Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $29.99 per month as of October 2025 — a 50% jump from the previous $19.99 rate. Now, in a leaked internal memo to Xbox employees obtained by The Verge, new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma has stated plainly that the service has gotten too expensive, and that pricing will change.
Sharma took over from Phil Spencer, who retired on February 23, 2026 after 38 years at Microsoft. She came from Microsoft’s CoreAI division, having previously served as COO at Instacart and VP at Meta. In her first letter to Xbox staff, Sharma promised a “return to Xbox” and committed to not chasing “soulless AI slop.” The Game Pass pricing memo is one of her first concrete internal signals about what she plans to fix. For a current look at what’s in the subscription right now, the April 2026 Game Pass games list including Hades II is worth checking.
Microsoft restructured all Game Pass tiers on October 1, 2025, renaming them and attempting to justify the Ultimate hike with bundled perks — Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew. Sharma’s memo makes clear the value argument has not had the intended result.
“The Current Model Isn’t the Final One”
Asha Sharma’s internal memo to Xbox employees — obtained by The Verge, April 2026
“Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one. Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around.”
Game Pass: The Price Journey
From launch through Sharma’s leaked memo — the key moments in Game Pass pricing history
Game Pass Tier Explorer
Tap each tier to see exactly what’s included — and what’s not — as of April 2026
- ✅ 50+ curated game library
- ✅ Online multiplayer access
- ✅ Cloud gaming (basic access)
- ❌ No Day One first-party releases
- ❌ No Call of Duty
- ❌ No EA Play
- ❌ No Ubisoft+ Classics or Fortnite Crew
- ✅ Day One Xbox first-party games on PC
- ✅ Call of Duty on Day One (PC only)
- ✅ EA Play included
- ✅ Ubisoft+ Classics included
- ❌ Console play not included
- ❌ No cloud gaming on mobile or TV devices
- ❌ No Fortnite Crew
- ✅ 400+ games (console, PC, cloud)
- ✅ Day One Xbox first-party releases — 75+ per year
- ✅ Call of Duty on Day One
- ✅ EA Play included
- ✅ Ubisoft+ Classics (standalone value: $7.99/mo)
- ✅ Fortnite Crew from November 18, 2025 (standalone value: $11.99/mo)
- ✅ Enhanced cloud gaming up to 1440p resolution
- ✅ Upgraded Microsoft Rewards
How Much Has the Price Hike Actually Cost You?
Adjust the sliders to see the real difference since October 2025
🎮 The Call of Duty Question
The October 2025 price hike was directly connected to Microsoft’s decision to include Call of Duty in Game Pass. Tom Warren’s reporting at The Verge noted that Microsoft had debated internally for nearly two years whether to add CoD, with concerns that doing so would reduce traditional game sales revenue. In 2025, it was reported that Microsoft gave up more than $300 million in potential Call of Duty sales by including it in the subscription.
Windows Central reporter Jez Corden has since reported that the 2026 edition of Call of Duty could skip Game Pass entirely. Sharma’s memo does not address Call of Duty directly, but the question of whether it stays in the subscription sits at the centre of any pricing discussion. The current Game Pass lineup — including what’s arriving and leaving — is covered in the April 2026 Game Pass update.
Sharma’s Two-Track Approach
Short-term and long-term — what the leaked memo outlines for Game Pass
The Game Pass pricing question is part of a broader picture for Xbox right now. On the competitive side, a leaked look at Sony’s PS6 plans covering three devices and 2027 pricing adds context to what Microsoft is up against. In the gaming industry more broadly, Rockstar Games has been dealing with fallout from a major data breach linked to hacker group ShinyHunters.
For single-player news, Naughty Dog’s position on The Last of Us Part 3 has been addressed by Neil Druckmann. And if you are looking for something to play right now, the Invincible VS open beta is live on PS5 and Xbox this April.
Asha Sharma’s leaked internal memo covered her stated position on Xbox Game Pass pricing — her description of the service as “too expensive for players,” her stated need for a “better value equation” in the short term, and her intention to evolve Game Pass into a “more flexible system” over a longer period. The memo also covered Sharma’s acknowledgment of public discussion around the pricing changes.
The pricing history of Game Pass, the October 2025 tier restructure, Call of Duty’s role in the cost increase, the current tier breakdown, and both tracks of Sharma’s stated plan were addressed in this piece. For confirmed updates from Microsoft directly, the official Microsoft blog announcement of Sharma’s appointment and the Xbox Wire page on the October 2025 Game Pass restructure are the primary first-hand sources.