Xbox Game Pass plans and prices (November 2026): Ultimate, Premium, Essential and PC Game Pass compared

How much does Xbox Game Pass cost in 2026?

Microsoft sells four Game Pass plans in the US, all billed monthly. These are the regular prices on Microsoft's US store listings when we checked them on November 9, 2026, before tax:

Game Pass Ultimate: $22.99 a month.
Game Pass Premium: $14.99 a month.
Game Pass Essential: $9.99 a month.
PC Game Pass: $13.99 a month.

On November 9 each of the four store listings also showed an introductory offer of $1.00 for 14 days, then the regular price. Microsoft's own plans page (xbox.com/xbox-game-pass), which we save every day, showed $1 for the first month on Essential and $1 for the first 14 days on Premium. These offers depend on your account: the page says to "sign in for your available offers" and that offers "may be for new subscribers only." After any offer, the subscription "automatically continues at the then-current regular price (subject to change), unless canceled, plus applicable taxes."

What each Game Pass plan includes

From the feature list on Microsoft's Game Pass plans page. That list has not changed since we started saving the page on October 13, 2026.

Game Pass Ultimate ($22.99)

500+ games playable on console, PC and more devices.
New games on day one. Microsoft's footnote says "select games" and "excludes Call of Duty titles."
EA Play, Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics included.
Cloud playtime: 15 hours a month.
Online console multiplayer and in-game benefits for games like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone.
4x Rewards points. The page says Ultimate members "can play and earn up to $100 a year in the Store with Rewards."

Game Pass Premium ($14.99)

200+ games playable on console, PC and more devices.
New Xbox-published games within 1 year of launch (excluding Call of Duty titles).
Cloud playtime: 10 hours a month.
Online console multiplayer and in-game benefits.
2x Rewards points.

Game Pass Essential ($9.99)

50+ games playable on console, PC and more devices.
Cloud playtime: 5 hours a month.
Online console multiplayer and in-game benefits.
Rewards points (no multiplier). Microsoft says Essential "does not include new release titles on day one."

PC Game Pass ($13.99)

300+ games playable on PC only.
New games on day one and EA Play included.
In-game benefits and 2x Rewards points.
No cloud gaming: the page's cloud gaming footnote says it is "not included with PC Game Pass." Online console multiplayer isn't in its feature list either.

Cloud gaming is no longer unlimited

On September 3, 2026, Microsoft announced on Xbox Wire that "beginning in November" Game Pass plans would include a set number of cloud gaming hours each month: 15 on Ultimate, 10 on Premium and 5 on Essential. Until then, eligible subscribers could stream without monthly hour limits. Microsoft said it expected the change to affect 4% of Game Pass subscribers and acknowledged that "for some players the practical result is a higher cost." Microsoft's US store listings for Ultimate, Premium and Essential describe those same hour allowances as of November 9.

Once you use your included hours, Microsoft says you can buy more cloud playtime through the Xbox Store. On October 21, 2026, it began letting Xbox Insiders without an active Game Pass subscription buy playtime packs at what it called introductory launch pricing: 10 hours for $3.99, 25 hours for $7.99 and 50 hours for $11.99, with playtime that "remains available until it's used." Microsoft said that option would roll out more broadly in November. It has not said in those posts whether Game Pass members topping up pay the same, so check the Xbox Store for the prices offered to your account.

Microsoft's cloud gaming FAQ also says included hours don't stack: if you have more than one eligible Game Pass subscription (for example one through a partner offer plus Ultimate), the subscription with the higher number of hours applies.

Which Game Pass plan is the best value?

Using the November 2026 monthly prices:

Over 12 months: Ultimate costs $275.88, Premium $179.88, PC Game Pass $167.88 and Essential $119.88 if you pay monthly.
Ultimate vs Premium: Ultimate is $8 a month more. For that you get day-one games, EA Play, Fortnite Crew, Ubisoft+ Classics, 5 more cloud hours and a larger library (500+ vs 200+).
PC-only players: PC Game Pass ($13.99) includes day-one games and EA Play for $9 a month less than Ultimate, but no cloud gaming and no console play.
Heavy cloud players: at the introductory prices Microsoft announced for Insiders, playtime packs work out to about $0.24 to $0.40 an hour depending on the size, so the monthly limit matters most if you stream well beyond your plan's included hours.

