Microsoft has decided to increase the price of GamePass soon, with the base subscription cost rising to $10.99 USD per month after sitting at $9.99 USD per month since the service first went live six years ago. Meanwhile, the price of a subscription to GamePass Ultimate will be raised from $14.99 USD to $16.99 USD. Similar price increases will be hitting the service in all other territories it is offered in, as well.
Oddly enough, the price for a subscription to GamePass for PC will be remaining the same. Some gamers have taken issue with this, believing this gives PC players priority treatment over Xbox users.
The price increase is set to take effect soon, on July 6th. However, users already subscribed to GamePass on a recurring basis will not see the effects of this price increase until August 13th, or September 13th for German subscribers.
Microsoft has been testing a new family plan called GamePass Friends and Family which allows users to add up to four friends or family members to their subscription and share it all together. This is different from Home console sharing as it allows users to share the subscription directly with other accounts no matter where they sign in. At the time of writing it appears the intended pricing for GamePass Friends and Family will not be altered with this price increase,
GamePass Won’t Be the Only Thing Increasing in Price
GamePass is not the only thing Microsoft is increasing costs for, however. Following Sony’s decision to increase the price of the PlayStation 5 in some markets, Xbox will soon follow suit. Come August, the price of the Xbox Series X will increase in most regions except for Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and the US. The Xbox Series S will remain at its current price across all regions.
The coming console price increase will be very similar to that seen on the PlayStation 5 in 2022. The Xbox Series X will increase to £479.99 in the UK, CAD $649.99 in Canada, AUD $799.99 in Australia, and €549.99 in most markets across Europe.
These coming price hikes likely won’t be shocking to many gamers, however. Prices across the industry have been rising ever since the start of this console generation. Many AAA games are making the move to a new $70 standard at launch, with Xbox holding out on that particular move for its own first-party exclusives until this year.
As such, there are many fans who appear to be entirely unbothered by the relatively minor price increase, with some comparing it favorably to the larger spikes seen in streaming services such as Netflix, as well as the fact that Microsoft was able to put off a price increase of any amount for over half a decade.
It is unknown at this time how or if this price change will affect the Gold to GamePass subscription conversion many fans have utilized over the past several years.
How do you feel about Microsoft increasing the prices of both its flagship console as well as GamePass? Do you think the small price increase is justified, or do you believe the price should hold steady? Let us know in the comments and on our social media feeds!
Source: The Verge
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