At the start of October, Xbox is changing the tiers and content included in an Xbox Game Pass subscription. For lots of people, the main focus is going to be on the new price point for the Ultimate tier, which is rising quite a bit, but at least this time around, the company is at least offering more to subscribers as they increase the price. Silver linings, right?
With things like the Xbox ROG Ally X set to come out soon for a hefty amount, and all of the recent price increases for the Xbox Series consoles, it’s needless to say that Microsoft is looking to get every cent out of their customers lately.
Here is everything new that is coming to Xbox Game Pass after its latest update.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – Price, Ubisoft Classics, and Fortnite Crew
As mentioned above, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price is increasing. It is now $29.99, up a good $10 a month from before. That sticker shock is going to hit a lot of people, and it’s not clear exactly how many will want to stick with the service at that price.
With that being said, if you are a particular fan of Fortnite or Ubisoft games, you are going to find more to enjoy here. Fortnite Crew is a subscription for the mega-popular battle royale that gives you access to the current battle pass, V-Bucks, and more content in Fortnite. On its own, the subscription is $11.99, but Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get it included in their subscription.
As for Ubisoft, a ton of classic Ubisoft games have been added to the Game Pass Ultimate library, including many titles from Assassin’s Creed, a few more Far Cry games, and the great Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Hogwarts Legacy has also been randomly added today.
As of today, Xbox Cloud Gaming has finally left beta, after about six years of testing. Ultimate subscribers have access to shorter wait times and better quality streaming. Rewards through the top tier will also give more compared to the others, letting people earn up to $100 a year.
Xbox Game Pass Premium and Essential
For the other two Xbox Game Pass tiers, Xbox is following PlayStation’s method of naming. Premium is the second tier, which was previously called Standard, at it is remaining at its previous price point of $14.99 a month. Essential is what was previously called Core, and it is also maintaining its $9.99 price.
- One of the bigger changes here will be that Premium subscribers can now access the PC Game Pass library, which was previously exclusive to its own subscription or Ultimate. The Essential library will also be on PC now.
- Cloud gaming is also expanding to these tiers, but Ultimate subscribers get priority on wait times and performance.
- 40 games have been added for Premium subscribers, which are largely PC games and previous day-one titles that Ultimate subscribers have been playing already, like Diablo IV.
- Various previous Ultimate-exclusive perks like unlocked characters in Valorant, various skins in Overwatch 2, and more are now available for everyone.
- For rewards, Essential subscribers can earn up to $25 a year, and Premium $50.
