Microsoft Raises Game Pass Prices (Here’s How You Can Pay Less)
Microsoft is raising prices on both its Xbox Series X consoles and its online subscriptions, Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, according to The Verge . The former does not apply to residents of the United States, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia, and the latter does not apply to customers in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia. Even if you’re spared the console price increase, there’s a good chance you’ll pay more for Game Pass in the future. Fortunately, right now there is a way to save money.
Why is Microsoft raising prices on Xbox Game Pass?
The price increase will start on July 6th. Microsoft is raising prices for Xbox Game Pass from $9.99 to $10.99 per month, and for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $14.99 to $16.99 per month. However, this schedule is for new customers: if you’re a current Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you’ll keep your current rates until August 13 (September 13 in Germany). If you subscribe to Game Pass annually, you won’t have to deal with price increases until it’s time to renew your subscription.
Raising prices is never fun, but perhaps that was to be expected. The cost of Game Pass has remained unchanged since the service’s inception in 2017, not to mention the general increase in prices for subscription services from Netflix to Sony’s PlayStation Plus .
The best way to save money with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
At first glance, it might seem like the best approach here would be to sign up for an annual Game Pass plan before the deadline. So you can lock in your current rate of $9.99 or $14.99 for next year and save some money. However, people in the know have been using a hack for years to save even more money with Game Pass Ultimate if you don’t have an active Game Pass subscription. (Do not attempt this with a powered subwoofer.)
Instead of a direct subscription to Ultimate, the best discount comes with an Xbox Live Gold subscription. This service costs $59.99 per year instead of $179.88 for a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. While Ultimate is an all perks service, you can upgrade to Ultimate from Xbox Live Gold for a low price as Microsoft will charge you $14.99 to upgrade.
This is a huge discount. You’ll take the $59.99 subscription and get $74.98 for a year of Game Pass Ultimate. But even better, you can stack Xbox Live Gold subscriptions for up to three years. This means you can spend $179.97 on Xbox Live Gold today and then upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate for the same $14.99 fee. If you add up two years, that’s $134.97. If you add three, it will be $194.96. One year of Game Pass Ultimate is now $179.98, but will rise to $203.88 next year. A three-year Xbox Live Gold upgrade will cost less than one year of Ultimate next year.
Once you’ve accumulated your Xbox Live Gold codes, head over to the Microsoft Upgrades page to redeem them for a heavily discounted Game Pass Ultimate subscription.