How Xbox Game Pass went from ‘the best deal in gaming’ to the worst
It’s become impossible to recommend Game Pass to anyone but the most dedicated of gamers
🙅♂️ Xbox Game Pass, initially praised as “the best deal in gaming,” has seen a significant decline in value
😵💫 Microsoft introduced confusing tiers and substantial price increases for Game Pass, diluting its original appeal
📈 Recent price hikes, especially for Game Pass Ultimate, have made the service expensive and pushed many subscribers to cancel
👎 With Xbox games appearing on other platforms and no clear advantages for its own hardware, Microsoft’s strategy has severely undermined the Xbox brand’s future
For all the missteps Microsoft made during the Xbox One generation, Xbox Game Pass was perhaps the one thing it got right. The Netflix-style subscription service was widely praised as being a pioneering move that had a seismic impact on the video game industry and offered incredible value to consumers.
Like millions of others, I signed up almost immediately and continued to champion “the best deal in gaming” to anyone who’d listen. At $9.99 a month, it felt like the bargain of the century and almost a reward for fans who stuck with Xbox during the tumultuous early years of the Xbox One launch.
However, what started off as a must-have service that offered subscribers day-one access to Microsoft’s first-party titles and an ever-changing library of games has metastasized into the worst deal in gaming.
The (Xbox Game) passing of time
Microsoft’s darling subscription service slowly began splintering into more confusing tiers as the years went on. What was once so simple to understand was suddenly full of caveats, small print, and up-sells that weren’t necessary before.
With each revision came a hefty price increase and the siphoning off of features to justify each tier’s growing cost.
Xbox Game Pass was joined by Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Then, Xbox Game Pass split into Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Standard. And now we have Xbox Game Pass Essential and Xbox Game Pass Premium. I won’t even mention the number of times PC Game Pass has changed its name.
With each revision came a hefty price increase and the siphoning off of features to justify each tier’s growing cost. Microsoft added Xbox Cloud Streaming, more in-game rewards, and brought many of the same benefits to PC. However, nothing could match the initial unbeatable value that Xbox Game Pass originally offered when it launched in 2017.
The service has been in decline for some time, then. But, on the back of hiking the price of its Xbox consoles to unthinkable levels and backtracking on charging $80 for The Outer Worlds 2, Microsoft announced yet another unwelcome price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. A 50% increase, no less, as the Redmond-based company now wants $29.99 a month.
Welcome to Xbox $360
It means that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate now costs $360 a year – $40 less than a 512GB Xbox Series S, which now costs $399.99 after the recent price increase.
Microsoft has attempted to justify the monumental increase by adding Fortnite Crew – a service that I’d literally never use – improving the resolution of Xbox Cloud Gaming, adding titles from Ubisoft+ Classics, and promising to offer more day-one releases.
Why do I need to own two $500+ boxes when Microsoft’s console provides no incentive to turn it on?
I doubt anyone is happy with that offer. In fact, it’s fair to say that almost no one is, as the page to cancel Xbox Game Pass subscriptions subsequently crashed following Microsoft’s announcement. I also ended my long-running subscription to Xbox Game Pass, which I’ve had since the service began in 2017.
My decision wasn’t solely influenced by Microsoft’s latest decision to squeeze as much cash as possible from consumers, though. It’s also been driven by Xbox games releasing on other platforms like the PS5. Why do I need to own two $500+ boxes when Microsoft’s console provides no incentive to turn it on?
Is this the end of Xbox as we know it?
It’s fair to say that Microsoft has been repositioning the Xbox brand over the last few years to be more like a service than a dedicated platform. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is a perfect example of that shift in mindset. Instead of creating its own hardware, Microsoft felt it was more beneficial to team up with Asus and essentially lend it the Xbox licence.
Microsoft is still adamant that new Xbox hardware is on the way – one that will probably rival the PS6 in terms of power and initial media attention. However, it’s hard to fathom why anyone would purchase an Xbox when Microsoft just nuked its last remaining advantage over Sony’s machine.
I can’t see any reason to get an Xbox now or in the future – which is incredibly sad to say.
Microsoft hasn’t been able to sell Xbox Series X|S hardware to consumers, so how will it convince anyone to purchase a brand-new system? Clearly, it has no plans to use its position as one of the most powerful and profitable companies in the world to undercut Sony. It also can’t persuade people to buy an Xbox with a tantalizing lineup of exclusive games or value-driven services.
Aside from a preference for the controller or maybe achievements, then, I can’t see any reason to get an Xbox now or in the future – which is incredibly sad to say. It’s astonishing just how badly Microsoft has handled this generation, and it all seems to be driven by short-term decisions that continue to have a substantial, irreversible impact on the Xbox brand.
From now on, it really seems like a two-horse race in the console space between Sony and Nintendo. We’ll have to wait and see whether Microsoft can even get out of the starting gate for the next-generation.
Up next: Nintendo Switch 2 criticism is overblown – and it’s time to address it
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.