Xbox Game Pass Rumors Point To Much Better Options For Players

Xbox Game Pass' recent restructuring has not been well received by many, but Microsoft may be looking for a way to win back some customers. On July 10, it was announced that Xbox Game Pass for Console would be closing for new customers, forcing those on Xbox consoles to either subscribe to the most expensive tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — which also includes PC Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming — or subscribe to a new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier that doesn't include day-one releases, something that was a major selling point for the subscription. To make matters worse, all other tiers — including Ultimate — increased in price.

's Jez Corden has discussed some of the upcoming changes, stating that even more, cheaper tiers and the return of a Family Plan may be on the cards. Previously, Microsoft rolled out a "" tier that would provide four additional users on a single subscription, similar to Microsoft's Office 365 deal. However, this was only for a limited-time trial in select regions, and once it ended, many believed that the experiment was over. According to Corden, this isn't the case, as he has heard "" that the experiment isn't quite dead. If this were to come back, it would be a more cost-effective plan for parents rather than having to buy several different Game Pass plans for their kids.

As previously speculated, Xbox Game Pass will undergo a new restructure, with some tiers ending and others seeing price increases.

Corden also mentioned the potential for two other Game Pass tiers, a cloud-only tier, and an ad-based one. There have long been rumors that more studios could experiment with adding advertisements to their games, with EA's CEO confirming on an earnings call that the studio was prototyping in-game ads again as recently as May 2024. Recently, various streaming subscriptions such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have given users an option to view their content at a low price with the inclusion of ads, and with Microsoft recently partnering with Amazon,