Xbox Game Pass prices are not currently scheduled to increase again. As of September 2026, Microsoft has not announced a date for the next Xbox Game Pass subscription price rise.
The last major price increase happened on 1 October 2025, when Xbox Game Pass Ultimate rose sharply in markets including the UK and US. However, there is an important update: Microsoft partially reversed that increase on 21 April 2026, cutting the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
For UK players, Game Pass Ultimate dropped from £22.99 to £16.99 per month, while PC Game Pass fell from £13.49 to £10.99 per month.
So, anyone searching for the next Game Pass price increase should know that there is currently no confirmed increase date. Microsoft is making other changes to Game Pass during 2026, including restrictions on cloud gaming hours, but these should not be confused with a confirmed subscription price hike.
When Was the Last Xbox Game Pass Price Increase?
The last major Xbox Game Pass price increase was introduced on 1 October 2025.
It was one of the biggest changes to Game Pass pricing since the service launched, particularly for Ultimate subscribers.
In the UK, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate increased from approximately:
| Xbox Game Pass Tier | Price Before October 2025 | October 2025 Price |
| Game Pass Ultimate | £14.99/month | £22.99/month |
| Game Pass Premium | — | £10.99/month |
| Game Pass Essential | — | £6.99/month |
| PC Game Pass | Lower previous price | £13.49/month |
The Ultimate increase was particularly noticeable because the monthly cost rose by £8.
US customers saw Xbox Game Pass Ultimate rise from $19.99 to $29.99 per month.
The October changes also formed part of a broader restructuring of Microsoft’s subscription plans, resulting in the current Essential, Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass structure.
Did Xbox Game Pass Increase Again in 2026?
No. The major Game Pass pricing announcement in April 2026 was actually a price decrease, not another increase.
On 21 April 2026, Microsoft reduced the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
For UK subscribers:
| Subscription | October 2025 Price | April 2026 Price | Monthly Reduction |
| Game Pass Ultimate | £22.99 | £16.99 | £6.00 |
| PC Game Pass | £13.49 | £10.99 | £2.50 |
| Game Pass Premium | £10.99 | £10.99 | No change |
| Game Pass Essential | £6.99 | £6.99 | No change |
Game Pass Ultimate therefore became around 26% cheaper in the UK compared with its October 2025 price.
In the US, Ultimate dropped from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, while PC Game Pass dropped from $16.49 to $13.99.
That means describing £22.99 as the current UK Game Pass Ultimate price is now outdated.
How Much Is Xbox Game Pass Now in the UK?
Following the April 2026 adjustment, the main UK Xbox Game Pass prices are:
| Game Pass Plan | UK Monthly Price |
| Game Pass Essential | £6.99 |
| Game Pass Premium | £10.99 |
| Game Pass Ultimate | £16.99 |
| PC Game Pass | £10.99 |
Pricing can still depend on promotions, introductory deals, prepaid codes and account-specific offers.
The headline figure most console players will want to know is therefore £16.99 per month for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Players trying to decide whether Ultimate is worthwhile should consider more than the subscription price because Microsoft has also changed which benefits are included and how features such as cloud gaming work.
The wider Xbox ecosystem is continuing to change as well, including major software changes covered in our look at the Xbox Series X and S update.
Why Did Microsoft Cut the Game Pass Price in April 2026?
The April 2026 price reduction came with an important change to the Game Pass proposition.
Microsoft confirmed that future Call of Duty games would no longer be added to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on their original release day.
Instead, newer Call of Duty titles are expected to enter Game Pass later, generally around the following holiday season.
That changes the calculation for some subscribers.
A player who mainly subscribed to Ultimate because a new Call of Duty release was effectively included in the subscription on day one may find the service different from what it offered previously.
However, Game Pass Ultimate continues to include a large gaming catalogue alongside benefits such as console multiplayer and other subscription perks.
Xbox has also been expanding Game Pass beyond simply downloading games. The Xbox Game Pass and Discord partnership is one example of Microsoft connecting the subscription more closely with gaming communities and additional digital benefits.
When Is the Next Xbox Game Pass Price Increase?
There is no confirmed date for another Xbox Game Pass price increase as of 18 September 2026.
Microsoft has not announced that Ultimate will rise from £16.99, nor has it announced a new UK price for Essential, Premium or PC Game Pass.
Any article claiming that another Game Pass price increase is definitely happening on a particular date should therefore be treated carefully unless Microsoft officially announces the change.
Subscription prices can, of course, change in the future.
