Xbox Game PassGet, got betterOct 1, 2025US

Core and Standard become Essential and Premium, with PC play and cloud gaming

Core became Essential and Standard became Premium at the same prices, adding PC play, cloud gaming and more games

What changed

Lower plan ($9.99/mo): Was Before: Game Pass Core: “select catalog of over 25 high-quality games” on console; After: Game Pass Essential: “50+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices”
Middle plan ($14.99/mo): Was Before: Game Pass Standard: “hundreds of high-quality console games”; After: Game Pass Premium: “200+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices”
Cloud gaming: Was Before: Ultimate only; After: Also in Essential and Premium (“unlimited cloud gaming”)
New Xbox-published games (middle plan): Was Before: Not on day one; may come later, “up to 12 months or more”; After: “within a year of their launch (excludes Call of Duty titles)”

When it applies to you

New users: Oct 1, 2025
Existing users: Oct 1, 2025; Core and Standard subscribers were moved to Essential and Premium automatically (Xbox Wire; Xbox Support).

What this means for you

Essential ($9.99) and Premium ($14.99) members got bigger libraries they can also play on PC, plus cloud gaming, at the same prices. Premium now gets new Xbox-published games (except Call of Duty) within a year of launch.

Evidence

Xbox Wire (October 1, 2025): 'Today’s Game Pass Core subscribers will automatically move to Essential, Standard subscribers will transition to Premium'. Essential 'now includes unlimited cloud gaming, online multiplayer, in-game benefits, and Rewards with Xbox, plus a curated catalog of 50+ games playable on both console and PC'. Premium gets '200+ games on Xbox console, PC, and supported devices, all still at $14.99' and 'new Xbox-published games within a year of their launch (excludes Call of Duty titles)'. Xbox Support: 'All plans now include PC access, unlimited cloud gaming, in-game rewards, and a library of popular titles'. Before, Xbox Wire (September 10, 2024) described Core's 'select catalog of over 25 high-quality games' and Standard's 'hundreds of high-quality console games'; the plans page (September 30, 2025) said 'Game Pass Core delivers online console multiplayer, a curated catalog of games, and member discounts'. Xbox Support said Ultimate 'also includes ... Xbox Cloud Gaming' compared with Standard, and that Ultimate day-one games could reach Standard 'up to 12 months or more' later.

Sources

Report an error