How to Avoid The Xbox Game Pass Price Hike

The cost of Game Pass Ultimate, the all-inclusive package, has seen a $2 hike, landing at $16.99 per month for new members. Meanwhile, the standard Xbox Game Pass sees a $1 increase, making it $10.99 monthly. It’s also worth noting that the price for PC Game Pass will remain unchanged, holding steady at $9.99 a month. The new pricing officially took effect on July 6 for newcomers and has since been applicable from August 13 for those already part of the Game Pass family.

Update, August 23: At the time of writing you can still secure the below deal on Xbox Game Pass, but there’s no telling when Amazon will adjust the price or remove the deal to maintain parity with Xbox’s new pricing, so it’s best to take advantage of it while you still can. At $39.99 for three months, that’s reasonably better compared to the new price of $50.97 for three months.

If you want to avoid the price hike, we’re still recommending securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.

Admittedly, this approach might put a strain on your wallet, totaling $479.88 if you purchase the 3-month codes via the deal we uncovered on Amazon. However, when you compare it to the new cost of Game Pass Ultimate for 36 months at $16.99 per month, amounting to $611.64, you’ll realize you’re saving a substantial $111.72 on your subscription for the next three years.

This is also just an example of the maximum savings available here, as it’s unlikely many of us have got a spare $500 to burn on Game Pass right this second. But it’s still food for thought, and you could even just buy 12 months’ worth of codes for $166.64 (vs it costing $203.88 per year from August 13) if you don’t want to stomach the cost of buying three years of Game Pass at once.

Even if you just buy a couple of extra Game Pass codes for safekeeping, you’re doing your future self a massive favor. Plus, if you’re new to Xbox Game Pass, you can also just buy a 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership and then join Game Pass. As it converts 1:1, you’re getting an excellent headstart on the price hike there as well.

We hope this arms you with the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision about your Xbox Game Pass subscription. So, consider your options wisely, plan accordingly, and keep on gaming. Otherwise, there’s also nothing wrong with canceling your subscription altogether as well.

With how expensive everything is getting in 2023, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts or follow @IGNDeals on Twitter for even more updates before Prime Day.

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.