Once considered by many to be the best deal in gaming, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service has jumped to $35.95 per month in Australia.
Previously $22.95 per month, marking a more than 56 per cent increase, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate provides subscribers with access to a library of console and PC games. The price increase comes on the back of drastic changes to the service, with different levels of access assigned to three separate tiers: Essential, Premium, and Ultimate.
Game Pass Essential originally launched as Game Pass Core in 2023 as a $10.95 monthly service. Now $12.95, Essential is the new name for Xbox’s entry-level subscription tier. It includes access to more than 50 games across console and PC, in addition to cloud streaming.
| Xbox Game Pass tier | Previous price | New price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential (previously Core) | $10.95 | $12.95 |
| Premium (previously Standard) | $15.95 | $17.95 |
| Ultimate | $22.95 | $35.95 |
Xbox’s mid-level tier is now called ‘Premium’, bumping up from $15.95 to $17.95 per month in Australia. Premium contains a larger library of more than 200 games between PC and console. It doesn’t include day-one access to new games published by Xbox. However, there’s the promise that those games will be available to subscribers “within a year of launch”.
Immediate access to Xbox’s biggest new games is gated behind the now substantially more expensive Game Pass Ultimate tier. Xbox also advertises that various Ubisoft and EA games come included, in addition to a Fortnite Crew subscription.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price changes over time
When Xbox Game Pass first launched in Australia, it cost a flat $10.95 monthly fee. The bigger Ultimate tier came later, starting at a monthly $15.95 rate. Since then, Xbox’s most expensive subscription plan has grown exponentially by over 125 per cent.
Low launch prices were part of an aggressive customer acquisition strategy that led to Xbox Game Pass accumulating more than 34 million subscribers globally. Following the latest announcement, many users have voiced their displeasure, intending to cancel or downgrade their plans.
This discontent also comes as the price of consoles increased earlier in the year, in addition to Microsoft being the target of a boycott over the use of its technology in Gaza. Game Pass is one of Xbox’s biggest earners, accounting for nearly US$5 billion of Microsoft’s revenue last year, so the company will be watching its subscriber numbers closely.
