Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Is Still A Steal Despite The Price Hike

Game Pass Ultimate continues to do everything Xbox has promised in the past. This makes it a solid service that offers plenty of perks despite its new and revamped price.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Your shilling is chilling article writer.

Paying more to get the same thing isn't cool when the goal posts are moved. Used to be all about having just game pass. Now, you have to pay the higher tier to get the same thing you were getting before. Which is a shitty move. But you call it a steal.

Then, the writer tries to downplay Sony for selling their games FIRST before offering them in their subscription service as a bad thing. Sony wants to make money. So do third parties. So does Nintendo. They aren't willing to subsidize a loss leading service that isn't profitable like Microsoft. And you don't get every new game in game pass. And, you don't even get Microsoft's first party games consistently. So, paying while you wait isn't great.

But nice try in shilling and creating this puff piece that we've gone over and over again about which way is better. Thing is, it's more profitable for Nintendo and Sony which is why third parties release more games on other platforms than Xbox. Which forced Microsoft to do a shady tactic of spending billions just to have any exclusives. And their ass is still in third place.

[CobraKai]

Their games aren’t even exclusive at this point. A good amount is going to Playstation.

You are right tho. The article is literally, “you get everything you used to get at $16.99 for $19.99, that’s a great deal!”

[Leeroyw]

I hate that these Web sites have such contempt for customers/gamers. I understand Ms doing shady ladder purchase strategies. But the shilling is on the nose.

[GamerRN]

Exclusively included in a subscription service! If you play COD and one other game, you've paid for the year of service!

[anast]

ha! good point

[dveio]

The most obvious thing is still missing:

For GPU, you're now paying $215/year.

Yet after your GPU has expired, you own nothing.

Unless you re-subscribe or buy the game you've lost the license for a second time.

That's ultimate ... ultimate wringing your money.

[darthv72]

i see so many who truly dont understand this concept. You'll own nothing if you choose to own nothing... but that isnt to say a person who subs would never find something in the service they feel is not worth the extra $ to keep for themselves. Its not a rental and never own service, its a rental with option to own service (even for a discount).

[GamerRN]

So with that in mind, PlayStation Essential is also a waste?

[dveio]

@darthv72

So the chances were high we would use different words.

But basically we both have said the same.

So what's the point of your comment? Except injecting an unneccessary "people truly don't understand"?

Because examing both of our comments, in fact, we both understand the service pretty well. While I just used fewer words.

[dveio]

@GamerRN

Exactly. Not just Essential.

The biggest difference I've been noticing for years now is that GP is often described as THE reason it's ahead of its competition by Xbox community members, especially because of day-one releases.

While it's definitely a treat, you still don't own any of them.

So while you were falsely interpetating my comment as something Xbox/GPU is inferior in compared to PS, I was actually just pointing out to the fact that you're now spending $215/year or $1000+ over a 5 year period just for GPU alone.

And yet you still own nothing, not even day-one first party titles.

I just wished we all would criticise these strategies more.

It's exactly what Microsoft wants their fan base to do commercially:

Subscribing to GPU (1st revenue), then probably buying a game anyway (2nd revenue), and then continuing the subscription anyhow or re-subscribing to it (3rd revenue), flanked by a price hike (4th revenue).

All, except when buying a game, with nothing their fan base owns.

And yet quite alot Xbox community members don't even hesitate to cheer "Yeah, we've got day-one releases." for years now.

Catalogues such as GP don't extend your available free time, albeit your temporaily catalogue of games. So what you couldn't Play before due to lack of time (and mood), GPU won't change that eventually.

[OneLove]

You just made up the last bit. 3rd party games literally just started that and its not even for the reason you think nor are they mainstream 3rd party games. Also paying more to get the same thing is still a deal if its value is still far less than what you are paying.

[Chevalier]

But value is subjective. Paying over $200+ a year to not own anything isn’t necessarily a deal.

In fact most of the 1st party games I own from Xbox I bought outright on sale for $10-15.

It's because sales are so low for 1st party games on Xbox that prices drop so quickly. For the price of a year of Xbox Gamepass Ultimate you could easily own like 8-9 games outright. Which is probably more than I would ever play on Gamepass

[Einhander1972]

Agreed fully.

