The future of Xbox could look very different as recent company leadership shake-ups saw long-time CEO Phil Spencer retire and former president of Microsoft's CoreAI Asha Sharma take over the role. As part of this change in leadership, a leaked internal memo from Sharma indicates that the new CEO believes that Xbox Game Passthe company's premier game subscription service, has become too expensive. If this leak is indicative of the company's stance on the future of Xbox Game Pass, subscribers may see a change in pricing structure in the future. But that's not all that should be included in a potential Game Pass overhaul.
Xbox Game Pass' ever-growing library of games, including day one Game Pass releases, has seen the price of the service steadily increase since it launched back in 2017. In addition to the library of games subscribers can access, Game Pass also includes other services such as online multiplayer access and other game subscriptions included, such as EA Play, Fortnite Crews Classic, and Ubisoft+. As the service has evolved over its nearly decade-long lifespan, both Xbox Game Pass' pricing model and different subscription tiers have become somewhat unwieldy to manage, and a reevaluation of the service's pricing would be the perfect time to streamline its subscription tiers as well.
April 30 is suddenly a super busy day for Xbox Game Pass subscribers
Xbox Game Pass subscribers should mark April 30 in their calendars as it will be a particularly busy day for the service.
Xbox re-evaluation of the price of Game Pass should include a streamlining of tiers
When Game Pass first launched, it was only available as a single subscription service for Xbox console players that was separate from Xbox Live Gold, which was still required for online play in supported games. As the service evolved, it created more iterations that players could choose from when subscribing, such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which combined 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.
Back in October 2025, Xbox overhauled the Game Pass pricing and tier structure in a pretty significant way. The service was divided into four different tiers, offering different levels of library access and other features depending on how much users were willing to pay. The result saw a huge price hike for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, meaning players who wanted access to everything the service had to offer had to shell out big, or navigate the confusing tier structure to decide 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/month
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Xbox Game Pass Premium — $14.99/month
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — $29.99/month
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PC Game Pass — $16.49/month
Xbox Game Pass Essential is the most bare-bones of the tiers on offer, and is basically a rebranding of the Core tier that was previously offered. With Essential, Xbox Game Pass subscribers get access to 50+ games on console, PC and other supported devices such as Apple and Android devices and Meta VR headsets. This tier also offers access to online multiplayer console services and the ability to stream owned games from Microsoft's Cloud Gaming services.
Xbox Game Pass Premium goes one step further than Essential to offer 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 game streaming wait times. This tier is marketed as the default tier for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, with new users able to get 14 days of access for just $1. But that still doesn't include first- and third-party releases on day one.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most expensive of the tiers, costing double the monthly price of Premium, but gives subscribers access to the most content. Included in this tier's offerings are 500+ console and PC games, access to day one games and libraries from other subscription services such as EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew, along with the benefits of the previous tiers. But at $30 a 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 an option for PC gamers, giving them access to 300+ games, including day one releases, as well as other Game Pass benefits such as EA Play and 50+ Ubisoft+ Classics, without the option of cloud streaming, at a price similar to the Premium level.
How Game Pass could be made more efficient in the future
With how expensive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has become, gamers would be forgiven for opting for a lower subscription level. But trying to navigate Game Pass's massive library to determine which games are available through 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's a way Game Pass could potentially be cheaper and more upfront with which games are offered in which tier.
Perhaps Game Pass could offer a base tier, similar to Essential or Core, that gives players access to a limited selection of games and basic 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 your desired games, Xbox Game Pass could introduce an add-on service that groups game genres into one package for an extra dollar or two depending on the genre.
Balance the critics' averages
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Balance the critics' averages
Light (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)
For example, if a Game Pass subscriber is an RPG fan who wants access to The Elder Scrolls 6 maybe on release day there could be an RPG add-on for a few more bucks that only includes a curated selection of RPGs. The same can work for other genres, like Sports, Life-Sim, Platforms, or even something like Indies. This breakdown would make it easier to quickly understand what each tier contains, while also offering a baseline library of games for fans of all types of genres or newcomers to gaming.
A cheaper game pass can come with some major drawbacks
Obviously, to make Game Pass cheaper, some offers have to be reduced. The current rumor is that Game Pass will stop offering Call of Dutyas it was largely the reason for the huge price hike back in October 2025. But making other features, such as EA Play and Fortnite Crew optional add-ons, could reduce the overall price for players who aren't interested in those parts of the service and want to streamline their Game Pass experience.
