30‑Dollar Shockwave: Every Xbox & Game Pass Twist You Need To Know (October 2025)
The Great Xbox Pivot: Pricing, Value and Player Outrage A radical overhaul and a 50 % price surge On 1 October 2025, Microsoft reset the rules for its signature subscription. In an Xbox Wire post the company introduced a three‑tier Game Pass system—Essential ($9.99/month), Premium ($14.99/month) and Ultimate ($29.99/month)—promising a library “many times larger” and new perks like unlimited cloud gaming and in‑game rewards news.xbox.com. Ultimate now boasts 75 day‑one releases annually, bundles the Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics, and streams games at up to 1440p news.xbox.com. Premium offers over 200 games across console and PC with unlimited cloud access and new in‑game benefits