Prepaying doesn't necessarily save money. In our price history, Microsoft's US store listings on October 22, 2026 showed Ultimate at $68.99 for 3 months, $137.99 for 6 months and $275.99 for 12 months, slightly more than paying $22.99 monthly. The 12-month Essential listing was $79.99, much less than 12 monthly payments of $9.99 ($119.88). Check the listing before you buy, since prepaid prices can change.

Xbox Game Pass price history: every US change since 2017

US monthly list prices for new members, from Xbox Wire and the coverage listed below. Introductory offers and account-specific deals are left out.

Ultimate: $14.99 at launch (June 9, 2019), $16.99 (July 6, 2023), $19.99 (July 2024 for new members; existing members from September 12, 2024), $29.99 (October 1, 2025), then cut to $22.99 (April 21, 2026). It is still 53% more than at launch.

PC Game Pass: launched in June 2019 as Xbox Game Pass for PC (beta) with a $9.99 list price, sold at $4.99 a month as a launch offer. It stayed $9.99 in the July 2023 increase, went to $11.99 in July 2024 and $16.49 on October 1, 2025, then was cut to $13.99 on April 21, 2026.

Premium: launched as Game Pass Standard at $14.99 on September 10, 2024. On October 1, 2025 it was renamed Premium at the same price, with PC games and cloud gaming added.

Essential: Game Pass Core was renamed Essential on October 1, 2025 at the same $9.99 a month. In July 2024 Microsoft had raised the 12-month Core price from $59.99 to $74.99 while the monthly price stayed $9.99.

Game Pass for Console (discontinued): $9.99 at launch in 2017 and $10.99 from July 6, 2023. In July 2024 it closed to new members; existing members could keep renewing.

The April 2026 price cut

The October 1, 2025 increase took Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99, a 50% jump in one step, and PC Game Pass from $11.99 to $16.49. On April 21, 2026, Xbox Wire announced: "Starting today, Game Pass Ultimate drops from $29.99 to $22.99 a month. PC Game Pass will also drop from $16.49 to $13.99 a month." The same post said future Call of Duty games would no longer join Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch, but during the following holiday season, "about a year later." Premium and Essential prices did not change.

In September 2026, some current and lapsed members reported account-specific Ultimate offers below list price, such as $16.09 a month for 12 months, while Microsoft still listed $22.99.

What Microsoft's terms say about billing, price changes and refunds

Game Pass renews automatically. Microsoft's Game Pass FAQ says "the recurring billing feature is switched on by default," and you can turn it off in your Microsoft account or on your console. The plans page says prices can rise with notice:

Charges may be increased on at least 30 days notice as described in the Microsoft Store Terms of Sale.
— Xbox Game Pass plans page, "Recurring Billing"

There is also a one-time refund if you forgot to cancel:

If you did not want to be charged for recurring billing, but failed to switch off recurring billing before your payment was processed, you’re still entitled to a refund of your most recent recurring billing charge if you cancel your subscription within 30 days after payment. This refund right is limited to one time per Microsoft account, per subscription product.
— Xbox Game Pass plans page, FAQ

What you can do

Check your plan and renewal date under Services & subscriptions in your Microsoft account (account.microsoft.com/services).
Match the plan to how you play. If you only play on PC, PC Game Pass is $9 a month less than Ultimate. If you don't need day-one releases, Premium is $8 less than Ultimate.
If you stream a lot, keep an eye on your monthly cloud hours. Included hours don't stack across subscriptions.
If you were charged after forgetting to cancel, you can request a refund of that most recent charge if you cancel within 30 days of payment, once per account per subscription product.
Before taking a $1 offer, note the date it ends: after that the subscription continues at the regular price unless you cancel.

How we keep this page current

QuietlyChanged saves Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass plans page every day and records what changes. This guide is updated when that snapshot or our sourced price history changes. The Xbox Game Pass service page has the same price history with a chart and a dated timeline.

Sources

Written from the sources above and our own dated snapshots. Things change: always check the official page before you act. This guide is not legal advice. Spotted an error? Contact & corrections · About