True to leaks, Microsoft has confirmed that Game Pass is indeed going to see price increases for all of its tiers, but the subscription service is also seeing other, additional changes on top of that- and quite significant ones at that, as reported by Windows Central.
As aforementioned leaks claimed, Microsoft is also set to introduce a new tier of the subscription service. Called Xbox Game Pass Standard, it will replace the existing base Xbox Game Pass tier for console users, will be priced at $14.99 per month, and significantly, won’t include any day one releases, which means the only way for Game Pass subscribers to get day and date access to titles will be via subscriptions to the Ultimate or PC tiers.
So what happens if you’re already subscribed to the base console tier? Microsoft says existing Xbox Game Pass members will get to keep their subscriptions without any changes until they run out. Starting July 10, however, new subscribers will not be able to select the base Game Pass tier.
A specific release date for Xbox Game Pass Standard is currently unknown, but Microsoft says the new tier will become available “in the coming months”, which means new Game Pass subscribers on console are going to have no option other than the Core or Ultimate tiers for the time being.