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Xbox Game Pass price increase coming in July

The price hike for Xbox Game Pass will also accompany an increase in Xbox Series X prices overseas.

Ozzie Mejia

June 21, 2023 11:20 AM

Xbox

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Earlier this year, Microsoft assured consumers that the price of Xbox Game Pass would not be affected by any potential takeover of Activision Blizzard. Fast-forward to today, the Activision Blizzard acquisition appears to be on the ropes, and now it's looking like other external economic factors will be what lead to an Xbox Game Pass price increase.

The Verge reported on Wednesday that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for Console prices will go up soon. On July 6, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be priced at $16.99 USD per month, which is an increase of $2. Game Pass for Console will go from $9.99 to $10.99 monthly. Prices for PC Game Pass will remain the same.

The price increase comes shortly after Microsoft touted subscriber highs for the Game Pass service. This is the first major price change for Xbox Game Pass since its inception in 2017 and follows the trend of price increases for monthly subscription services from companies like Netflix and Disney. Xbox Head of Communications Kari Perez is adamant in a statement to The Verge that the Game Pass price increase is unrelated to the attempted Activision Blizzard acquisition.

The Xbox Series X is also getting a price hike internationally, most notably in Canada, where the new price of $649.99 CAD will take effect in August. The increase will vary depending on territory but don't expect the price jump in the United States, Japan, Chile, Brazil, or Colombia. Xbox Series S prices are likewise unaffected in all territories.

Xbox users are encouraged to shop around in an effort to get ahead of these price hikes. Costco, specifically, is a good destination, where shoppers can even get a decent discount off the current base rate. Get these while you can, because the Xbox Game Pass price hikes take effect in just a few weeks.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?