Xbox Game Pass Overhauled: New Tiers, Ultimate Price Hike, and Massive Game Additions

Microsoft has officially announced a significant overhaul of its popular Xbox Game Pass subscription service, introducing a new tiered structure alongside price adjustments and a massive expansion of its game library. The service now offers three distinct plans – Essential, Premium, and Ultimate – each designed to cater to different player needs with varied access to games, features, and bonuses.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: The Top-Tier Experience

The biggest changes come to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which now costs $29.99 per month, a $10 increase from its previous $19.99 price point. Subscribers to this top-tier plan can look forward to over 75 day-one releases every year, including anticipated titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2. The overall library has expanded to more than 400 games, featuring popular indies and critically acclaimed titles such as Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Adding even more value, Ultimate subscribers now have immediate access to the Ubisoft+ Classics collection, which includes fan favorites like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, among dozens of other Ubisoft titles. On November 18th, the Fortnite Crew subscription will also be added to the Ultimate benefits. Furthermore, the cloud gaming service has seen a significant upgrade, now supporting resolutions up to 1440p and officially moving out of its beta phase, promising minimal latency and quicker session starts.

Xbox Game Pass Premium: Flexibility and Broad Choice

The Premium tier, priced at $14.99 per month, offers a flexible option for players, granting access to over 200 games across PC, consoles, and cloud streaming. Major additions to this tier include today’s launch of Diablo IV and Hogwarts Legacy. Going forward, most Xbox first-party titles will join the Premium library within a year of their initial release, with the notable exception of Call of Duty titles. Subscribers will also receive exclusive in-game cosmetic items and bonuses for popular games like League of Legends and Warzone.

Xbox Game Pass Essential: Your Entry Point

For those looking to dip their toes into the Game Pass ecosystem, the Essential tier is available for $9.99 per month. This introductory plan provides access to a curated library of over 50 games, including critically acclaimed titles such as Hades, Stardew Valley, and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Essential subscribers will still benefit from multiplayer access, cloud gaming capabilities, and various in-game bonuses.

Dozens of New Games Now Available

Alongside these new subscription structures, Microsoft has rolled out a vast collection of new and returning titles to the Game Pass library across all tiers. This includes a wide array of Assassin's Creed games, fan favorites like Far Cry 3 and Skull and Bones, and the highly anticipated Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, ensuring there's something new for everyone to explore.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Additions:

• Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed II (PC)
• Assassin’s Creed III Remastered (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag: Freedom Cry (PC)
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PC)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (PC)
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations (PC)
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed The Ezio Collection (Cloud & Console)
• Assassin’s Creed Unity (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Child of Light (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Far Cry 3 (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Far Cry Primal (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Hungry Shark World (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Monopoly Madness (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Monopoly 2024 (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• OddBallers (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (Cloud & Console)
• Rabbids: Party of Legends (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Rayman Legends (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Risk Urban Assault (Cloud & Console)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Skull and Bones (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• South Park: The Stick of Truth (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Steep (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• The Crew 2 (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• The Settlers: New Allies (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Trackmania Turbo (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Transference (Cloud & Console)
• Trials Fusion (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Trials of the Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Trials Rising (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Uno (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Watch_Dogs (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Wheel of Fortune (Cloud & Console)
• ZOMBI (Cloud, PC, & Console)

Xbox Game Pass Premium Additions (also in Ultimate):

• 9 Kings (Preview, PC)
• Abiotic Factor (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• Against the Storm (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC)
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (PC)
• Age of Mythology: Retold (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• Ara: History Untold (PC)
• Arx Fatalis (PC)
• Back to the Dawn (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• BattleTech (PC)
• Blacksmith Master (Preview, PC)
• Cataclismo (PC)
• Cities: Skylines II (PC)
• Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• Diablo (PC)
• Diablo IV (PC & Console)
• An Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire (PC)
• The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC)
• Fallout (PC)
• Fallout 2 (PC)
• Fallout: Tactics (PC)
• Football Manager 2024 (PC)
• Frostpunk 2 (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• Halo: Spartan Strike (PC)
• Manor Lords (Preview, PC)
• Minami Lane (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Minecraft: Java Edition (PC)
• Mullet Madjack (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• One Lonely Outpost (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Quake 4 (PC)
• Quake III Arena (PC)
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
• Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (PC)
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• SWORN (Cloud, PC, & Xbox Series)
• Terra Invicta (Preview, PC)
• Volcano Princess (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Warcraft Remastered (PC)
• Warcraft II Remastered (PC)
• Warcraft III: Reforged (PC)
• Wolfenstein 3D (PC)

Xbox Game Pass Essential Additions (also in Ultimate and Premium):

• Cities: Skylines Remastered (Cloud & Xbox Series)
• Disney Dreamlight Valley (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Hades (Cloud, PC, & Console)
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (Cloud, PC, & Console)

What This Means for Players

This major restructuring of Xbox Game Pass signals a new era for Microsoft’s subscription service. While the price increase for the Ultimate tier is notable, especially with the immediate access to Ubisoft+ Classics and future Fortnite Crew benefits, it aims to deliver even greater value through an expanded library and day-one releases. The Premium tier offers a strong balance of content and features, including major third-party titles like Diablo IV and Hogwarts Legacy. Meanwhile, the Essential tier provides an affordable entry point for new subscribers. Players should carefully consider the offerings of each tier to determine which plan best suits their gaming habits and budget, keeping in mind that regional pricing and game availability may vary.