew ($11.99/mo), and Ubisoft+ Classics (part of $17.99/mo Ubisoft+) — alone are worth more than the $22.99 price if you use them. For PC-only gamers, PC Game Pass at $13.99 is better value.

Xbox Game Pass Price Comparison: Which Tier Gives the Best Value?

Xbox Game Pass Price History: How We Got Here

Understanding the current prices means knowing the journey. Game Pass pricing has changed several times since launch.

2017 — Launch

Game Pass launched in 2017 at $10 a month. It covered a library of games on Xbox console, with no cloud gaming or PC access at this stage.

2019 — Ultimate Launches

The original Game Pass Ultimate subscription launched at $15 per month in June 2019. It combined console Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Live Gold into one subscription and added Xbox Cloud Gaming.

2023 — First Price Increase

In August 2023, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate received a $2 price increase, as did the standard Console tier, which had stayed at $9.99 since 2017.

2024 — Second Increase, Standard Tier Added

In July 2024, Microsoft announced another round of changes — along with a $3 increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the Console tier was replaced with Xbox Game Pass Standard, a $14.99/month service that offered a more limited selection of games and did not include day-one titles.

October 2025 — Major Restructure and Biggest Price Hike

Ultimate jumped from $19.99 a month to $29.99 a month — an increase of 50% in the US. In the UK, the jump was 53%, with Ultimate rising from £14.99 to £22.99. Tiers were also renamed: Core became Essential, Standard became Premium. Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew were added to Ultimate to justify the increase.

April 2026 — Price Cut, Call of Duty Trade-Off

Starting 21 April 2026, Game Pass Ultimate dropped from $29.99 to $22.99 a month, and PC Game Pass dropped from $16.49 to $13.99 a month. The cut came under new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma, who publicly acknowledged the service had become too expensive. The trade-off: beginning in 2026, future Call of Duty titles will not join Game Pass at launch, instead arriving during the following holiday season — about a year later.

Xbox Game Pass Price by Region

Game Pass uses regional pricing. The US prices shown throughout this article are the base reference, but your actual cost depends on where you live. Regional pricing varies based on local purchasing power, with some markets receiving substantially lower pricing.

Here are confirmed prices for key regions as of April 2026:

For your specific region, go to xbox.com/game-pass/compare and sign in to see locally adjusted prices.

Which Xbox Game Pass Price Tier Should You Choose?

Here is a quick decision guide based on how you play.

Choose Essential ($9.99) if:

• You mainly game on Xbox console.
• You want the cheapest way to access online multiplayer.
• You are happy with a smaller curated game library.
• New first-party releases are not a priority.

Choose Premium ($14.99) if:

• You want a larger library (200+ games) on console and cloud.
• You are happy waiting up to a year for new Xbox releases.
• You do not need EA Play or Fortnite Crew.
• Ultimate feels too expensive for your usage.

Choose PC Game Pass ($13.99) if:

• You only game on Windows PC.
• You want day-one access to new Xbox games and EA Play.
• You do not need console access or Ubisoft+ Classics.
• You want the best per-dollar value in the lineup.

Choose Ultimate ($22.99) if:

• You play on both Xbox console and Windows PC.
• You want the largest library with day-one releases.
• You want EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew bundled in.
• You want unlimited cloud streaming on phones, tablets, and smart TVs.
• You are not dependent on new Call of Duty at launch.

Is Xbox Game Pass Worth the Price?

The honest answer depends entirely on how much you game. Here is the simplest way to think about it.

A new AAA game costs $60–$70. If you play three or more new releases per year, finish more than half of what you start, or value playing day-one Xbox first-party games, Game Pass wins against buying games individually.

If you replay the same two or three games for hundreds of hours — Fortnite, Call of Duty, a simulator or MMO — or only buy a couple of titles a year, buying games outright often costs less.

For Ultimate specifically: EA Play alone is $4.99/month, Fortnite Crew is $11.99/month, and Ubisoft+ Classics is part of a $17.99/month subscription. That is roughly $25 per month in bundled services before counting the game library. So for players who use those perks, the $22.99 Ultimate price represents strong value.

For a deep dive into whether Ultimate is worth it for your setup, read our full Xbox Game Pass Ultimate guide. For the complete overview of all tiers, features, and how to get started, visit our complete Xbox Game Pass guide.

How to Get the Best Xbox Game Pass Price

There are a few legitimate ways to reduce what you actually pay.

First-Month Deals

Microsoft occasionally offers new subscribers their first month of Ultimate for $1. This is the most reliable promotional price and appears periodically throughout the year. Check xbox.com/game-pass to see if an offer is currently live.

Third-Party Code Retailers

Retailers such as Shopto and Loaded.com regularly sell multi-month Game Pass codes below the standard monthly price. For example, a 3-month Ultimate code has been available for less than the equivalent of three monthly payments. Always buy from reputable, well-known retailers.

Microsoft Rewards

Ultimate subscribers earn up to 100,000 Microsoft Rewards points per year by playing games and completing quests. These can be redeemed for Microsoft Store credit, effectively reducing the net cost of your subscription over time.

Upgrade Conversion

When converting from a lower tier to Ultimate, Xbox applies conversion rates — the time remaining on your current subscription is converted into equivalent Ultimate time. Following the April 2026 price changes, the conversion rate from Essential to Ultimate improved from 40% to 45%, and from Premium to Ultimate from 55% to 65%. This means upgrading mid-subscription carries better value than it did before.

Discord Nitro

If you already subscribe to Discord Nitro, you get the Game Pass Starter Edition (50+ games, 10 hours cloud/month) included at no extra cost. It is a free way to access Game Pass if you are already in the Discord ecosystem.

How to Subscribe to Xbox Game Pass

1. Visit xbox.com/game-pass.
2. Select the tier that suits your budget and needs.
3. Sign in with your Microsoft account or create one for free.
4. Add a payment method — credit card, debit card, or PayPal.
5. Confirm your subscription. Download the Xbox app on PC or start playing directly on console.

For a full getting started walkthrough, see our Xbox Game Pass getting started guide.

How to Cancel Xbox Game Pass

You can cancel at any time without penalty. Your access continues until the end of your current billing period.

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/services.
2. Sign in and find your Game Pass subscription.
3. Click Manage, then Cancel subscription or Turn off recurring billing.
4. Confirm the cancellation.

For refund queries, contact Xbox Support directly.

Frequently Asked Questions