The New Game Pass Economy — Tiers, Pricing, and the CoD Tax

The Game Pass model we have known since 2017 is officially gone. Following a leaked memo where CEO Asha Sharma admitted the service had become “too expensive for players,” Microsoft has executed a rapid price reduction across its premium tiers. However, this lower monthly bill comes with a fundamental change to how the biggest franchise in gaming is delivered. If you are looking at your subscription today, here is the exact breakdown of what you are paying and what you are losing.

The New Price Tiers

Effective immediately (April 21, 2026), the monthly costs for the primary tiers have been slashed. This move essentially reverts the aggressive price hikes seen in late 2025.

Note: Existing subscribers will see the lower rate reflected on their next billing cycle starting today.

The “Call of Duty” Trade-Off

This price drop is not a charity move, it is a restructuring of value. For the first time, a major first-party franchise is being removed from the Day One launch slate.

• The Change: Future Call of Duty titles will no longer join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass on their release day.
• The New Window: New Call of Duty entries will now be added to the service during the “following holiday season”—effectively creating a one-year delay between launch and subscription availability.
• Existing Titles: Any Call of Duty games currently in the library (including the recently added Modern Warfare III) are unaffected and will remain in the catalog.

What Still Launches “Day One”?

Microsoft has been careful to clarify that this change currently applies only to Call of Duty. Other major first-party pillars are still committed to the launch-day model for Ultimate and PC subscribers:

• First-Party Studios: Titles from Bethesda, Obsidian, Playground Games, and Xbox Game Studios (e.g., Fable, Forza Horizon 6, South of Midnight) are still scheduled for Day One release.
• ID@Xbox: Indie partnerships and third-party Day One deals remain a core part of the Ultimate tier.

Regional Variation

While the US and UK have seen the most significant drops, Sharma noted that this is a global rollout. Some regions may see different percentages of reduction based on local currency fluctuations. You can check your specific regional pricing in the Subscriptions tab of your Xbox Account settings.