The current Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price increase has already begun for new members and is rolling out for existing subscribers on a set date, with a few regional exceptions.

New monthly price

  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is now listed at about $29.99/£22.99/€26.99 per month for new subscribers, roughly a 50% jump from the previous $19.99 level.
  • Other tiers (Essential/Core and Premium/Standard) kept their headline prices in many markets, with the biggest change focused on Ultimate.

When the price increase starts

  • For new subscribers , the higher Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price took effect on or around October 1, 2025 in most covered regions.
  • For existing subscribers , Microsoft set the official switchover to the new monthly price on November 4, 2025 , meaning that’s the date most ongoing memberships first saw the higher charge.

Temporary pauses and exceptions

  • In October 2025, some Ultimate members reported receiving emails saying the upcoming price hike would no longer be applied “for now” to their existing subscription, effectively pausing the jump for a subset of users in certain regions.
  • These pauses were not universal; coverage and user reports indicate that the standard plan remained the new higher price for new sign‑ups , while some existing accounts were grandfathered temporarily at the old rate.

Why the price is going up

  • Microsoft tied the Ultimate price increase to added benefits like more day‑one releases (around 75 per year), Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew , and upgraded cloud streaming (up to 1440p).
  • The October 2025 change followed previous, smaller Game Pass price bumps in 2024, making this the largest single jump so far and a major talking point across gaming news and forums.

Quick recap: “When does Xbox Ultimate price increase?”

  • New members : Higher price already live since early October 2025.
  • Existing members : Officially rolled to the new price on November 4, 2025 , unless specifically notified that the increase was paused for that account/region.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.