Some good things never last. In a tweet last night, Microsoft revealed that it’d be raising the price of Xbox Game Pass for PC from $4.99 per month to $9.99 per month. The increased pricing is already going into effect next week (Thursday, September 17), but those of you who are already subscribed will pay the same rate through the next billing cycle.
Nobody likes pricing increases, but $9.99 per month still seems like a great deal for everything that Xbox Game Pass for PC offers (i.e., over 100 games, which includes huge hits such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Gears 5, Forza 4, and Microsoft Flight Simulator). We also learned yesterday that subscribers would be getting EA’s game subscription service, EA Play, for no additional cost. That’s more than 60 additional great games, such as Titanfall 2 and Mass Effect.
That said, head of Xbox Phil Spencer suggested earlier this year that he wouldn’t be raising prices. “I know some people — I’ve seen it — some people say, ‘Oh, they’re just kind of burning money left and right in order to gain customers so they can trick you into raising the price later,” he said in an interview with Stevivor.
“There’s no model like that, for us,” he said. “We feel good in the business that we’re running now. We’re definitely investing in it, but not investing in a way that’s unsustainable.
To be fair, Microsoft has been advertising Xbox Game Pass for PC’s $4.99 per month as an “introductory” price.
We’re retiring the introductory price on the 17th, but if you’re already a member, you’ll pay the same rate through the next billing cycle. look out for a notification on the 17th to get more details
— Xbox Game Pass For PC (@XboxGamePassPC) September 9, 2020
It depends on your region, but in the US, the price is 9.99 per month. If you’re an existing member you will keep your existing price for another billing cycle.
— Xbox Game Pass For PC (@XboxGamePassPC) September 9, 2020