After the recent Xbox hardware and software price hike, Microsoft may be looking to increase the Game Pass subscription fee.
Known insider shinobi602 took to gaming enthusiast forums Reset Era to respond to a fellow member who assumed that the recent Xbox hardware and software price hike would have no effect on the Game Pass subscription fee. He replied with an “lol”, suggesting that a price hike is on the cards for Microsoft’s game subscription service. Given the increase in software pricing, this is inevitable.
It’s possible that Microsoft opted to withhold the Xbox Game Pass price hike announcement for now in order to avoid additional negative press after it recently announced a global price increase for all Xbox Series consoles and several key accessories, effective May 1, 2025. This shift in pricing came alongside confirmation that new first-party Xbox games will be priced at $79.99 starting from the 2025 holiday season. According to the company, these changes reflect rising development costs and evolving market dynamics. In the United States, the Xbox Series S and Series X lines have seen substantial hikes. The Xbox Series S 512GB model, previously sold at $299.99, now retails for $379.99, while the 1TB version jumps from $349.99 to $429.99. The standard Xbox Series X is now priced at $599.99, a $100 increase from its original $499.99 price point. A new digital-only Xbox Series X variant is also available for $549.99, and the 2TB Galaxy Special Edition model sees its price increase to $729.99.
It’s also worth mentioning that it has been less than a year since Microsoft increased the price of Xbox Game Pass on July 10, 2024. According to the company, the change in pricing aimed to align the subscription costs more closely with the value provided and market conditions. The price hike was accompanied by changes to subscription tiers. The basic Xbox Game Pass tier for Console was replaced by the Xbox Game Pass Standard tier, which grants access to the Game Pass catalog and include all the benefits of Game Pass Core, such as online multiplayer and select member deals and discounts. However, it does not provide day one access to specific entries in the catalog.
