Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass overhaul started a massive wave of player backlash, with “cancel Xbox Game Pass” trending globally as subscribers push back on the new $29.99 Ultimate tier.
Yesterday, Microsoft announced some big changes to Xbox’s Game Pass subscription, and it’s not going over smoothly with players. The company announced a full rebrand of its subscription service, splitting it into three tiers: Essential for $9.99, Premium for $14.99, and Ultimate for $29.99. That last one is the big sticking point. Ultimate jumped 50% in price, moving from $19.99 to $29.99 a month.
Each tier also received some new updates. Essential gives access to around 50 rotating games along with online multiplayer and cloud streaming. Premium adds a bigger library of 200+ titles but delays Xbox first-party games for up to a year, excluding Call of Duty entirely. Ultimate packs in the full deal: day-one access to all new Xbox games, 400+ titles in the library, Ubisoft+ Classics, EA Play, and even Fortnite Crew starting in November. But it comes with that steep $30 price tag.
Following this announcement, there’s been a clear reaction: people are rushing to cancel their subscriptions.
“Cancel Xbox Game Pass” Trending on Google Search
Shortly after Microsoft posted its official update, players began searching for how to cancel Game Pass in huge numbers. According to Google Trends data, worldwide searches for “cancel Xbox Game Pass” shot up and peaked at the maximum score of 100. That means it was one of the most searched phrases globally at that time.
As of right now, it’s climbing again, currently sitting at 55.
The initial response online was rough. Xbox-focused Reddit threads filled up with frustrated subscribers. “I’m cancelling mine when I can get on. The kids will be upset, but $30 is too much for me at the moment. It sucks cause it was awesome for a family of gamers,” one user posted. Another added, “We all need to join together and boycott hard. Their CEOs don’t need an extra vacation home or extra car.”
Several players also reported problems trying to cancel or manage their subscriptions. Some claimed Microsoft’s account pages were down or glitchy. “[It] only worked for me on Edge,” one post said. Others joked that Microsoft broke its own servers by raising the price.
The frustration is largely aimed at Ultimate being the only tier with day-one access, while Premium cuts players out of the biggest releases for months. For many, the hike feels less like added value and more like a wall locking them out of the feature that made Game Pass popular in the first place.
In the middle of the chaos, GameStop took a public swing. The retailer posted that it would continue selling Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $19.99 a month, at least for now. “We will continue to sell Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $19.99/month in-store and online,” the post reads. “It’s unclear how long this price will hold, but the move has already caught attention online, with some seeing it as a shot at Microsoft during a moment of backlash.
The situation is still developing, and with the growing backlash, many are now wondering if Microsoft might walk back the price changes.
What do you think? Is Game Pass still worth it at $30 a month, or will you be canceling too? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
