Game Pass lost millions after 2025 price hikes, Xbox says

Matthew Ball, Xbox’s chief strategy officer, confirmed at an industry event that Xbox Game Pass lost “millions” of subscribers after the service’s price increases in October 2025.

In October 2025, Game Pass Ultimate rose from $19.99 to $29.99 per month. PC Game Pass and other tiers also saw increases that month.

Ball described the October changes as having a “severely detrimental” effect on membership. He did not provide a current total for subscribers, only noting the loss involved “millions” of members following the hikes.

Microsoft reduced the Ultimate tier price in April to $23.99 per month. Ball characterized that adjustment as having “corrected that offering” while acknowledging the subscription remains more expensive than a year earlier.

The April revision also included changes to the service catalog. Future Call of Duty titles will not arrive on Game Pass on day one, a company comment tied the move to balancing costs and content availability.

Game Pass offers access to a library of console and PC games for a monthly fee and has at times included first-day releases. The service’s pricing changes have affected how players access new releases and older titles.

Ball indicated Xbox is monitoring subscriber trends closely and is prepared to revise pricing and content policies in response to customer behavior.