Xbox Game Pass price increases (again)!

[P4ulB]

Microsoft have just hiked the price of Game Pass again from October.

New prices...

Essential - £6.99

Premium - £10.99

Ultimate - £22.99 (up from £14.99)

They have removed/are removing Xbox subscriptions from the Rewards program as well.

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-game-pass

[CT05 Nose Cone]

I cashed out all my reward points yesterday, luckily I saw the announcement with a few hours remaining. Game Pass was one of the few things in the post-lockdown world that actually felt like good value, so of course it wouldn't last.

[mmm-five]

Glad I used the 3x12m Xbox gift card trick a few months ago...don't think I'll be renewing it after that expires in mid 2027.

BTW, it's £13.49 for the PC only plan - with a non-specific "access to hundreds of PC games" claim.

Edited by mmm-five on Wednesday 1st October 17:10

[mikef]

Thanks, I was thinking of unsubscribing in any case as I barely play on XBox

[gregs656]

I have a period of time left on my subscription, until mid next year I think, and then I'm out. Not worth it for me I just don't play near often enough.

[Ikemi]

mmm-five said:

BTW, it's £13.49 for the PC only plan - with a non-specific "access to hundreds of PC games" claim.

Edited by mmm-five on Wednesday 1st October 17:10

I was wondering this too, but I found a searchable database of games included with PC Game Pass only, as well as all the new tiers:

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-game-pass/games

(Scroll down until you see all the filters on the left hand side)

I've cancelled my subscription. I rarely have the time to play nowadays and I've considered cancelling my subscription for the last few months. The majority of new releases on Game Pass are of no interest me. Weirdly, when I have had some time to play a computer game, I've been downloading older games that I used to play in the 90's/00's from Steam - and they're still fantastic!

At £23/month, that's essentially 4 full priced games per year. I'm only really interested in the upcoming Forza Horizon 6, GTA 6, and the next Fallout/Skyrim game, so we'll see how it goes, but I'll likely buy them and play them offline.

[mmm-five]

I only extended mine as I gave my Xbox to a cousin and let him play what he wants for free...but have warned him that he'll have to pay for it himself when the time comes.

Although he does have a 4TB external SSD full of my old stuff to play - and some physical discs to trade in at CEX - if he decides not to pay for the basic tier.

[Brainpox]

CT05 Nose Cone said:

I cashed out all my reward points yesterday, luckily I saw the announcement with a few hours remaining. Game Pass was one of the few things in the post-lockdown world that actually felt like good value, so of course it wouldn't last.

Like (almost) every other subscription. Wait until enough people are too far in to want to leave, then rinse them for all they have.

Someone has to pay for the Activision purchase.

[MikeGTi]

You can say that again

[phil-sti]

Mine doesn't renew until middle of next year but, even with such a big rise, it is still good value. I game share with my lad and he absolutely rinses game pass.

I am disapointed with the extras though Ubisoft classics are pointless and i'd expect the full call of duty catalogue to come available for the extra.

[C5_Steve]

I'll be honest I missed this increase but now having realised I think I'll downgrade. At £15 it was worth it for the few games a year I played without committing to purchase (glad I didn't shell out for Forza Motorsport) but I'll be passing on COD and picking up Battlefield 6 instead, which I'll be paying for, aside from that it's GTA6 and Maybe Forza Horizon next year. That's it. Just not worth it for the day 1s.

[The0perator]

This was bound to happen, all those games, the remote play, Microsoft buying up all the game studios... shame really, nice while it lasted

[Joseph Ducreux]

I'm probably going to be cancelling mine due to this increase - I barely play on the xbox these days, but was happy enough to let it idle at 15 quid a month for the value I got from the odd gamepass title, but 23/24 quid a month for what is currently on offer vs my usage profile is too much for me.

I've already cancelled my BF6 preorder and there's been nothing really on gamepass that I've been excited for over the last year or so, plus I reckon I'll be able to play GTA6 SP with a regular account when it comes out (obv not GTAO but I never really got into that anyway).

I've had Xbox Live Gold since I bought my xbox 360 18 years ago, and gamepass since day 1 so it will be a bit of a shame to knock it on the head however.

[mikef]

Joseph Ducreux said:

I'm probably going to be cancelling mine due to this increase

I already have, and wonder what percentage of users will reconsider their subscriptions

Recurring subscription income is the easiest money that any company will ever make, people just continue paying through inertia. An excessive rise with the accompanying bad press makes people reflect on whether they want to continue paying, which they otherwise wouldn't given a second thought to

[C5_Steve]

The0perator said:

This was bound to happen, all those games, the remote play, Microsoft buying up all the game studios... shame really, nice while it lasted

Microsoft is valued at almost 3 Trillion (with a T) dollars. Those studio's they acquired? They fired all the staff and merged them. They've laid off huge parts of their own workforce all whilst posting record profits. They increased the cost of all their 5 year old consoles, and are about to launch a 3rd party handheld at $1000.

Don't get confused and think they're trying to recoup loses after giving you a good deal. This is pure greed on their part.

[bergclimber34]

I have very rarely paid the Sony equivalent I resent being told by a multi billion dollar company that I HAVE to pay to play online, I think it is is personally pretty awful.

Yes you get some perks, and some of them are possibly worth the price, but I only own a PS4 now and they have dumbed down the games etc to the point where it was a joke even paying for it, a damn shame for those that still wish to play games online, you are literally paying a multi billion dollar company a sodding tax.

I never thought it was right, I never will. it is daylight robbery, sadly most people all just gladly handed your money over because they told you, not because you really thought about it too much. Gamers are really one of the easiest groups to con.

[S13_Alan]

mikef said:

I already have, and wonder what percentage of users will reconsider their subscriptions

I cancelled mine, and it was one of the few things I really didn't grudge paying. In fact I encouraged other folk to try it, because I thought it was such good value, even as I guess a light user. Ability to jump between Xbox and PC and have games continue was great or to try things from genres I maybe otherwise wouldn't.

£23 a month buys a good few of the types of games I like on Steam per year, and that seems a better deal.

[Wadeski]

Honestly, the sooner this streaming obsession ends, the better.

Its a model that only makes sense as a crappy monopoly or subsidized by free money that comes from low QE borrowing rates. See also: why TV streaming services are profit black holes.

[Ian974]

I'll be sticking in for a few more months I think, but mainly as I only picked up a used console a few months back and have been bashing through a list of single player games from the last few years.
I'm fairly strict on myself with not holding onto stacks of subscriptions though, so once I get through what I want to I can see me ditching it again for a while.

[The0perator]

C5_Steve said:

The0perator said:

This was bound to happen, all those games, the remote play, Microsoft buying up all the game studios... shame really, nice while it lasted

Microsoft is valued at almost 3 Trillion (with a T) dollars. Those studio's they acquired? They fired all the staff and merged them. They've laid off huge parts of their own workforce all whilst posting record profits. They increased the cost of all their 5 year old consoles, and are about to launch a 3rd party handheld at $1000.

Don't get confused and think they're trying to recoup loses after giving you a good deal. This is pure greed on their part.

Good point, I don't think they are struggling by any means. I just thought they must have been spending more than they were making.. but I guess I forgot about all the staff being fired... a real killer of creativity, guess thats why a lot of games (on PC at least) arrive broken needing patches from the get go.