Microsoft recently raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the US by a hefty 50%, from $19.99 to $29.99 per month. That’s an extra $120 per year for gamers who have long considered it the best deal in gaming. Ouch!
If you want to avoid paying more, your best bet is to stockpile Xbox Game Pass Ultimate memberships to the maximum allowed—up to 36 months—before the new pricing kicks in. Alternatively, you could simply cancel your subscription. No judgment here.
Interestingly, Amazon has bucked the trend by lowering its Game Pass prices instead of increasing them. Currently, Amazon offers a 5% discount, with three months of Game Pass Ultimate costing $56.99—much less than the new retail price of $89.99 for the same period.
For those looking to save, Amazon also sells one-month codes at the old $19.99 price, providing an effective $10 discount compared to the standard new rate.
You can stack up to 12 membership codes on your account in the US, which would cost $683.88 upfront—equivalent to nearly $228 per year. While dropping close to $700 on a subscription might sound steep, it’s worth understanding the math behind locking in the old rate before prices climb higher.
By contrast, paying the new $29.99 monthly fee for three years would set you back $1,079.64. Buying now could save you up to $395.76, effectively covering more than a year of service for free. However, few will want to invest such a large sum all at once, especially following a price increase.
For those seeking shorter-term savings, purchasing a 12-month membership now costs $227.96 compared to $359.88 if you wait for the new pricing. That represents a solid discount for the upcoming year.
Here’s a quick rundown of the new Xbox Game Pass tiers and pricing as of October 2025:
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: $29.99/month (up from $19.99)
- Xbox Game Pass Premium: $14.99/month (formerly Standard subscription price)
- Xbox Game Pass Essential: $9.99/month (formerly Core subscription price)
- PC Game Pass: $16.49/month (up from $11.99)
These prices apply to new subscribers starting October 1, 2025, and to current subscribers beginning November 4, 2025. Microsoft also added over 45 new games to Game Pass with this update.
Notably, other retailers like GameStop, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart have not matched Microsoft’s price hike yet, following Amazon’s lead in keeping prices steady for now.
