Xbox Game Pass restructures its plans and makes Ultimate more expensive

Microsoft has made its move with Xbox Game Pass and has announced a complete overhaul of the service: new names for plans, changes in benefits and a significant price increase at the highest level. The company is accompanying these adjustments with a wave of additions to the catalog to bolster its offering.

From today, Core is now called Essential and Standard becomes PremiumWhile Ultimate keeps the name but not the price. In addition to the new structure, More than 45 games are coming and key differences are detailed: in Premium, the titles of Xbox Game Studios will be added within a year of launch (with exceptions for Call of Duty), and Ultimate reinforces its value with more advantages.

What's changing in Game Pass plans?

The reorganization is articulated on three levels: Essential, Premium y Ultimate. All plans now offer libraries that include games from console and PC, in addition to access to cloud game, which unifies the experience across multiple devices without the need for separate subscriptions.

Those who were already subscribed to Core migrate to Essential and those of Standard to Premium automatically, while users of Ultimate remain on the same plan with the new conditions. This transition is intended to ensure that no one loses any remaining time, but rather converts to the equivalent level with the updated functions.

The most important differences come in access to launches: in Premium, Xbox Game Studios games are added within the first 12 months of release, with the exception that Call of Duty may take longer. In Ultimate, the day one premieres from the first party and additional benefits are introduced.

In addition, the three levels include cloud game, but Ultimate users have priority to join the sessions and enjoy the best streaming quality available on the service.

Official prices and application dates

In Spain, the company has confirmed the new monthly amounts: Essential €8,99, Premium €12,99, Ultimate €26,99 y PC GamePass € 14,99. It is a increase of €9 in Ultimate compared to the previous plan, while Premium and Essential remain the same or are slightly adjusted based on the previous plan.

• Xbox Game Pass Essential: €8,99 per month
• Xbox Game Pass Premium: €12,99 per month
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: €26,99 per month
• PC Game Pass: €14,99 per month

Outside the euro zone, Microsoft places Ultimate at $29,99 in the United States and in £ 22,99 in the United Kingdom. The implementation of the changes is phased: are now in effect for new subscribers and will be applied to the current ones starting at a later date communicated by the company, with time to review the most appropriate plan.

This readjustment comes just over a year after the previous one, and places Ultimate in a higher price range compared to rivals such as PlayStation Plus or cloud gaming solutions like GeForce Now, which operate with different models and conditions.

Added benefits and priorities: cloud, Ubisoft+ and Fortnite

Level Ultimate It incorporates two relevant new features: Ubisoft+ Classics y Fortnite Crew (the latter starting November 18th). With this, in addition to the usual library and its own day-one releases, in-game advantages and access to a wide catalog of Ubisoft, while Fortnite Crew includes the battle pass, 1.000 V-Bucks per month and more extras.

In the cloud, Ultimate offers less waiting time and the best quality of streaming available. For its part, Premium y Essential They have unlimited cloud gaming and improvements over the previous situation, including the ability to use the subscription on PC with libraries specific to each plan.

The Rewards They are updated by levels: up to 100.000 points/year in Ultimate (with x4 multiplier, discounts and points refunds on selected purchases), up to 50.000 points on Premium and PC Game Pass, and up to 25.000 points on Essential. These points can be redeemed for credit and other rewards within the Xbox ecosystem.

PC Game Pass maintains EA Play as part of the plan, with a dedicated library and PC-specific benefits. In Premium, in addition to the cloud and catalog expansion, Xbox Game Studios games are being added in less than a year, with the Call of Duty exception, which may require more time.

Games added today (selection by level)

Microsoft accompanies the restructuring with a massive catalog update, with a large block of Ubisoft titles and the arrival of Hogwarts legacyThis is the breakdown by plan, as announced by the company:

Available in Ultimate (featured new additions)

• Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed II (PC)
• Assassin's Creed III Remastered (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Freedom Cry (PC)
• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (PC)
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed Liberation HD (PC)
• Assassin's Creed Revelations (PC)
• Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Assassin's Creed The Ezio Collection (Cloud and Console)
• Assassin's Creed Unity (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Child of Light (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Far Cry 3 (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Far Cry Primal (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Hungry Shark World (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Monopoly Madness (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Monopoly 2024 (Cloud and Console)
• OddBallers (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Cloud, PC, and Console)
• Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (Cloud and Console)
• Rabbids: Party of Legends (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Rayman Legends (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Risk Urban Assault (Cloud and Console)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Skull and Bones (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• South Park: The Stick of Truth (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Steep (Cloud, PC and Console)
• The Crew 2 (Cloud, PC and Console)
• The Settlers: New Allies (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Tom Clancy's The Division (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Trackmania Turbo (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Transference (Cloud and Console)
• Trials Fusion (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Trials of the Blood Dragon (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Trials Rising (Cloud, PC and Console)
• One (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Watch_Dogs (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Wheel of Fortune (Cloud and Console)
• Zombie (Cloud, PC and Console)

Available in Premium and Ultimate

• 9 Kings (Game Preview) (PC)
• Abiotic Factor (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Against the Storm (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (PC)
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (PC)
• Age of Mythology: Retold (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Search: History Untold (PC)
• Arx Doom (PC)
• Back to the Dawn (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Battletech (PC)
• Blacksmith Master (Game Preview) (PC)
• Cataclysm (PC)
• Cities: Skylines II (PC)
• Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Diablo (PC)
• Diablo IV (PC and Console)
• The Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire (PC)
• The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC)
• Fallout (PC)
• Fallout 2 (PC)
• Fallout: Tactics (PC)
• Football Manager 2024 (PC)
• Frostpunk 2 (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Halo: Spartan Strike (PC)
• Hogwarts Legacy (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Manor Lords (Game Preview) (PC)
• Minami Lane (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Minecraft: Java Edition (PC)
• Mullet Madjack (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• My Friendly Neighborhood (Cloud, PC and Console)
• One Lonely Outpost (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Quake 4 (PC)
• Quake III Arena (PC)
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
• Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (PC)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Sworn (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S)
• Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC)
• Volcano Princess (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Warcraft I: Remastered (PC)
• Warcraft II: Remastered (PC)
• Warcraft III: Reforged (PC)
• Wolfenstein 3D (PC)

Available in Essential, Premium and Ultimate

• Cities: Skylines Remastered (Cloud and Xbox Series X|S)
• Disney Dreamlight Valley (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Hades (Cloud, PC and Console)
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (Cloud, PC, and Console)

The catalog update is supported by changes in benefits and rewards, and is part of a strategy with which Microsoft tries to segment better by profiles and reinforce the most complete plan with valuable extras and backward compatibility. For those who don't need the whole package, Premium y Essential They expand access to PCs and the cloud at a more affordable cost.

The key for users will be to assess whether the New Ultimate Perks (Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew, cloud priority, and more Rewards points) offset the increase, or if a lower plan better fits your gaming habits. The move, accompanied by dozens of added titles, marks a new stage for Game Pass in a context of widespread price increases in digital services.

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Isaac

Passionate writer about the world of bytes and technology in general. I love sharing my knowledge through writing, and that's what I'll do on this blog, show you all the most interesting things about gadgets, software, hardware, tech trends, and more. My goal is to help you navigate the digital world in a simple and entertaining way.