Microsoft is dropping the price of Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 per month starting today, according to Video Games Chronicle. That's a $7 monthly saving for subscribers, which amounts to a meaningful discount for anyone locked into the tier long-term.
The catch - and there's always a catch - is that new Call of Duty titles will no longer be available on day one through Game Pass. This is a significant rollback given that day-one COD access was one of the subscription's most high-profile selling points following Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
What this means for subscribers
The price cut makes Game Pass Ultimate more competitive in a market where Sony's PlayStation Plus Extra sits at $17.99 per month. Microsoft appears to be recalibrating its value proposition - leaning into affordability rather than the blockbuster day-one access angle it rode hard after the Activision deal closed.
For COD players specifically, losing launch-day access is a real hit. Titles in the franchise routinely sell tens of millions of copies, and getting them included in a subscription was a genuinely compelling reason to stay on Ultimate. Whether the lower price point offsets that loss will depend entirely on how much weight individual subscribers put on that perk.
The bigger picture
This move reflects an ongoing shift in how Microsoft is structuring Game Pass as a business. The company has been experimenting with tiering and pricing for over a year now, and pulling back on a premium feature while lowering costs suggests the economics of day-one tentpole releases inside a subscription model aren't straightforward - even when you own the studio making them.
It's also worth noting the timing. With competition from platforms like Nintendo's Switch 2 launch and Sony's continued PS Plus momentum, Microsoft needs Game Pass to look attractive to new subscribers without burning cash on the most expensive games to include. A leaner, cheaper tier might bring more people through the door even if it delivers less per month.
The $22.99 price is live now according to Video Games Chronicle, so current subscribers should see the change reflected on their next billing cycle. Whether Microsoft reverses course on the COD policy down the line remains to be seen.