[KillBill]

Any idea that Game Pass is a "loss leading service that isn't profitable" is just not accurate. When it comes to actual "profit" don't imagine Sony is leading in this category as they are not. They were bringing in the most revenue of the big three but with the least profit. There is a reason Game Pass is being talked about and PS+ is not. It is because Game Pass offers gamers what they want. Prices change as well do subscription plans. PS+ themselves have been forced to change their own plans a few times and they still pale in comparison to Game Pass. Anyone doubting the business practices of Microsoft and the positive turn around we have seen with Xbox is just not of business mind nor understanding where the gaming market is actually going versus where it has been.

[Lightning77]

"Paying more to get the same thing isn't cool when the goal posts are moved. Used to be all about having just game pass. Now, you have to pay the higher tier to get the same thing you were getting before. Which is a shitty move. But you call it a steal."

Interesting, so what amazing super value did they add to PSN+ when they increased the price last year?

[purple101]

Latest offering of mw3

Yeh that is now £30 on eBay and your paying £20 a month

Make it make sense

[Reaper22_]

Yea but gamepass gets you more games for its price. How is that not better.

Make it make sense.😄

[Profchaos]

Because games like cod are designed to consume all your time if you really want to get into them. So if you play cod and cod only how would paying 20 bucks as a one off for MW3 not be a better deal than a monthly sub where you may not actually play anything else

[Crows90]

Gives you access to...you don't actually get anything for what you pay...just temporary access. Gamepass will focus a lot on small, good but primarily lengthy live service titles....live service titles take up all your time. So unless you're playing all the game on the list many individuals are paying $20 or whatever it is per month to access the same game every month.

[DivineHand125]

Part of the reason it doesn't make any sense is because the price you posted is incorrect. The price is actually £14.99 in the that region.

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/...

It also doesn't make any sense to subscribe to game pass or any other subscription service just to play 1 game long term. I bought Palworld after playing it for a week and I believe it would be something I may be investing a lot of hours into.

[purple101]

You raise a fair point I am mistaken

it’s £14.99 not 20, it is a good deal if you play loads of games!

but if you just want a few big games a year, better to buy them and sell them.

I appreciate you get to try loads of games you may not have without it, ie indie games, for the minority, the very hardcore who can make it good value,
the majority are better off without gamepass I reckon. The sales numbers seem to agree, where most people just buy their games outright, PlayStation or steam.

[crazyCoconuts]

Meanwhile the day one games get delayed and usually aren't as good as expected when they finally come out. So $20/month for mostly shovelware while you wait for promises

[lukasmain]

It's such a "steal" that it's subscriber count is just on an upward trajectory right? RIGHT? What a joke. The majority don't want it or care about it. That's a FACT. It's failed and they're still trying to make it be successful.

[PhillyDonJawn]

Numbers say otherwise

[Reaper22_]

It's failed? Nah, GP has been very successful for Microsoft. It's only gonna get better when more of the 1st party stuff comes.

[Popsicle]

The old “just wait” routine. After all these years I do not see how people still trust this brand to deliver.

[Michiel1989]

@koektollie that would have happened regardless of gamepass because they still don't have many games

[Jingsing]

Add to the fact that video game rental was never a long term successful prospect. It failed with Blockbuster then they tried again with Redbox and it failed and now they are selling game rental again and it is still failing. Retail purchasing is and always will be the method people prefer.

[S2Killinit]

People are cancelling subscriptions because the monthly payments dont justify waiting on games when you can just buy the games you want when they arrive.

[badz149]

People paying for ultimate to get day 1 releases but them MS delay games so they don't release too many games at one time while subscribers are made to wait even when they don't care about CoD

[Michiel1989]

yes lets release all games for the year in january.

[Reaper22_]

That's not true at all. And it makes no sense. Show some proof so we can see how people are canceling. People subscribe for the benefit of having access to games available. If there are no games you want to play why would you subscribe? Stop making up stuff.

[Chevalier]

How about you show some undeniable proof of what you're saying is true?

Microsoft OWN reports confirmed 2 and now 3 straight years of missing their own Gamepass targets is FACT.

