The new Game Pass explained
How did Game Pass change in October 2025?
At the beginning of October, Microsoft surprised the whole gaming world by announcing a restructuring of their Game Pass subscription plans. All plans were expanded, with more games included and more features, something very appreciated by the gaming community. A little less appreciated was the price increase that went along with the upgrades, though.
What is included in the new plans?
As before, all Xbox plans grant subscribers the ability to play online, and include a selection of “free” games. You can learn about the latest additions to the included games by regularly checking our Game Pass Games blog. One important upgrade is that now cloud gaming is possible with all plans, while before it was limited to the most expensive plan. That’s right, now you can play your favourite Game Pass games even without an Xbox console, using a computer or any compatible device! Let’s take a closer look at what each plan is now offering:
What is in the Game Pass PC plan?
€14.99 per month
- Hundreds of PC games in the catalog. More will be added each month, but some will be removed.
- 1st-party and some 3rd-party games added on the day of launch
- EA Play included
- Up to 50,000 Reward Points per year
- Benefits for games like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone
What is in the Game Pass Essential plan?
(formerly Core) - €8.99 per month
- Over 50 games in the catalog. More will be added with time, and no games will be removed
- Online multiplayer
- Unlimited Cloud gaming
- Up to 25,000 Reward Points per year
- Benefits for games like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone
What is in the Game Pass Premium plan?
(formerly Standard) - €12.99 per month
- Over 200 games in the catalog. More will be added each month, but some will be removed.
- New Xbox 1st-party games will be added within 12 months from release
- Online multiplayer
- Unlimited Cloud gaming with faster access time. Option to stream your own games, too.
- Up to 50,000 Reward Points per year
- Benefits for games like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone
What is in the Game Pass Ultimate plan?
€26.99 per month
- Over 400 games in the catalog. More will be added each month, but some will be removed.
- 1st-party and some 3rd-party games added on the day of launch
- EA Play and Ubisoft Classics+ included
- Fortnite Crew
- Online multiplayer
- Unlimited Cloud gaming with faster access time and higher resolution. Option to stream your own games, too.
- Up to 100,000 Reward Points per year
- Benefits for games like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone
What is the right Game Pass plan for me?
Choosing the right plan is very subjective, you are the only one who knows how you like to play and what you would like from a subscription. As a rule of thumb, we can say that Essential seems geared towards gamers who mostly play online games and are not really interested in trying out lots of different titles. Premium is more of a jack-of-all-trades, providing access to more games with some limitations and a reasonable price, while Ultimate is clearly for people who want it all, the best of the best, and are not afraid to pay a higher price for it.
Can I still subscribe to Game Pass at the old price?
We have good news for you: the answer is yes, at least for now. We can still sell Game Pass subscriptions at the old, cheaper price, so you can obtain the expanded features of the new Game Pass while paying less. It won’t be forever, though… sooner or later, we will have to align to the new prices. Until then you can stock up, if you want. Game Pass allows you to stock up to 36 months of subscription time for Ultimate, Essential and PC, while the limit for Premium is 13 months.