Microsoft’s Xbox is adjusting its Game Pass service in response to player feedback, including a price reduction and changes to how Call of Duty games are made available.
The adjustments come after significant criticism of a major price increase introduced last year. Xbox announced that Game Pass Ultimate will see its monthly price drop from $29.99 to $22.99 in the United States. This remains higher than the $19.99 monthly rate before October 2025 but reflects a notable decrease from the recent hike. PC Game Pass will also see a reduction, from $16.49 to $13.99 per month.
Another key change involves the availability of Call of Duty games on Game Pass. Moving forward, these titles will no longer be accessible on day one. Instead, they will be added to Game Pass Ultimate during the following holiday season, approximately one year after their initial release.
"Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far. We’ll continue to listen and learn. Thank you for being a part of the Xbox community."
Activision, the publisher behind Call of Duty, also shared a statement regarding the changes:
"Game Pass continues to be an awesome place for players to discover games, including Call of Duty. Our focus remains unchanged: to deliver the best possible Call of Duty game experience for players across every platform. We’ll continue to support Game Pass through catalog titles and with new Call of Duty games on Ultimate the following holiday after launch (about a year later)."
For players eager to play the latest Call of Duty games on day one, the options are now limited to purchasing the full game at launch or waiting up to a year for it to become available on Game Pass Ultimate. The price reductions on Game Pass are intended to improve accessibility and address concerns about affordability raised by the community.
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