According to a new leak, Microsoft is planning to fundamentally restructure Xbox Game Pass and remove the very thing that makes the service attractive to many.
Play new games directly on the day of release with a subscription: That’s exactly what Microsoft is supposed to do, according to a leak want to abolish it from 2027. This would eliminate what is probably Xbox Game Pass’s strongest advantage over the competition. Microsoft has not yet commented on this.
Xbox Game Pass: Microsoft is canceling Day One releases?
Behind the leak is “Slayven”, a moderator of the gaming forum ResetEra, who had already correctly predicted previous changes to Game Pass. According to him, new games should start from a period of time between February and April 2027 will no longer be available as a subscription on the day of publication.
Gaming insider NateTheHate confirmed Slayven’s previous reliability as a source, but was unable to independently verify the current details. The information should therefore be treated with caution until an official announcement from Microsoft.
In addition to the possible elimination of day one games, the leak describes a fundamental restructuring of the subscription levels. Accordingly, there will be two core tariffs in the future: an advertising-based version for $12.99 a month and an ad-free subscription for $19.99 – compared to the current Ultimate tariff, that would be three dollars less. The leak cites the elimination of day-one releases as the reason for the cheaper price.
Slayven also names other possible options:
- Access to the Game Pass library including online multiplayer for $14.99 per month
- Online multiplayer as a standalone subscription for $10.99 per month
- A family plan as an additional option for $5.99 per month
It is not clear from the leak whether and in what form these prices would also apply to the German market (source: ResetEra).
Is Game Pass going on a budget?
According to the leak, cloud gaming will also disappear from the standard subscription. In the future, the feature will be available as separate add-on for $5.99 per month be available and include a monthly quota of 25 streaming hours. What happens when this quota is used up is not clear from the information available.
Microsoft had already announced that it would limit streaming times: from November, Ultimate subscribers will receive 15 hours per month, Essential users will only receive 5 hours.