Xbox Game Pass for even less? Price drop suggests even bigger Xbox bargains

Xbox Game Pass could see more changes in the near future resulting in a price reduction for some - but not without a compromise.

Game Pass has been fluctuating recently: following a price increase in 2025, it was reduced again in 2026, along with a catch: Call of Duty was removed from day one releases.

A new leak suggests that there are further revisions coming to Xbox Game Pass. The source is Slayven (via NotebookCheck) who previously detailed the last set of changes in 2025. It's said that Xbox Game Pass could move to an ad-supported option at $12.99 a month, with the full ad-free version at $19.99 a month.

That would be a replacement for Ultimate, which is currently $22.99 (£16.99) a month, representing a drop in price.

That's not just kindness, however, there's more going on. Slayven says that day one releases could come to an end (as soon as February 2027), seeing a major part of the Game Pass removed.

Just as we've seen with Call of Duty, there's precedent here. The move isn't one that will be popular with gamers, with many seeing day one access as one of the major benefits of Game Pass.

It's also not unexpected. Many saw the inclusion of day one releases as an unsustainable model. While some games have thrived with the exposure, others have seen lucrative sales vanish as gamers got access through Game Pass instead.

This decision will divide the community, with some gamers on Reddit saying that they will end their Game Pass subscription, but others emphasising that buying games is a better way to support developers.

The story doesn't end there. All plans could lose access to Cloud Gaming, something that's already attracting restrictions, with Microsoft saying that the cost of providing access to Cloud Gaming is getting more expensive.

Cloud Gaming could split off into a separate add-on, with 25 hours for $5.99 a month.

Beyond that, there's talk of a $14.99 option, while online multiplayer could be a separate element charged at $10.99 every 30 days - although these parts of the rumour are less certain, according to the source.

There's a lot to digest here and there are likely to be winners and losers, but those who are used to having everything through Ultimate could find that they now see less value. Some might take the lower prices and see little difference, especially if they're already buying the majority of their games.

But changes to Game Pass will cause a reaction from the community, so it could be an interesting couple of months as these changes become clear.