Microsoft’s UK subscription terms allow recurring subscription charges to be increased after customers receive advance notice. This means another Game Pass price rise is possible, but possibility should not be confused with a confirmed announcement.
Could the Price Increase Before the End of 2026?
There is currently no confirmed evidence that Xbox Game Pass prices will increase again before the end of 2026.
Microsoft could announce another change at any point, but there is no published schedule requiring annual Game Pass increases.
Xbox does not operate Game Pass using a fixed system where the price automatically increases every year.
Previous adjustments have happened at irregular intervals and have been connected to changes in Microsoft’s gaming strategy, subscription tiers, included games and service features.
The April 2026 price cut is particularly important because it shows Game Pass pricing can move down as well as up.
Is Xbox Game Pass Changing in November 2026?
Yes, but the announced November change is not currently a standard Game Pass subscription price increase.
Microsoft has announced changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming that will introduce monthly streaming-hour allowances.
The announced allowances are:
| Game Pass Tier | Included Cloud Gaming Time |
| Game Pass Ultimate | 15 hours per month |
| Game Pass Premium | 10 hours per month |
| Game Pass Essential | 5 hours per month |
These limits are scheduled to apply from November 2026.
Previously, eligible subscribers could use Xbox Cloud Gaming without this type of monthly hour allowance.
Once a subscriber reaches the included limit, Microsoft plans to allow additional cloud gaming time to be purchased through the Xbox Store.
However, the important distinction is that this is a usage-policy change rather than an announced increase to the standard monthly Game Pass subscription price.
Cloud Gaming Make Game Pass More Expensive?
For some players, potentially.
A Game Pass Ultimate subscriber who rarely uses cloud streaming may notice little practical difference.
However, a player who regularly spends considerably more than 15 hours per month gaming through Xbox Cloud Gaming could eventually have to pay for additional streaming time once the included allowance has been used.
The final cost will depend on Microsoft’s pricing for additional cloud gaming hours.
Until that pricing is confirmed, it would be misleading to calculate a specific new monthly Game Pass cost for heavy cloud users.
This is why the November 2026 change should be described separately from a Game Pass subscription price increase.
The base subscription can remain £16.99 while a heavy cloud user potentially pays more because they purchase additional streaming time.
Xbox Game Pass Price Timeline
The easiest way to understand the current situation is to look at the recent timeline.
| Date | What Happened? |
| Before October 2025 | Game Pass Ultimate was substantially cheaper than the new October price |
| 1 October 2025 | Major Game Pass restructuring and price increase introduced |
| October 2025 | UK Ultimate reached £22.99 per month |
| Late 2025 | Existing subscribers moved onto updated pricing according to their billing and notice arrangements |
| 21 April 2026 | Ultimate reduced from £22.99 to £16.99 in the UK |
| 21 April 2026 | PC Game Pass reduced from £13.49 to £10.99 |
| September 2026 | No new subscription price increase announced |
| November 2026 | Monthly Xbox Cloud Gaming hour limits scheduled to apply |
This timeline matters because someone who only remembers the October 2025 announcement could reasonably assume Game Pass Ultimate still costs £22.99.
It does not.
The April 2026 price reduction changed the position substantially.
Why Does Microsoft Change Xbox Game Pass Prices?
Microsoft does not use one single reason for every Game Pass price adjustment.
Several factors can influence subscription pricing.
Changes to the Game Library
Game Pass continually adds and removes titles.
Licensing large third-party games costs money, while Microsoft-owned games may follow different commercial arrangements.
The catalogue is therefore never completely static.
Players can keep track of the normal rotation of titles through our coverage of Xbox Game Pass games leaving the service.
New Game Releases
Day-one games have traditionally been an important part of Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
However, Microsoft’s 2026 Call of Duty change demonstrates that the company can alter which major releases qualify for immediate Game Pass access rather than simply changing the monthly subscription price.
Cloud Gaming Costs
Running cloud gaming infrastructure requires servers, networking capacity, data centres and other resources.
Introducing monthly streaming-hour allowances gives Microsoft another way to control those costs without necessarily raising every subscriber’s base monthly price.
Additional Membership Benefits
Game Pass is becoming a broader subscription package rather than simply a catalogue of downloadable Xbox games.
Different tiers can include online multiplayer, rewards, EA Play, cloud gaming and other partner benefits.
Changing those benefits can influence how Microsoft positions each subscription tier.
Will Existing Subscribers Pay More if Xbox Increases the Price Again?
If Microsoft announces another price increase, existing subscribers would not normally be charged a higher amount without notice.
