It finally happened. We all knew it was coming, but seeing that $29.99 charge on a bank statement still feels like a gut punch. Microsoft officially pushed the button on the biggest price hike in the history of the service late last year, and now that we're settling into 2026, the dust is finally starting to clear.
Honestly, the days of the "best deal in gaming" being a cheap $15-a-month hobby are dead. Gone. Buried. If you're looking at your console right now and wondering how much is game pass ultimate and whether you should keep paying for it, you aren't alone. It’s a lot of money. $360 a year, to be exact. That's the price of a whole new digital-only console every 12 months just to keep your library from locking up.
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The current breakdown of Game Pass Ultimate costs
So, let's talk hard numbers. Right now, in the US, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $29.99 per month.
There’s no "annual discount" or family plan to save you here either. Microsoft has stayed surprisingly stubborn about not offering a yearly lump-sum payment for the Ultimate tier, which means you're stuck on the monthly treadmill. If you're in the UK, you’re looking at £22.99. For the folks in Canada, it's roughly $39.99 CAD, and in Australia, it's hitting $42.95 AUD.
It’s a massive jump from the $19.99 price point we had in 2024. Why the 50% increase? Microsoft essentially bundled a bunch of other subscriptions into the "Ultimate" package to justify the sticker shock. You aren't just getting Game Pass anymore; you're getting a weird frankenstein of services.
- Fortnite Crew: This was the big addition in late 2025. It includes the Battle Pass, 1,000 V-Bucks a month, and exclusive skins. If you don't play Fortnite, this feels like paying for someone else's lunch.
- Ubisoft+ Classics: You get access to a curated list of Ubisoft's older hits (think Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry).
- EA Play: This is still there, giving you the sports titles and Star Wars games.
- Day One Access: This remains the crown jewel. Big titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Hollow Knight: Silksong are included the moment they launch.
Why the price doubled in two years
It's kind of wild to think about. Back in 2023, you were paying $16.99. Then $19.99 in July 2024. Now we're at $30. Dustin Blackwell from Microsoft has been all over the tech blogs lately trying to frame this as a "value add," but for most of us, it just feels like the inevitable end of the "growth phase" for Game Pass. They’ve got the users; now they need the profit.
The reality is that big-budget games like The Outer Worlds 2 or the latest Call of Duty are incredibly expensive to make. When Microsoft buys companies like Activision-Blizzard for $69 billion, they eventually have to find a way to pay for it. You and I are that way.
Is there a cheaper way to play?
If $30 sounds like too much—and it should—you have to look at the other tiers. Microsoft rebranded the whole lineup recently, which made things confusing for a second.
Game Pass Essential is the bottom rung. It replaced "Core" and costs $9.99 a month. It’s basically for people who just want to play Call of Duty or Halo online with friends. You get about 50 games, but don't expect the big new releases.
Then there’s Game Pass Premium at $14.99. This is the old "Standard" tier. It gives you more games (about 200), but the "Day One" titles are delayed. You usually have to wait 6 to 12 months for the big Xbox-published games to show up here. It's the "patient gamer" tier.
Interestingly, PC Game Pass also took a hit, climbing to $16.49 a month. It’s the only way to get Day One games without paying the full $30 Ultimate fee, but obviously, you need a decent rig to use it.
The "Rental" Strategy: How to win in 2026
Since how much is game pass ultimate has reached the price of a fancy steak dinner every month, the "always-on" subscription might not be for you anymore.
A lot of people I know have switched to what I call the "Binge Strategy." You don't need the service in June if you're spending all your time outside or playing a single game you bought on sale. You subscribe for one month when a massive game drops—like Silksong (if it ever actually exists)—beat it, and then immediately turn off auto-renew.
The Rewards loophole
Don't sleep on Microsoft Rewards. With the Ultimate tier, you can earn "points" just for playing games and finishing "Quests." In 2026, Microsoft actually boosted the earning potential for Ultimate members. If you're diligent, you can earn about $100 in Xbox Store credit over a year. It doesn't pay for the subscription, but it softens the blow when you want to buy DLC or a game that's leaving the service.
What happens next?
We're in a weird spot. Xbox consoles are getting more expensive, and the service is too. Some industry analysts, like those at Tech Buzz, think we might see a "Family Plan" finally reappear by the end of 2026 to combat the subscriber churn, but nothing is official yet.
If you're a hardcore player who actually uses the V-Bucks and plays through three or four $70 games a year, the $30 price point still technically saves you money. But for the casual player who just wants to play some Forza on the weekend? The value is getting harder to find.
Actionable steps for your wallet:
- Check your Fortnite status. If you already pay for Fortnite Crew ($12/month) separately, cancel it immediately. It is now included in Game Pass Ultimate at no extra cost.
- Audit your playtime. Go into your Xbox settings and look at your "recent activity." If you haven't touched a Game Pass title in three weeks, cancel the sub. You can always come back next month.
- Look for physical cards. Sometimes retailers like Amazon or CDKeys still have older 3-month or 6-month "Ultimate" cards at the old pricing ($50-$60). They still work, and they'll stack on your account, effectively locking in a lower rate for a while.
- Downgrade if you're a "One Game" player. If you only play Warzone or Apex Legends, you don't need Ultimate. Drop down to the $9.99 Essential tier and save $240 a year.
The "Golden Era" of cheap gaming is over, but with a little bit of manual management, you don't have to let the $30 price tag bleed you dry. Stick to the tiers that match how you actually play, not how Microsoft wants you to pay.