Microsoft has officially rolled out a major update to Xbox Game Pass, introducing a new tiered structure alongside an increase in subscription prices. Beginning today, October 1, 2025, the service is divided into three plans—Essential, Premium, and Ultimate—each offering varied access to games, cloud features, and membership benefits.
Current subscribers will see their memberships automatically adjusted to fit the new system. Game Pass Core members have been moved to the Essential tier, Standard subscribers have been upgraded to Premium, while those already on Ultimate will remain within that plan. Microsoft emphasized that the changes are designed to align with different playstyles, whether focused on console, PC, or cloud-based gaming.
The relaunch also coincides with one of the largest waves of new game additions to the service. Hogwarts Legacy headlines the list, arriving on Cloud, PC, and console across both Premium and Ultimate tiers. Ubisoft titles form another highlight, with multiple entries from the Assassin’s Creed franchise now available, including Assassin’s Creed II, Black Flag, Unity, and The Ezio Collection. Players will also find a variety of other major releases such as Far Cry 3, Skull and Bones, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, and The Crew 2.
The Premium tier delivers even more variety, especially for PC players. Classic and modern RPGs join the lineup, including Diablo IV, Fallout 2, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Strategy fans also gain access to Age of Mythology: Retold, Manor Lords, and Frostpunk 2. Microsoft has included several legacy Bethesda and id Software titles, ranging from Quake III Arena to Return to Castle Wolfenstein, underlining the breadth of the updated catalog.
Meanwhile, the Essential plan focuses on providing popular hits across platforms, including Disney Dreamlight Valley, Hades, and Warhammer 40,000 Darktide. Although the Essential tier is the most streamlined option, it still offers access to a considerable mix of genres, ensuring broader appeal to players looking for affordability with variety.
Ultimate – Available Today
- Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed II (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed III Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag: Freedom Cry (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Revelations (PC)
- Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection (Cloud and Console)
- Assassin’s Creed Unity (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Child of Light (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry 3 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Far Cry Primal (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Hungry Shark World (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Monopoly Madness (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Monopoly 2024 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- OddBallers (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (Cloud and Console)
- Rabbids: Party of Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Rayman Legends (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Risk Urban Assault (Cloud and Console)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Skull and Bones (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Steep (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- The Crew 2 (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- The Settlers: New Allies (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trackmania Turbo (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Transference (Cloud and Console)
- Trials Fusion (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trials of the Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Trials Rising (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Uno (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Watch_Dogs (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Wheel of Fortune (Cloud and Console)
- Zombi (Cloud, PC, and Console)
Premium – Available Today (also in Ultimate)
- 9 Kings (Game Preview) (PC)
- Abiotic Factor (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Against the Storm (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC)
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (PC)
- Age of Mythology: Retold (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Ara: History Untold (PC)
- Arx Fatalis (PC)
- Back to the Dawn (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Battletech (PC)
- Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) (PC)
- Cataclismo (PC)
- Cities: Skylines II (PC)
- Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Diablo (PC)
- Diablo IV (PC and Console)
- An Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire (PC)
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC)
- Fallout (PC)
- Fallout 2 (PC)
- Fallout: Tactics (PC)
- Football Manager 2024 (PC)
- Frostpunk 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Halo: Spartan Strike (PC)
- Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Manor Lords (Game Preview) (PC)
- Minami Lane (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Minecraft: Java Edition (PC)
- Mullet Madjack (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- One Lonely Outpost (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Quake 4 (PC)
- Quake III Arena (PC)
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
- Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (PC)
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Sworn (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)
- Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC)
- Volcano Princess (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Warcraft I: Remastered (PC)
- Warcraft II: Remastered (PC)
- Warcraft III: Reforged (PC)
- Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
Essential – Available Today (also in Ultimate and Premium)
- Cities: Skylines Remastered (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S)
- Disney Dreamlight Valley (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Hades (Cloud, PC, and Console)
- Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (Cloud, PC, and Console)
This new change is, admittedly, not sitting well with dedicated fans. Microsoft needs to demonstrate that the increased price of the Game Pass Ultimate subscription is justified. For long-time subscribers, this price hike may feel like a disadvantage, but only time will tell how successful this change will be.
