Xbox Game PassPay, got better and worseUS
Price cut on Ultimate and PC Game Pass; new Call of Duty games no longer day one
Game Pass Ultimate fell to $22.99/mo and PC to $13.99, but new Call of Duty games now arrive about a year after launch
What changed
- Game Pass Ultimate
- Was Before: $29.99/mo
- After: $22.99/mo
- −$7 · −23%
- PC Game Pass
- Was Before: $16.49/mo
- After: $13.99/mo
- −$2.50 · −15%
- New Call of Duty games (Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
- Was Before: On day one
- After: “during the following holiday season (about a year later)”
When it hits your bill
- New subscribers
- Existing subscribers
- Existing subscribers see the new price on their next recurrence date starting April 22, 2026 (Xbox Support).
What this means for you
Ultimate costs $7 less a month (−23%) and PC Game Pass $2.50 less (−15%), though both are still above their prices before October 2025. In exchange, members who want a new Call of Duty at launch now have to buy it; it joins the subscription about a year later. Call of Duty games already in the library stay.
Context
this change$14.99
2022$16.99
2023$19.99
2024
Evidence
Xbox Wire (April 21, 2026): 'Starting today, Game Pass Ultimate drops from $29.99 to $22.99 a month. PC Game Pass will also drop from $16.49 to $13.99 a month.' The same post: 'Beginning this year, future Call of Duty titles won’t join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch. New Call of Duty games will be added to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass during the following holiday season (about a year later), while existing Call of Duty titles already in the library will continue to be available.' Xbox Support: 'Existing subscribers will see the new price on their next recurrence date starting April 22, 2026.' The Xbox Store showed Ultimate at $29.99 and PC Game Pass at $16.49 early on April 21, 2026, and $22.99 and $13.99 on April 22. Before, the October 1, 2025 announcement listed 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 7' among Ultimate's day one releases, and the plans page (April 21, 2026, 01:10 UTC) promised Ultimate and PC 'New games on day one, including new Xbox published games and third-party games' with no Call of Duty exception; by April 22 that line carried the footnote 'Excludes Call of Duty titles'.
Sources
- Xbox Wire: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Update (Apr 21, 2026) · archived
- Xbox Support: Frequently asked questions about Xbox Game Pass (content feed capture, Jun 15 2026; live check Sep 25 2026) · archived
- Xbox Store: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (before, Apr 21 2026 01:11 UTC) · archived
- Xbox Store: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (after, Apr 22 2026) · archived
- Xbox Store: PC Game Pass (before, Apr 21 2026 01:11 UTC) · archived
- Xbox Store: PC Game Pass (after, Apr 22 2026) · archived
- Xbox Wire: Updates to Xbox Game Pass: Introducing Essential, Premium, and Ultimate Plans (Oct 1, 2025) · archived
- Xbox Game Pass plans page (before, Apr 21 2026 01:10 UTC) · archived
- Xbox Game Pass plans page (after, Apr 22 2026) · archived
- CNBC: Microsoft lowers Game Pass Ultimate and PC subscription prices (Apr 21, 2026) (secondary) · archived