Big changes are coming to Xbox Game Pass next year according to a new leak, and Microsoft hasn’t exactly denied anything.
Earlier this year, Xbox partially reversed price increases on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, albeit by removing new Call Of Duty games as a day one addition.
This was in response to price hikes last year, which received a lot of blowback from fans and, according to Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball, saw the service lose millions of subscribers.
However, after earning back some goodwill, it seems Microsoft is planning to overhaul Xbox Game Pass in 2027.
The information comes from ResetEra user Slayven, who was accurate about Xbox Game Pass tier changes in late 2025. According to the leaker, Xbox is set to introduce an ad-supported tier next year, which will cost $13 (£10) a month.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate without ads will supposedly cost $19.99 (£15) a month, which is a $3 reduction from the current $22.99 price, which adds up to $239.99 (£178) annually.
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As for why Xbox is reducing the price, Slayven claims Microsoft will stop releasing new games day one on the service starting from spring next year. Additionally, it is also apparently removing cloud streaming from the deal, which will be switched to an add-on bundle that costs $5.99 (£4.50) for 25 hours access.
This is after Microsoft already reduced streaming access to new subscribers, apparently because it costs so much to run.
Meanwhile, it’s claimed online multiplayer access will be its own separate tier for $10.99 (£8) a month, although it’s unclear if this is included in the Game Pass subscription.
After these leaks emerged on Tuesday (September 15), Microsoft has released a statement in response via Forbes’ Paul Tassi on X.
‘We regularly test different Game Pass offerings and look at what works best for players in different markets,’ an Xbox spokesperson said. ‘We don’t have any changes to announce today or plans that have been finalised. There are no changes to previously announced games coming to Game Pass Ultimate on day one.’
This statement from Xbox certainly isn’t a denial, so it seems like these leaks might be accurate, albeit subject to change. The last sentence also only reaffirms ‘previously announced’ games will still come to Xbox Game Ultimate on day one, but it doesn’t address future titles.
Xbox has already been experimenting with ad-supported game streaming as of July this year, so an ad-supported tier on Xbox Game Pass is perhaps inevitable at this point. The big question is how they’ll be implemented. For Xbox cloud streaming, adverts play before you hop into games and don’t interrupt your gameplay.
Reliable insider NateTheHate has said Slayven ‘clearly has knowledge of some matters’ behind the scenes at Xbox, based on their track record, but suggests it’s still worth taking the information with a pinch of salt.
If it is true, the lack of any new games at launch on Xbox Game Pass would be a big blow to the service, as a large part of its appeal is having access to certain games as soon as they come out – indeed, that was the whole point of the service when it was first annouced.
Xbox boss Asha Sharma recently admitted that Xbox Game Pass has failed to grow as expected, with the service reportedly having a largely static subscriber base of around 30 million people.
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