At one point in time, Xbox Game Pass was one of the easiest recommendations in gaming because its value proposition was absurdly simple. Subscribers could pay a relatively low monthly fee, get access to a large library of titles, and play new Xbox first-party games on day one without needing to purchase them individually. After Microsoft announced in 2018 that all new Xbox One exclusive games from Microsoft Studios would launch into Game Pass the same day they released globally, that, coupled with its price, could justify several months of the service by itself. It also lowered risk, because players didn’t have to chance wasting $60 or $70 on a game that turned out not to be their cup of tea.
However, subscribing to the service became much harder to defend after Xbox Game Pass Ultimate—the service’s “all-in-one” tier—jumped to $29.99/month in October 2025 from $19.99/month. PC Game Pass also rose from $11.99/month to $16.49/month, making the service’s value problem bigger than just Ultimate. That largely changed last month, though, after Microsoft dropped Ultimate back down to $22.99/month and PC Game Pass to $13.99/month. Naturally, Game Pass is now easier to defend, but the question is no longer whether Game Pass is better than it was last year, but whether its new price once again makes it the best value in gaming.
History of Xbox Game Pass Price Hikes Explained
To the chagrin of subscribers, Xbox Game Pass is increasing its cost once again, and it’s far from the first time the service has seen a price hike.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s Best Argument Is Still How Much It Includes
It’s easy to look at Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s new price and immediately think it’s back to being the best gaming subscription service money can buy, but there’s a bit more to it than that. To be fair, a $7 price drop is significant, especially considering the new price is now only $3 more than the tier’s original cost, as opposed to the extra $10 it cost subscribers after the October 2025 hike. But just because something is cheaper than it once was doesn’t inherently make it the best value. That still comes down to the doors that the new price either opens or closes for current and potential subscribers. As such, it’s worth looking at what Xbox Game Pass’ Ultimate tier offers and whether that justifies the cost of the service.
Everything Included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- 500+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices
- New games on day one, including new Xbox published games and third-party games
- Includes Fortnite Crew, EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics
- Stream games at high quality with the shortest wait times, including select games you own
- Play and earn up to $100 a year in the Store with Rewards
- Benefits for games like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone
- Online console multiplayer
Without much effort at all, these benefits explain why Xbox Game Pass still has a serious claim to being one of the strongest values in gaming, and the service’s Ultimate tier is the best basis for that argument. By essentially being Xbox Game Pass’ “all-in-one” tier, it puts an extensive game library, access to day-one releases and PC ports, cloud streaming, online multiplayer, and several extra perks that would otherwise exist outside the core subscription all under one roof. Since Game Pass’ value has never come from owning games permanently but from having liberal access to a massive selection of them, for $22.99/month, Ultimate gives players a wide enough spread that it can replace multiple individual purchases, reduce the risk of trying something unfamiliar, and make the service feel useful across more than one device or play habit.
That said, Ultimate’s value still depends on whether subscribers treat it like more than a large demo bin. A player who uses it to try a couple of games and then leaves them behind may not get the same return as someone who regularly uses the catalog, jumps into day-one releases, plays online, and takes advantage of the PC or cloud options. This is where Game Pass’ current value argument becomes more nuanced than it used to be. At $22.99/month, Ultimate can still look like a strong deal, but only if its features are taken advantage of. The service has enough included to justify the cost, but whether it’s the best value in gaming depends on if players can realistically get enough out of that bundle month after month.
Game Pass Is More Complete Than PS Plus, But PS Plus Is Easier to Justify for Some Players
Of course, for Xbox Game Pass to be considered the best value in gaming, it would need to outdo its competition. Currently, PS Plus is Game Pass’ top competitor, and Sony certainly gives Microsoft a run for its money here in terms of price. Whereas Game Pass Ultimate is now $22.99/month, PS Plus Premium, the service’s closest equivalent to Game Pass Ultimate, is only $17.99. That doesn’t inherently make PS Plus the better value, however, as it still comes down to what each service offers in proportion to their cost.
Everything Included in PS Plus Premium
- Monthly games
- Online multiplayer
- Exclusive discounts
- Exclusive content
- Cloud storage
- Share Play
- Game Catalog
- Ubisoft+ Classics
- Classics Catalog
- Game trials
- PS5 Cloud streaming
- Sony Pictures Catalog
Even with all of these benefits, Game Pass Ultimate probably still beats PS Plus in overall scope because it covers console, PC, cloud, online play, bundled third-party services, and day-one releases. PS Plus Premium wins for PlayStation-only players who want a cheaper service with a deep catalog and don’t care about Xbox, PC Game Pass, or day-one Xbox releases.
Game Pass Beats Most Other Services by Being Broader, Not Cheaper
But there are still plenty of other subscription services players can take advantage of that aren’t Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus. Nintendo Switch Online, GeForce NOW, EA Play Pro, Ubisoft+ Premium, and Apple Arcade all provide subscribers with similar services, but they still pale in comparison to what Game Pass, and even PS Plus, offer. Still, they’re worth a deeper look, if not just to settle the debate with more concrete evidence.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is the better bargain by price alone. It costs $49.99/year for an individual membership and includes benefits like classic Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, and GameCube games, plus select DLC and Switch 2 upgrade-pack benefits. The only caveat is that it’s not really trying to be Game Pass or even compete with it. In the end, it’s a cheaper Nintendo ecosystem subscription, not a modern day-one game library.
GeForce NOW Ultimate is closer to Game Pass in monthly price at $19.99/month, but it’s mostly a premium cloud gaming service. Its value comes from high-end streaming performance, not from giving users a Game Pass-style included catalog. EA Play Pro and Ubisoft+ Premium are also useful comparisons because they offer some rather extensive, publisher-specific game libraries, but they are understandably narrower. They make more sense for players who care about EA or Ubisoft games, while Game Pass offers more variety across publishers and genres.
In short, Nintendo wins on price. GeForce NOW wins on cloud performance. PS Plus may win for PlayStation-only players. Publisher subscriptions win for fans of one company’s output. But Xbox Game Pass does far more at once, making it the better value overall.
Game Pass Is the Best Value Yet Again, But Largely for the Right Player
By and large, Xbox Game Pass truly is the best value in gaming again, but primarily for the right player. Ultimate is still more expensive than PS Plus Premium, much more expensive than Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, and less focused than something like GeForce NOW for players who only care about cloud performance. But while Game Pass Ultimate isn’t the cheapest service, or the most specialized one, it’s still the one that gives subscribers the most with only one subscription—with console games, PC access, cloud play, online multiplayer, day-one releases, EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew, and other perks all included.
That makes Game Pass harder to call an automatic recommendation, but easier to defend as the strongest all-around value. Players who only use one part of Ultimate may be better off elsewhere, but those who move between platforms, try new releases, play online, and make use of the extras can still get more out of Game Pass than almost any other service. It may no longer be the absurdly easy sell it once was, but at its current price, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate once again has a real case for being the best value in gaming.