[ChasterMies]

Bullshit. Any decent frugal gamer or disc trader can do better than $240/year. Maybe a fifth of Xbox owners play Call of Duty. This PR is all leading up to Microsoft releasing games exclusively on Game Pass, requiring players to rent games forever. Any “news” outlet that supports that business model can eat shit and die.

[PhillyDonJawn]

Who's actually paying $240/yr for gamepass?

[CobraKai]

Xbox fan boys who like to pay $20 a month for a number of games they will never play.

[PhillyDonJawn]

CDkeys is your friend. As long as I play 2 games a year gamepass pays for itself

[ChasterMies]

“Who's actually paying $240/yr for gamepass?”

To quote “Blazing Saddles”, “Morons!” In all seriousness, most people pay monthly and that monthly price will be $20 this fall.

[S2Killinit]

$20 Dollars per month is way too much man. Its just not feasible. Who plays that much?

[hollabox]

Yeah $240 is a joke, I just re-up my GamePass for $117 for a year. Here's the link https://www.cdkeys.com/xbox... if interested. Anyone thinking about I would re-up before the new price hike takes affect next month.

[Hofstaderman]

They don't know what to say or do anymore at this point....

[DarXyde]

Some pretty obvious issues with this service from a consumer perspective. At a glance, these services (Game Pass, PS Plus, and others) are great, but for XGP...

1. If you get anything less than ultimate, how much do you pay into the service before you get the new releases (if at all because I believe they said it was case by case)? How long does one wait?

2. If you get Ultimate, you're often put in a situation where the game is rushed to justify to consumers that Day 1 is worth it....or it gets delayed to stretch out how much you pay before the product is in your hands.

I will never be one to endorse these subscription services. It's clear that it has its audience, but i really wonder how many people would stay on if they looked under the hood.

[RaiderNation]

Oh it's a steal alright. It steals money from your bank account every month! Ha!

[Reaper22_]

Gamepass is still the best deal out there. The service offers a lot of good games. I like it.

[anast]

No it's not. We got a heavy dose of cope written by a shill.

[Profchaos]

This is where subscriptions loose me the monthly spend outstrips any real value because unless you have infinite time how much content are you really going to consume.
I see arguments like hey cod is there but the reality is if you're buying it for cod then you may only play cod and not touch the other games on the service so where's the value.

Most of these games can realistically be had for less than the cost of a month of the sub so really if you buy 12 games a year you may end up better off if you actually play to complete them fully.

Personally I feel like I have to rush and never enjoy my time with a game on a sub because I'm doing myself a disservice by not moving on rapidly to get my money's worth so it turns out to be a super expensive rental system akin to a weekend hire at blockbuster back in the day.

The gamepass experiment was fun but writings on the wall it's not working for companies or gamers unless your unemployed and have all the time in the world or you know you're about to sell a game that will fail hard

[Reaper22_]

@ Profcaos
Some gamers only play the campaign and zombies. What you said still doesn't change the fact that you get more for your money with gamepass whether you want to play other games or not. It's still the better deal. And to top it off if you are a member you can still buy the game at a discounted price. And I got news for ya. There are practically no gamers that only play COD.

[Profchaos]

Cod, GTA, fortnite and FIFA these four games are currently gaming juggernauts and have huge numbers of people in the millions that exclusively play them in some cases they may not even consider themselves gamers just people that love that game.

I know people who went out and brought a ps5 exclusively for fortnite and own exactly zero games

Sure you get a discount on gamepass but that discount is more often not worth it as the game will be available cheaper still physically for example MW3 sells for 100 AUD digitally if I get 20 percent off because I have a gamepass sub I still pay 80 but I can buy it physically for 60 maybe less on a bigger sale so it's still not really worth it and if you have gamepass why would you buy it unless you plan to close your gamepass sub

[PhillyDonJawn]

Facts, $130 for a year sub and imma get Indiana Jones, Bo6 (literally these 2 make it a payoff alone) then Avowed and so on. It's a dub easy steal.

[CobraKai]

I’d rather pay $130 for 2 of those games and own it since they will consume a good amount of time. That’s where GP becomes a loss for me.

[PhillyDonJawn]

Cod is basically a yearly title and Indiana is linear, highly doubt you be playing it for months and years on end. Avowed however yeah probably so no it's a gain. You got your 12 hr game and your yearly mp. You buy the open world rpg you know you'd invest 100+ hours in. That's where gamepass is a gain.

