Thanks, Xbox, I'm Never Subscribing To Game Pass Again (2024)

When I first started working in games media, I only had enough money to buy one current-gen console. I knew that I would eventually have to get my hands on both, somehow, so I could play and write about first-party exclusives from both Sony and Microsoft, but I had to pick one to start with.

When I bought the Xbox Series X, it wasn’t because of superior specs or better exclusives or even a preference for green. No, I picked it because of Game Pass. I wanted to be able to play Xbox’s library of older but iconic games, filling the gaps in my video game knowledge so I could write about the industry and its trends more effectively.

I started with Game Pass Ultimate, but my priorities changed and I stopped having the time to play older games because I was focusing on covering new ones. Last December, I downgraded to the cheaper Game Pass for Console so I’d still have access to Game Pass’ day one releases, but in March, I cancelled my subscription completely.

Xbox’s exclusives haven’t been capturing my interest, and since I was selectively focusing my attention only on specific triple-A games and indies, it didn’t have much value for me anymore. Lately, I’ve been playing with the idea of subscribing to Ultimate again, but the announced changes to Xbox’s Game Pass tiers have sealed that prospect off for me.

Game Pass’s Changes Are Infuriating

The long and short of why Xbox’s confusing reshuffling of its Game Pass service is so egregious is that a price increase alone is one thing, but to increase the price while reducing functionality is a whole new level of slimy. Players have a right to be angry about it.

Game Pass Ultimate, which offers multiplayer and access to games on launch for no extra cost, is increasing in price. Game Pass for Console, which used to have access to games on day one, is also increasing in price but will no longer have that same access. Obviously, Xbox is trying to push existing subscribers to pay for higher tiers in order to retain the same access they already had, at a price point higher than they would originally have paid.

People who are already subscribed to Game Pass for Console are grandfathered into the new system at the price they’re already paying, as long as they never cancel their subscriptions. This obviously serves to prevent people like me, who subscribe to Game Pass to try new exclusives and cancel when we’re sick of it, from gaming the system and playing first-party games for cheap. But locking subscribers into a service by disincentivising them from ever cancelling is shady, and the confusing messaging around the renaming of the tiers is an obvious attempt to obfuscate the disservice it’s doing to its existing subscribers.

Xbox’s Changes Are Just The Latest In A Long List Of Reasons To Be Mad

It’s hard not to think poorly of Xbox right now, Game Pass aside. A brutal round of layoffs decimated Xbox’s first-party studios, showing infuriating shortsightedness and a frustrating focus on Bethesda IP over actually smaller, more innovative projects. At the Xbox showcase, the layoffs and closures weren’t acknowledged, and an interview with Xbox president Sarah Bond provided weak non-answers and offered absolutely no significant insight into why this egregious decision was made.

That aforementioned Xbox showcase was actually pretty good, and it was clearly the highlight of this year’s otherwise lacklustre Summer Game Fest. But other than the games showcased, Xbox doesn’t have very many big day one exclusives even worth subscribing for. If anything, Game Pass is a boon because I’m not wasting my money on Xbox’s exclusives, which I really only played for work. Redfall was bad, and so was Starfield. If I’d known that in advance, I definitely wouldn’t have paid money to play them, and there’s no reason for players to do that either. Does Game Pass even have that much value for players who subscribe specifically for day one releases anymore? I don’t think so.

Why Would I Want To Give Microsoft My Money Anymore?

Out of the very cool games at Xbox’s showcase, it’s not clear which of those big triple-As will be exclusive to Xbox, but we already know many (like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Doom: The Dark Ages) will be multiplatform, and most of them won’t be out in the near future. If I do the maths, I’m still saving more money if I pick and choose which of Xbox’s exclusives to pull out my wallet for. In which case, why would I want to guarantee Microsoft a steady stream of cash from my bank account, especially since it’s increasing the price of that access and being shady about it?

I’m not going to stop playing Xbox exclusives, but I’m done with Game Pass. It no longer has the value that it promised me, and for gamers with the same priorities, it no longer serves them either. Quite frankly, unless you’re the kind of player who avoids newer games and prefers to sink into the library of older titles, Game Pass isn’t worth it anymore. Great job, Xbox.

Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's subscription service, offering hundreds of games for modern Xbox consoles and PC, all for a regular monthly fee.