Xbox confirmed on April 21, 2026 that Game Pass Ultimate is getting a price cut — from $29.99 down to $22.99 per month, effective immediately. PC Game Pass also drops from $16.49 to $13.99 a month. This is the first major pricing decision from new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma, who took over from Phil Spencer in February 2026 after Spencer’s 38-year run at Microsoft ended in retirement.
There’s a trade-off attached. Starting this year, new Call of Duty titles will no longer be available on Game Pass at launch. Incoming releases will be added to the subscription about a year after they release — during the following holiday season. Existing Call of Duty titles already in the library remain available.
The New Game Pass Pricing
Two tiers cut. Two tiers unchanged. Here’s the full breakdown.
How Much Do You Save?
Drag the slider to see your annual savings at the new price.
Call of Duty Changes — What It Means
Lower price, but new CoD at launch is no longer included. Here’s everything you need to know.
“Game Pass Ultimate has become too expensive for too many players. Starting today, we’re dropping the price from $29.99 to $22.99/month.”
— Asha Sharma, CEO, Microsoft Gaming (post on X, April 21, 2026)The $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023 brought Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, and World of Warcraft under Microsoft. Game Pass had reported 34 million subscribers as of 2024. Sharma’s memo to Xbox staff — later reported publicly — described the current model as one that needed “a better value equation,” noting it was not the final form Game Pass would take.
What You Still Get at $22.99
The price dropped. The core benefits did not.
The price changes to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass were covered above — both tiers are now cheaper as of April 21, 2026, while the Essential and Premium tiers remain unchanged. The update also addressed Call of Duty’s place in the subscription going forward: future CoD titles will arrive on Game Pass approximately a year after launch rather than on release day.
Sharma’s commitment to evolving the platform over time was noted in the announcement, with Microsoft stating it will “continue to listen and learn.” The Xbox blog post described the change as a response to player feedback across different regions, preferences, and spending habits.