Microsoft Lowers Xbox Game Pass Prices While Pulling Day-One Call of Duty Releases
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Microsoft has lowered the monthly subscription prices for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but removed day-one availability for future Call of Duty titles, delaying them by about a year.
Microsoft is rolling out a price reduction for its flagship subscription tiers. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate drops from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, and PC Game Pass moves from $16.49 to $13.99 per month. Regional pricing is seeing similar adjustments, with South African subscribers for Ultimate seeing a drop from R349 to R239 a month. These changes are effective immediately across supported platforms.
However, this price break comes with a major caveat for the library. New entries in the Call of Duty franchise will no longer land on Game Pass on day one. Instead, Microsoft plans to add future series entries approximately a year later during the following holiday season. Titles already included in the subscription remain accessible, but the shift marks a distinct change in value for players who relied on the service for annual blockbuster releases.
For a community that has watched subscription models evolve as the primary access point for gaming, this pivot raises familiar questions about long-term value. While saving a few dollars each month is welcome during a time of general economic pressure, losing immediate access to the biggest multiplayer ecosystem in the industry changes the math. Players weighing their digital subscriptions will need to decide if a cheaper monthly bill is worth waiting an extra year to jump into the latest shooter.
Original reporting by Ryan McCaffrey via IGN South Africa. Read the full story.
Tags: Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft, Call of Duty, Subscription, PC Gaming
Original article: IGN South Africa