UK subscription terms state that customers must receive advance notice before increased recurring charges apply.
The exact timing can therefore depend on:
- The date Microsoft announces the change
- The customer’s billing date
- The subscription plan
- The country or region
- Local consumer rules
- Whether the subscription was purchased directly or through a prepaid code
- How much prepaid Game Pass time remains on the account
A price announcement and the date an individual subscriber actually pays that price are therefore not always the same thing.
Can You Lock In the Current Xbox Game Pass Price?
Prepaid Game Pass codes can sometimes allow players to pay for subscription time in advance, but users should check Microsoft’s current conversion and stacking rules before buying a large number of codes.
Microsoft can change:
- Maximum subscription stacking periods
- Conversion ratios between Game Pass tiers
- Promotional eligibility
- Upgrade rules
- Regional restrictions
- Code redemption conditions
Therefore, buying prepaid subscription time should not automatically be treated as a guaranteed way of avoiding every future price change.
It can provide prepaid access, but the exact value depends on the rules in force when a code is redeemed or a subscription is converted.
Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Still £22.99 in the UK?
No.
This is one of the most important corrections for anyone reading older Game Pass price information.
The £22.99 monthly Ultimate price applied after the October 2025 increase, but Microsoft reduced the UK price in April 2026.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is now £16.99 per month in the UK based on the April 2026 price structure.
Older articles, forum posts and videos referring to £22.99 may therefore be describing the October 2025 pricing rather than the current subscription cost.
Should You Expect Xbox Game Pass Prices to Rise Again?
Future increases remain possible because subscription pricing is not permanently fixed.
However, there is currently no official basis for giving a specific date for the next Xbox Game Pass price rise.
Microsoft’s recent decisions also make simple predictions difficult.
Within roughly seven months, Game Pass Ultimate went from a major October 2025 price increase to an April 2026 price reduction.
The better approach is therefore to separate three different things:
- Confirmed subscription price changes
- Changes to the features included with Game Pass
- Rumours or predictions about future prices
As of September 2026, only the first two categories contain confirmed developments. There is no announced next subscription price hike.
What Should Game Pass Subscribers Watch Next?
The biggest confirmed change approaching Game Pass subscribers is currently the November 2026 cloud gaming update.
Players should particularly watch for Microsoft’s announcement about how much additional cloud gaming time will cost after the monthly allowance has been used.
It is also worth monitoring:
- Changes to Ultimate and Premium benefits
- New Game Pass tier structures
- Changes to day-one release policies
- Call of Duty availability
- Cloud gaming pricing
- Subscription conversion rules
- Emails concerning recurring billing
- Updates shown within the Microsoft account subscription page
These signals are more useful than assuming a new price rise will happen simply because a previous increase occurred.
FAQs
When did Xbox Game Pass last increase in price?
The last major Xbox Game Pass subscription price increase took effect in October 2025. Game Pass Ultimate reached £22.99 per month in the UK and $29.99 per month in the US.
Did Xbox Game Pass increase in price in 2026?
No. Microsoft reduced the price of Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on 21 April 2026. UK Ultimate dropped from £22.99 to £16.99 per month.
When is the next Xbox Game Pass price increase?
Microsoft has not announced another Game Pass subscription price increase as of 18 September 2026, so there is currently no confirmed next increase date.
How much is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the UK now?
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs £16.99 per month under the pricing introduced in April 2026.
How much is PC Game Pass in the UK?
PC Game Pass costs £10.99 per month following the April 2026 price reduction.
Is Xbox Game Pass increasing in November 2026?
Microsoft has announced changes for November 2026, but they concern Xbox Cloud Gaming usage limits rather than a confirmed increase in the standard monthly subscription fee.
How many cloud gaming hours will Game Pass Ultimate include?
Microsoft has announced an allowance of 15 cloud gaming hours per month for Game Pass Ultimate. Premium is set to include 10 hours and Essential five hours.
Will Xbox charge for extra cloud gaming hours?
Microsoft has said subscribers will be able to purchase additional cloud gaming time after using their included allowance. The price of those additional hours needs to be checked once final purchasing details are released.
Does Game Pass still include new Call of Duty games on day one?
Microsoft changed its policy in 2026. Future Call of Duty releases are no longer scheduled to enter Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass on their original launch day and are expected to arrive later.
Can Microsoft increase Game Pass prices again?
Yes. Subscription pricing can change, but another price increase has not been announced. UK customers should receive advance notice before an increased recurring subscription charge applies.