[Reaper22_]

You can still do that and get them cheaper than $130. How is that a loss? You guys are under the impression that you can't buy games on gamepass.

[Lightning77]

There you go, you just gave an example of options.

There's no right or wrong way to play those games.

[CobraKai]

@Philly
I replay linear games all the time. So it’s always good for me to own. If the story and gameplay for Indiana is solid, i will go back to it like i do for Uncharted. I also like to take my time. Games are an investment in both time and money and GP is not a good investment for me.

[GotGame818]

Indiana Jones and Flight Simulator day 1 will more than pay for a year of GP. Not to mention COD 6 and all the other games coming out this year. Just updated my gaming rig too. Sorry kids Xbox is stacked
.

In the meantime my most anticipated PS5 game is Astro.

[JL2930]

PS fanboys are going to be salty if XBOX decides to focus on pushing consoles and ends 3rd party support.

[jznrpg]

Lol. Decide on pushing consoles, that’s a good one. They have been trying for 2 decades and failed miserably. That’s why there is a gamepass.

[StormSnooper]

Oh my god, the nerves! You mean, It’s a steal as in it’s a robbery.

[hollabox]

Honestly it's not bad. I did just renewed my subscription, and if you want to buy games as they leave? You usually save 20%, sometimes more. I got a year worth of GamePass for $117 from CDKeys. I mostly play on PC, but my children play on Xbox so it works out. I usually wait until Black Friday to re-up for $25 (3 months) but with the price hike, thought it made sense to take care of it now. It's $29 for 3 months off CD Keys as of writing this. Anywho, I'm good until early 2026.

[VincentVanBro]

Bruh are Xbox gamers really paying $9.99 monthly or $74.99 yearly just to play video games online in 2024?! 🤣 What a perk!

Also this quote cracks me up:

"With Modern Warfare 3 now on the service, you’re getting one of the biggest multiplayer titles at no additional cost."

no additional cost? What do you call the price hike then? 🤣

[darthv72]

...isn't that what PS gamers are doing to play online in 2024 as well?

[VincentVanBro]

Oh for sure. The only rational choice is PC.

[Profchaos]

What to call it hmmm a donation to Phil's mistress's lambo

[ocelot07]

Nope, On a personal level it's just not worth it at all. I recently got a new laptop that came with 3 months of GPU for free. I thought I'll try the only title Microsoft have released this year so get Hellblade 2. All of 4.5 hours I was bored it's honestly one of the worst games I have ever completed.

If this is the type of quality it's going to be getting then Microsoft should he paying us to use gamepass.

Only positive thing I have about it is. I get to access the new COD beta and the single player and will have about a week to complete the single player and try the MP. It I enjoy the MP I'll wait a few months and buy it cheaper on pc or ps5.

[Reaper22_]

I call BS on your claim. Not buying it. There are plenty good games on the service. It's not a service just to play Microsoft games. There are some good on gamepass. Even one that is published by Sony. If you think COD is all it has to offer then you are highly mistaken.

[ocelot07]

You can call BS on what ever you want. It's my personal opinion on the service. I can say the same thing about ps+ for the most part.

The interesting games i already played/owned. Subscription services are arse. Don't like my opinion of it then tough.

[Lightning77]

You claimed to beat it in 4 hours. Doesn't sound like someone who's bored to me. Since you claimed to beat it in a speed run fashion. The games 8 hours normally.

Yeah you're definitely lying. For what reason is beyond me it's weird.

[ocelot07]

Sorry obscure or lightning or what ever your name is this week.

https://ibb.co/nM2HDWh

Have a swivvle on that. The game is dog crap end of. Walk forward light attack sting attack dodgy black use them light mirror or what ever it was to kill enemies off since and repeat. Very easy interactive movie to complete.

Had my review hurt your feelings lol.

[ocelot07]

Oh and maybe learn to read instead of having a seizure someone bad mouthed a crap game. I said 4.5 hours to complete. That's almost 5 hours. If you took 8 hours you must be rubbish or didn't realise there is a light jog button rather than slowly walk lol.

[Reaper22_]

I believe he is lying through his teeth.
If you can't even admit there are good games on the services why would anyone believe you about your so called experience.

