Best Xbox Game Pass tier: Games, prices, and features explained MicrosoftMicrosoft has overhauled Xbox Game Pass, introducing new tiers and changing the benefits subscribers are used to, so here\u2019s what to know about each tier. Back in July 2024, the company revealed major changes coming to its popular service. While subscribers have been used to key features like a massive library of games and day one access to first-party releases from Xbox studios, that\u2019s changing with the rollout of new tiers. Xbox has now detailed the four Game Pass tiers, each of which offers different various benefits at different price points. Here, we\u2019ll break down what\u2019s included in each tier and discuss which one is the best value. Each Xbox Game Pass tier explained The four Game Pass tiers are as follows: PC, Core, Standard, and Ultimate. PC Price: $11.99 a month PC Game Pass remains intact, though with a $2 price increase. It offers the following benefits: Day one releases – Access to hundreds of games – EA Play – Riot Games benefits – Member discounts – Core Price: $9.99 a month One of the newer tiers is Game Pass Core, which is meant to replace Xbox Live Gold. This is the cheapest option, though it\u2019s fairly limited in its benefits. With Core, you won\u2019t have access to the massive library of Game Pass titles, instead being limited to a smaller selection that includes Fallout 4, Grounded, and Stardew Valley. Here\u2019s what Game Pass Core offers: Online console multiplayer – Access to 25+ games – Member discounts – Standard Price: $14.99 a month Standard is the newest tier, replacing Game Pass for Console. It provides most of the benefits subscribers are used to but with one major exception: Standard tier subscribers will no longer get access to first-party games on day one. This unfortunately means that users on this tier are losing access to games like Starfield, Diablo 4, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which are now exclusive to Ultimate. Here\u2019s what Game Pass Standard includes: Access to hundreds of games – Online console multiplayer – Member discounts – Ultimate Price: $19.99 a month Like PC Game Pass, Ultimate is staying intact, though with a price increase from $16.99 to $19.99 a month. Here\u2019s what Game Pass Ultimate includes: Day one releases – Access to hundreds of games – Online console multiplayer – EA Play – Member discounts – Cloud gaming – Which Xbox Game Pass tier is the best value? If you\u2019re exclusively a PC player, then that tier is obviously the best value for you. It provides all the classic benefits associated with Game Pass like day one releases for first-party games, a massive library, and member discounts for $11.99 a month. For those with both an Xbox console and gaming PC, Ultimate tier is the clear winner since you\u2019ll get all the benefits of both platforms, plus Cloud gaming. That said, the choice is more complicated for console-only users. Setting Core aside, which is really only meant for those who want to access online multiplayer in Xbox games that require the service, the main difference between the tiers is access to day one releases. Because of this Game Pass Standard offers the best value for the cost. While you won\u2019t be able to play, say, Indiana Jones & the Great Circle or Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Game Pass when they launch, you\u2019re still getting access to hundreds of titles. Microsoft has also said that major first-party releases may be added to Standard in the future, though no specifics have been announced, and it will likely be handled on a case-by-case basis. Still, if the main appeal of Game Pass for you is those day one launches, then Ultimate tier is still a pretty good deal even after the price increase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Best Xbox Game Pass tier: Games, prices, and features explained MicrosoftMicrosoft has overhauled Xbox Game Pass, introducing new tiers and changing the benefits subscribers are used to, so here\u2019s what to know about each tier. Back in July 2024, the company revealed major changes coming to its popular service. While subscribers have been used to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79219\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}