Weeks after confirming that the next Call of Duty title will be on Xbox Game Pass at launch, Microsoft on Monday announced price increases for its game subscription service across territories and tiers. The Xbox parent also unveiled a new Game Pass tier, called Xbox Game Pass Standard, that won’t allow access to first-party titles on launch day. The updated pricing will go into effect for new subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Core, and PC Game Pass starting July 10.
New prices for Xbox Game Pass
In India, monthly subscription fees for Game Pass Ultimate, which gives players access to its game library, day-one releases and other benefits on Xbox consoles and PCs, are rising from Rs. 549 to Rs. 829. An annual Game Pass Core subscription, on the other hand, will cost gamers Rs. 3349, more than Rs. 1,999. The low price offers a library of select games, along with access to online multiplayer on Xbox consoles. Meanwhile, PC Game Pass monthly subscription has gone up from Rs. 249 to Rs. 449. Here you can see the full list of price changes for different countries.
While these new prices are now live for new Game Pass members, existing subscribers will see the increased rates reflected in their recurring subscription costs starting September 12th.
Game Pass Standard
Microsoft also unveiled Game Pass Standard, a new subscription tier for Xbox consoles that will offer players a library of hundreds of titles and all the benefits of Game Pass Core, including online multiplayer consoles and discounts. This new tier, however, will not include new first-party titles on release day. Game Pass Standard will be available for $14.99 (roughly Rs. 1,251) in the coming months.
In addition, the company announced that it is discontinuing Game Pass for Console for new subscribers. Players already subscribed to a console-specific tier with the auto-renew option enabled will continue to have access to their membership benefits. Microsoft said the new changes to Game Pass will allow it to add “more value and more great games to Game Pass.”
The price hike comes after Microsoft confirmed in May that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the next installment in Activision’s first-person shooter franchise, will be available on Day One of Game Pass when it launches on October 25.
This is also the second price hike to hit Xbox Game Pass after Microsoft hiked subscription prices last year in July, when Game Pass Ultimate prices in India went up from Rs. 499 to Rs. 549.
