Xbox Game Pass gets its biggest upgrade in almost a decade – but it's not all good news

New tiers, Ubisoft+ and more arrive – so does a price hike

Xbox Game Pass on a wall at E3 with people walking by (silhouetted).
(Image credit: Bloomberg / Getty Images)
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Microsoft has announced a complete refresh of its Xbox Game Pass platform.

There are three tiers that offer different levels of game access, as well as the addition of Ubisoft+ Classics to Ultimate. You will see a price rise in the highest tier though.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has long been seen as excellent value for money, and now it's getting additional perks and games. However, it's also just received a considerable price hike.

You will now have to pay £22.99 / $29.99 / €26.99 per month, although as well as more than 400 games to download and play, including more than 75 day one releases, Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew have each been added to the package.

Like EA Play, which has been part of Ultimate almost since the beginning, Ubisoft+ Classics gives a curated selection of the publisher's back catalogue.

Plus, you also get enhanced Xbox Cloud Gaming performance, with streams now hitting up to 1440p (was 1080p before). The cloud service has also exited beta, at last.

Finally, free Fortnite Crew membership will be available from 18 November and give players a Fortnite Battle Pass and 1,000 V-Bucks each month. All this and PC Game Pass, exclusive deals and a new rewards program is worth way above the price increase, in all honesty.

If it's still too spicy for you, or you don't need the extra benefits, Xbox Game Pass Premium has also been upgraded, while Game Pass Core has been replaced with Game Pass Essential.

Xbox Game Pass Premium now includes over 200 Xbox and PC games, but not day one releases. Xbox Cloud Gaming is now unlimited to Premium members with shorter wait times to jump into games. And it stays at £10.99 / $14.99 / €12.99 per month, for now.

Xbox Game Pass Essential gives you access to more than 50 games, although available on PC, Xbox and cloud. Xbox Cloud Gaming is also unlimited on this revised tier. It costs £6.99 / $9.99 / €8.99 and is the minimum requirement if you want to play multiplayer titles online.

PlayStation fans might recognise the new structure a touch as it sounds much more like PS Plus now. However, you get far more games with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate than PS Plus Premium, say.

There are also new games that have arrived onto Game Pass Ultimate as part of today's announcement. They include Hogwarts Legacy and a healthy selection of Ubisoft games.

Rik Henderson
Rik Henderson
News Editor

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.

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