News

Microsoft Gaming Announces New Game Pass Tiers and Price Increases

Microsoft Gaming has announced the new Xbox Game Pass upgraded tiers. These include Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. The Essential tier will replace the Core tier while the Premium tier has replaced the Standard tier. The Ultimate tier is the only plan that will see a price increase. The plan will be increased by 50 percent from $19.99 per month to $29.99 per month. The PC Game Pass plan has also increased by 40 percent, from $11.99 to $16.49. The publisher also announced a long list of games being added to each tier.

Additional details:

Essential ($9.99 per month) – Replacing Core, no price increase

Over 50 Games
Now playable on PC, console, and cloud
Unlimited cloud gaming
In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
Online console multiplayer
Play and earn up to $25 a year in the Store with Rewards

Premium ($14.99 per month) – Replacing Standard, no price increase

Over 200 games
Now playable on PC, console, and cloud
New Xbox published games within a year of launch (excludes Call of Duty titles)
Unlimited cloud gaming with shorter wait times
In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
Online console multiplayer
Play and earn up to $50 a year in the Store with Rewards

Ultimate ($29.99 per month) – Price increased by 50 percent from $19.99 per month

Over 400 games
Playable on PC, console, and cloud
Over 75 day one games a year, including all Xbox published games day one
Ubisoft+ Classics and EA Play included, with Fortnite Crew coming in November (requires Game Pass Ultimate)
Unlimited cloud gaming at our best quality with the shortest wait times.
In-game benefits, including for Riot Games
Online console multiplayer
Play and earn up to $100 a year in the Store with Rewards
PC Game Pass ($16.49 per month) – Prince increased by 40 percent from $11.99 per month
Same features as before / no upgrades

Stay tuned at Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more gaming news.

Abdul Saad

Abdul Saad is a seasoned entertainment journalist and critic and has been writing for five years on multiple gaming sites. When he isn't writing or playing the latest JRPG, he can be found coding games of his own or tinkering with something electrical.