What is happening with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price?

Xbox cuts Game Pass Ultimate price and removes day-one Call of Duty

Microsoft has made a significant adjustment to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate after previously raising prices and tying the service’s value proposition to Call of Duty availability.

According to the reports in the provided story set, Game Pass Ultimate’s monthly price is being lowered—one article cites a drop from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, while another frames it as reducing Ultimate from $29.99 to $24 (the different figures appear to reflect different reporting/rounding in the story collection). PC Game Pass is also described as being reduced in the same move.

The other major change is more consequential for how subscribers perceive “day-one” value: future Call of Duty titles will no longer be added to Game Pass at launch. In other words, the service’s historical perk—getting new Call of Duty games on release day—has been removed as part of the latest pricing response.

The reason this matters is that Game Pass Ultimate’s pricing shifts weren’t occurring in a vacuum. The stories characterize the change as a response to negative feedback after earlier price hikes. Xbox is effectively trading lower subscription costs for a reduced commitment on day-one Call of Duty.

For current and prospective subscribers, the immediate impact is straightforward: the monthly cost is lower, but the expectation of playing new Call of Duty games on launch via Game Pass must be updated. It’s also a sign that Microsoft is reshaping its subscription “value math” away from single franchise inclusion.

Separately, there are also reports about Microsoft exploring subscription packaging (“pick-your-own” plans), but the clearest, most concrete lever described here is the Ultimate price cut combined with Call of Duty day-one removal.