A new rumor suggests Xbox Game Pass could be getting ad-supported tiers, an Ultimate price increase, PS Plus-style names, and big changes to day-one titles.
Xbox Game Pass has been busy lately. Over the past few weeks, players saw new titles confirmed for October, including The Outer Worlds 2, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Pax Dei, all set to hit the service later this month.
Ultimate members also get early access to the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies beta starting October 2. On the flip side, Microsoft quietly made a big change to its Rewards program; you can no longer redeem points directly for Game Pass. Now, you’ll need to redeem Xbox gift cards first, then apply them toward your subscription.
But today, we’re looking at something potentially much bigger. A new rumor has popped up, pointing to massive upcoming changes to how Xbox Game Pass will work. If accurate, it could mean a total reshuffle of the service, how its tiers are named, and even how much it costs.
Xbox Game Pass Leak Suggests Free Tier with Ads and Day-One Access Changes
This report comes from a thread posted on ResetEra by one of the forum’s moderators. While they make it clear they’re not an industry insider, they say the information came from a source with a strong track record. According to the post, Microsoft is planning to completely restructure Game Pass over the next year or so.
Update 2, October 1, 7:11 AM PT: Microsoft has now released a new blog article, confirming the rumored details about the changes coming to Xbox Game Pass, with the Ultimate tier getting a new price of $29.99 per month.
Update, October 1, 5:10 AM PT: Well-known industry insider Shinobi602 replied to the Game Pass leak on ResetEra with a grimace emoji and said, “More than that.” When someone asked if he meant more expensive or just more changes, he replied, “The former.” That likely means Game Pass might end up costing even more than the rumored $25 for Ultimate.
Original Story: According to the leaked details, it looks like PC Game Pass might be going away entirely. Instead, all Game Pass subscriptions will be categorized into either a “Standard” or “Core” tier, with no day-one games unless you’re on the Ultimate tier.
The ResetEra post outlines several changes said to be coming in the future. First, PC Game Pass might be going away entirely. Instead, all Game Pass subscriptions will be categorized into either a “Standard” or “Core” tier. There’s also one key difference: only the Ultimate tier would continue to offer day-one game releases. Standard subscribers could still play plenty of games, but not the newest titles the day they launch.
The post also claims that Game Pass Ultimate will eventually rise in price to $25 per month, though this increase might not happen until 2026. Two new Game Pass subscription options could arrive in 2026. One is a cheaper tier with ads, while another would be free or nearly free, but limited to streaming with time restrictions and forced ads.
There are also potential name changes, similar to Sony’s PlayStation Plus tiers, with Xbox Game Pass “Core” being renamed “Essential” and “Standard” possibly becoming “Premium.”
Here’s the direct statement from the ResetEra moderator:
“PC Game Pass [is] going away and will be Game Pass Standard and Game Pass Core, and no day 1 games,” the post reads. “Increase in price for Game Pass Ultimate to $25 (this may be delayed to 2026). Cloud streaming [is] included in all tiers.
“Subscription name changes, similar to PSN tiers (unconfirmed): Game Pass core > Game Pass Essential, Game Pass Standard > Game Pass Premium. 2026: Cheaper ad-based tier, streaming only free/cheap tier, time-based, and forced ads.”
Of course, this is all unconfirmed for now and should be taken with a grain of salt. But given that Microsoft has already made some structural changes this year (like removing day-one access from the Standard tier and expanding cloud streaming), this leak doesn’t sound all that far-fetched.
What do you think about these possible changes to Game Pass? Would an ad-supported tier interest you? Let us know your thoughts.
