Xbox Game Pass is now less expensive. In response to lots of negative feedback, Microsoft has cut the price of Xbox Game Pass and announced that Call of Duty titles will no longer be included with the service at launch going forward. Lowering the price of Game Pass and removing new Call of Duty releases were two of the dramatic changes that Microsoft was reported to have been mulling.
Effective immediately, Game Pass Ultimate is now $23/month (down from $30/month), while PC Game Pass is now $14/month (down from $16.50/month). Existing members will see the new rates applied to their accounts starting April 22, but anyone who signs up today will get in for the lower prices.
Game Pass Essential ($10/month) and Game Pass Premium ($15/month) are staying the same price going forward. These tiers do not include day-one new releases.
The Game Pass price hike up to $30/month was announced in October 2025, and it was heavily criticized at the time.
New Call of Duty games will no longer be released into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch. However, Microsoft said they will come to those tiers of the service "during the following holiday season," which would be about a year after they initially debut.
Existing Call of Duty games already in Game Pass will stay there, Microsoft added. It also appears that Microsoft's other new releases will remain day-one launches into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but this is not confirmed. We have followed up with Microsoft seeking clarification.
Call of Duty games being in the Game Pass library was costing Microsoft hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales, apparently, though their inclusion no doubt drove Game Pass sign-ups, too.
In its own statement, Activision said, "Game Pass continues to be an awesome place for players to discover games, including Call of Duty."
It added: "Our focus remains unchanged: to deliver the best possible Call of Duty game experience for players across every platform. We'll continue to support Game Pass through catalog titles and with new Call of Duty games on Ultimate the following holiday after launch (about a year later)."
These dramatic changes to Game Pass come not long after Asha Sharma took over as Microsoft Gaming CEO in February. Earlier this month, Sharma said in a memo to staff that Game Pass was too expensive for players and that she would look to make changes to make the service more appealing.
Sharma also personally killed off the "This Is An Xbox" marketing campaign as one of her first moves as the new boss at Xbox.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-p...01-10abi2f