{"id":2506,"date":"2026-04-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/?p=2506"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:25:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:25:25","slug":"xbox-game-pass-ultimate-pc-price-cut-april-2026-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/xbox-game-pass-ultimate-pc-price-cut-april-2026-details\/","title":{"rendered":"Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass Get Major Price Cuts: What Changed and What You Lose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microsoft cut Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 per month and PC Game Pass from $16.49 to $13.99. The trade-off: future Call of Duty titles will no longer launch on Game Pass day one.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microsoft officially reduced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 per month and PC Game Pass from $16.49 to $13.99, effective April 21, 2026. The announcement came directly from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who stated on X that &#8220;Game Pass Ultimate has become too expensive for too many players.&#8221; The reduction spans all regions, with the UK seeing Ultimate drop from \u00a322.99 to \u00a316.99 and Europe going from \u20ac26.99 to \u20ac20.99. There is, however, a significant catch: future Call of Duty games will no longer be included in Game Pass at launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Game Pass Prices Across Regions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The price cuts apply only to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Essential and Premium tiers remain unchanged. Here is the full breakdown for major regions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Game Pass Tier<\/th><th>US (Old \/ New)<\/th><th>UK (Old \/ New)<\/th><th>EU (Old \/ New)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Ultimate<\/td><td>$29.99 \/ $22.99<\/td><td>\u00a322.99 \/ \u00a316.99<\/td><td>\u20ac26.99 \/ \u20ac20.99<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PC Game Pass<\/td><td>$16.49 \/ $13.99<\/td><td>\u00a313.49 \/ \u00a310.99<\/td><td>\u20ac14.99 \/ \u20ac12.99<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Premium<\/td><td>$14.99 (unchanged)<\/td><td>\u00a310.99 (unchanged)<\/td><td>\u20ac12.99 (unchanged)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Essential<\/td><td>$9.99 (unchanged)<\/td><td>\u00a36.99 (unchanged)<\/td><td>\u20ac8.99 (unchanged)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Existing subscribers will see the reduced price starting from their next billing cycle, from April 22 onwards. New subscribers can sign up at the lower rate immediately. Regional pricing outside these markets varies, but Microsoft confirmed the reductions are global.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Did Microsoft Cut the Price?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The price cut follows the controversial October 2025 overhaul, when Microsoft restructured Game Pass into Essential, Premium, and Ultimate tiers. Ultimate jumped from $19.99 to $29.99 per month in the US, a 50% increase. That hike drew sustained criticism from the community and media alike, with many pointing out that Game Pass had become more expensive than a top-tier Netflix subscription at $24.99 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A leaked internal memo from Asha Sharma, obtained by The Verge, explicitly stated that &#8220;Game Pass has become too expensive for players&#8221; and that the &#8220;current model isn&#8217;t the final one.&#8221; Sharma called for &#8220;a better value equation&#8221; and signalled that Game Pass would &#8220;evolve into a more flexible system&#8221; over time. The public price reduction came roughly a week after this memo surfaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At $22.99 per month, Ultimate still costs more than its pre-October 2025 price of $19.99. The cut recovers about two-thirds of the increase, not all of it. PC Game Pass at $13.99 is similarly positioned above its previous $11.99 level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Call of Duty Leaves Day-One Game Pass<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most significant trade-off tied to this price reduction is the removal of day-one Call of Duty access. Starting this year, new Call of Duty titles will not join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch. Instead, they will be added &#8220;during the following holiday season (about a year later),&#8221; according to the official Xbox Wire announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Existing Call of Duty titles already in the Game Pass library, including Black Ops 7, will remain available. The restriction applies only to future entries in the franchise. This means subscribers who want to play the next Call of Duty on release day will need to purchase it separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kotaku reported that many inside and outside Microsoft saw this move coming, noting that &#8220;many blamed the day-one inclusion of new Call of Duty installments for the rapid price increase.&#8221; Following the $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition, bundling Call of Duty into Game Pass meant sacrificing potentially billions in standalone sales revenue, and the economics may have finally forced a course correction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does Game Pass Ultimate Still Include?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even without day-one Call of Duty, Game Pass Ultimate at $22.99 per month remains the most comprehensive tier Microsoft offers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hundreds of games on Xbox console and PC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Day-one access to major Xbox Studios releases (excluding Call of Duty going forward)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unlimited Xbox Cloud Gaming on supported devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Online console multiplayer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>EA Play membership at no extra cost<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In-game perks and member discounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All existing Call of Duty titles currently in the library<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">April 2026 alone saw major additions including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Hades II, Football Manager 26, and Planet Coaster 2. The combined retail value of the 