Microsoft has raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 a month, while also renaming and updating its other subscription tiers.
In response, major US retailer GameStop has stated on Twitter/X that it will continue selling Game Pass Ultimate at the old price “in-store and online,” sidestepping the increase for now.
We will continue to sell Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $19.99/month in-store and online. pic.twitter.com/EAPGaud7cY
— GameStop (@gamestop) October 1, 2025
It isn’t alone either, as IGN reported, Amazon is also still selling Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $19.99 per month, and the same, at least for now, goes for Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.
The key distinction is that GameStop has publicly confirmed it will continue selling Ultimate at the pre-hike price point, while the other major US retailers have not commented and simply continue to list the subscription at the old rate.
Xbox fans have suggested a potential explanation: that GameStop and others may be selling through existing backlog of codes originally issued at $19.99. Physical Game Pass cards are typically printed with their value shown, which would certainly make raising the price impractical for remaining stock.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
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How this translates to online sales is less certain. Retailers typically distribute digital codes via automated systems rather than manually, which means prices could potentially be adjusted more easily if new stock were issued. How this applies to codes already supplied by Microsoft, is still unclear.
Without clarification from GameStop, it remains unclear whether the unchanged price is the result of logistics, old inventory, or simply deliberate move to attract customers.
Interest in prepaid codes still at pre-hike prices rose sharply following Microsoft’s announcement, as subscribers looked for ways to avoid the changes.
Game Pass Ultimate membership time can be stacked on a single account for up to 36 months, and many fans immediately sought to lock in the lower rate before the changes took effect.
We calculated that securing three years in advance would cost $719.88, or effectively $239.96 per year.
While this is a considerable cost, it represents a saving of $359.76 compared with the new monthly rate of $29.99, which brings the three-year total to an eye-watering $1,079.64.
This figure reflects the maximum saving possible, although many subscribers are potentially more likely to commit to shorter periods such as three months or a year.
This is not the first time Game Pass prices have changed either, but it does mark the first siginficant jump. In July 2024, Microsoft increased the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the US from $16.99 to $19.99 a month, an 18 percent rise.
Now, 14 months later the cost has climbed even more notably, with a massive 50 percent increase that adds $120 a year. As part of the announcement, Microsoft also added more than 45 new games to Game Pass, and you can check out the full list here.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