[ocelot07]

@Reaper22_

I don't care if if you think I'm lying. I think you are a bit special since you can't seem to understand what I typed?

Point to me where I said there are no good games on GP. I think I'll be waiting a fair bit considering I didn't say that. Want me to list a few good games on the service. Gears 4, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 5, diablo 4, Ori, Yakuza like a dragon, monster hunter rise.

All good games. Problem is I own them all idiot.

[Lightning77]

Obscure? Nice attempt at being funny, don't quit your day job though.

Anyone can go on google images and post the achievements. Idc if you like the game or not. You still speed ran the game. On average it takes someone 7 to 8 hours. Walking or running doesn't add to anything. Usually ppl are bored don't finish the game, not the beat it or speed run it.

[ocelot07]

@Lightning77 So what is it? I quickly ran through the game or im lying and I googled that image? Name tag is right there search it! Pick a lane and stick to it.

It's known to be a short game that is a 100% fact. It's not hard its not confusing. The puzzles are laughable. I died twice throughout the game towards the end when you have to run though the sea and grab onto the stones to get to the giant (spoilers for anyone wanting to play this awful game). If anyone takes more than 6 hours to complete this tripe must of just been using 1 hand on the controller (it's doable btw).

So what you are saying is i'm wrong for actually giving a game a chance? Is that what the GP users have been brainwashed to do? Sub download a game give it 5 minutes if they don't like it uninstall? Spend more time downloading games than actually playing?

[Flewid638]

I've had GamePass PC for years and I still think the offerings on PS+ are consistently better, including the selection of games that offer trials.

While its nice that MS is releasing day 1 blockbusters there, they've still fallen flat (i.e. Starfield, Hellblade). It's only a good deal when the games are good too.

I like what they showed at Showcase 2024 but again, those games will need to actually deliver. I give the nod to PS+, Ubisoft+ hell even EA Pro over GamePass.

[Reaper22_]

What the hell do you mean "it's only a good deal when the games are good."

If gamepass only offered the 2 games you mentioned you may have a point but since they do have plenty more your comment doesn't make much sense.

Just because you think a game isn't good doesn't mean all people will agree. Starfield hasnt fallen flat. If it has please show proof of that claim. As for trials they aren't on gamepass that I know of but they are there in the store. Why would trials(which are free) be locked behind a subscription service. If that's what's happening on PS+ then shame on Sony for that.

I dont expect any sony fan here to ever give Microsoft credit for anything. That's the culture here and I get it. But when you start saying stuff that isn't true or just making up stuff I'm gonna call you out for it.

Mlb The Show was a day one release. Is that not a good game? Or is it you people pretend to forget that Gamepass doesn't just have games published by Microsoft.

[Flewid638]

I dunno why you're talking about fans. My post clearly states I play on both.

I'm comparing things that I own, like anyone else would, and concluded that GamePass is the most inferior subscription service. Doesn't mean I've never enjoyed a good game on there. Just saying the consistency of quality titles is the least bang for buck compared to the others.

If YOU like it though, then more power to ya. You're free to enjoy things regardless of what I think. lol.

[ocelot07]

Forget him, Think it's Phil Spencer on a burner account can't take criticism of the GP service.

[PapaBop]

Getting the same but for a higher cost is a steal.. it's a robbery. It's still good value for someone young who can't afford to buy new games on release but ultimately. how much do Microsoft pay to write this sort of drivel?

[Reaper22_]

It's not a robbery. If you choose to pay it's a choice. I don't see anything wrong with having options. It's really quite simple.

[Petebloodyonion]

It's valuable if you use it and not if you don't just like the majority of things in life.
Now regarding the numerous comments about how it's worthless, you don't own anything, it's expensive
Let me remind you of a time that ppl were cheering about going to the video store and renting 1 game yes 1 game for 2 nights at 5$ a pop.

[P_Bomb]

The old dollar deal was a steal. Now I’ll just hop on/off as I see fit.

[Lionsguard]

Until they increase it... again and again and again because of course they will, that's how they get you in these subscriptions. Low prices until you're addicted and pretty much rely on them because all your games and library is there, you're just going to "abandon" it?

[CrimsonGuardVII]

No.
.