In an unusual move, Microsoft just announced a price drop for Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions. Yes, something is actually getting cheaper in 2026. Starting today, Game Pass Ultimate drops from $29.99 per month to $22.99 per month. At the same time, PC Game Pass drops from $16.49 per month to $13.99 per month.
No, this price reduction doesn't quite get it down to the $19.99 per month Game Pass Ultimate was from its inception in 2019 through to October 2025. Still, a shaving off a few dollars per month for the service isn't terrible. Some might even call it good.
The price reduction to $22.99 per month doesn't come without a catch. Microsoft says that new Call of Duty titles will not be added to Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch. The new Call of Duty titles will instead be added to these services "during the following holiday season," or a year after the games are released. Microsoft says that existing Call of Duty titles that are already available in the Game Pass library will continue to be available.
This pricing adjustment comes almost exactly a week after Xbox's new head honcho Asha Sharma said, via a leaked memo, that Game Pass is "too expensive for players." This price reduction sounds like it might be the first step towards even further changes to Game Pass subscriptions. In that same leaked memo, Sharma says that in the long term, Xbox will need to "evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system."
So, this basically has no negatives.