This Game Pass overhaul is a masterclass in anti-consumer design. First, they removed the $1 trial and now they’re pushing a $29.99/month Ultimate tier that bundles third-party services like Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+—whether you want them or not. You’re paying for extras you might never use. Second, cloud gaming is now locked behind Premium and Ultimate, meaning if you’re on the cheaper Essential tier, you lose one of the core features that made Game Pass revolutionary. Third, the loyalty rewards system is just gamified spending—play more, spend more, get points to spend more. It’s behavioral manipulation dressed up as perks. And let’s not forget: none of this gives you ownership. You’re renting access to games that can disappear at any time. Microsoft is turning Game Pass into a monetization funnel, not a player-first service.
I’ve been a big Xbox dude for a long time but I can’t possibly defend this. It’s a garbage move, during a time when everyone’s chief complaint about life is “everything goes up in price way too fast, all the time.”
They call these changes “upgrades” but that’s just PR bullshit. The big value of Game Pass used to be how it was cheaper than buying games outright. Now Ultimate is $360 a year. How many brand new games that you’re interested in come out each year? Would buying them on day one total anything near $360??
The value just isn’t there anymore.
Yeah breaking down $360/year, that’s 6 $60 dollar games per year. So it only makes sense if you would spend more than that on games (all included in gamepass, remember no outsider games) in that time. That comparison also treats it like you’ll never ever play that game again, which the 6 $60 dollar games you still get to play the next year*.
The only people who “should” be subscribing now are parents who are too financially illiterate to see what a scam it is, or who are such inattentive parents that they don’t care.
I will say, just talking cost, if you are able, they sell GamePass gift cards at Costco and occasionally do deals. I got 6 months of Ultimate for $90 last time.
I still think the pricing change is dumb and I’m unlikely to renew.
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Here’s how Microsoft’s Co-pilot worded it:
I’ve been a big Xbox dude for a long time but I can’t possibly defend this. It’s a garbage move, during a time when everyone’s chief complaint about life is “everything goes up in price way too fast, all the time.”
They call these changes “upgrades” but that’s just PR bullshit. The big value of Game Pass used to be how it was cheaper than buying games outright. Now Ultimate is $360 a year. How many brand new games that you’re interested in come out each year? Would buying them on day one total anything near $360??
The value just isn’t there anymore.
Yeah breaking down $360/year, that’s 6 $60 dollar games per year. So it only makes sense if you would spend more than that on games (all included in gamepass, remember no outsider games) in that time. That comparison also treats it like you’ll never ever play that game again, which the 6 $60 dollar games you still get to play the next year*.
The only people who “should” be subscribing now are parents who are too financially illiterate to see what a scam it is, or who are such inattentive parents that they don’t care.
I will say, just talking cost, if you are able, they sell GamePass gift cards at Costco and occasionally do deals. I got 6 months of Ultimate for $90 last time.
I still think the pricing change is dumb and I’m unlikely to renew.