Microsoft updates Game Pass tiers and raises prices — what changed

Microsoft recently announced changes to Xbox Game Pass: tier rebranding and price increases. Initial reports varied, so here’s a concise, verified summary and what it means for subscribers.

Key changes (verified)

• Game Pass Ultimate: New confirmed price is $19.99/month (some earlier reports incorrectly stated $30/month). This increase took effect in September 2024.
• New tier — Game Pass Standard: Introduced at $14.99/month; it does not include day-one access to first-party titles.
• PC Game Pass: Increased from $9.99 to $11.99/month.
• Prepaid stacking limit: Microsoft capped prepaid stacking at 13 months.

Price comparisons

• Game Pass Ultimate (monthly): $19.99 → annualized to ~$239.88.
• PlayStation Plus Premium (annual): around $159.99 — still cheaper on an annual plan in many regions.

Hardware price notes

• Microsoft has also increased Xbox Series X|S prices in some markets (examples reported include modest hikes across several SKUs).
• The “ROG Xbox Ally” appears to be a misnomer — likely a confusion with the ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, which lists around $799.99 on retailer sites.

Sources

• Tom’s Hardware — Game Pass price/tier changes
• Indian Express — coverage of new tier and pricing

If you want, I can add screenshots, a timeline of previous price changes, or a short social post to share alongside this article.