18 games added this month exceeded the equivalent of several years&#8217; worth of Ultimate subscription fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PC Game Pass vs Ultimate: Which Makes Sense Now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With PC Game Pass at $13.99 and Ultimate at $22.99 in the US (or \u00a310.99 vs \u00a316.99 in the UK), the gap between the two tiers has narrowed. In the UK, PC Game Pass now costs the same as Premium (\u00a310.99), making it arguably the best value tier for PC-only players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you play exclusively on PC and do not need cloud gaming or online console multiplayer, PC Game Pass covers all day-one Xbox Studios titles and the same game library on PC. Ultimate&#8217;s $9 monthly premium over PC Game Pass buys you cloud gaming, console access, online multiplayer, and EA Play. For players who own an Xbox console or use cloud streaming regularly, that extra cost remains well justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both tiers are affected equally by the Call of Duty change, so that factor does not differentiate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Does This Compare to Other Subscriptions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At $22.99, Game Pass Ultimate now sits below Netflix&#8217;s most expensive plan ($24.99 per month in the US), a comparison point that matters because multiple analysts and Xbox&#8217;s own internal memos referenced the Netflix price ceiling as a psychological barrier. PC Gamer noted that the October 2025 hike had pushed Game Pass above that threshold, and this reduction pulls it back under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PlayStation Plus Premium, Sony&#8217;s comparable top-tier subscription, currently costs $17.99 per month but does not include day-one first-party game launches. EA Play Pro on PC runs $16.99 per month. Game Pass Ultimate&#8217;s combination of cloud gaming, day-one first-party releases, EA Play, and online multiplayer still positions it as the most feature-dense gaming subscription on the market, even at the reduced price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Might Come Next for Game Pass?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asha Sharma&#8217;s internal messaging strongly suggests this price cut is not the final change. Reports from Windows Central and other outlets indicate Microsoft is developing a new tier codenamed &#8220;Triton&#8221; that would offer only Xbox Studios first-party games at a lower monthly price. Leaked plans also suggest hour-based cloud gaming limits for certain tiers, echoing a more granular, Netflix-style approach to subscription structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/xbox-game-pass-triton-tier-first-party-cheaper-plan\/\">Details about the rumoured Triton tier<\/a> point to a simplified, cheaper option that could appeal to players who only care about Microsoft&#8217;s own releases. Additionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/xbox-cloud-gaming-hour-limit-triton-duet-plans\/\">new cloud gaming hour caps<\/a> may allow Microsoft to create even more pricing flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is also speculation that Call of Duty could eventually return to a day-one Game Pass offering through a higher-priced add-on or separate premium tier, though nothing has been officially confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Questions Players Are Asking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do existing subscribers get the lower price automatically?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Microsoft confirmed that current subscribers will see the reduced rate on their next monthly billing date from April 22 onward. No action is required on the subscriber&#8217;s part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are current Call of Duty games being removed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. All Call of Duty titles currently in the Game Pass library remain available. Only future releases in the franchise are affected by the new policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did Essential and Premium prices stay the same?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neither Essential nor Premium ever included day-one Call of Duty access, so there was no corresponding content change to justify a price adjustment. Their pricing remains at $9.99 and $14.99 per month in the US respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is $22.99 the final price or will it drop further?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microsoft has not committed to any further reductions. However, Sharma&#8217;s public statements about evolving Game Pass into &#8220;a more flexible system&#8221; and the leaked Triton tier plans suggest the subscription structure may shift again in the coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does this affect Game Pass in all countries?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Microsoft stated that the price reduction is global, though exact amounts vary by region. In the UK, Ultimate dropped to \u00a316.99; in Europe, it fell to \u20ac20.99; in Canada, it moved to CAD $25.99; and in Australia, it went down to AUD $25.95.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Game Pass Ultimate at $22.99 (\u00a316.99 \/ \u20ac20.99) is a meaningful improvement over the $29.99 ceiling that drew widespread criticism since October 2025. Losing day-one Call of Duty access is a real concession, especially for subscribers who joined specifically for that perk. But the core value proposition, including hundreds of games, day-one Xbox Studios launches, cloud gaming, EA Play, and online multiplayer, remains strong at the lower price point. With April 2026 alone delivering titles like Oblivion Remastered and Hades II to the service, the library continues to justify the subscription for most players. Whether this price holds or evolves further depends on how Asha Sharma&#8217;s &#8220;flexible system&#8221; vision takes shape in the months ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microsoft cut Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 per month and PC Game Pass from $16.49 to $13.99. The trade-off: future Call of Duty titles will no longer launch on Game Pass day one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2506"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2508,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2506\/revisions\/2508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}