Microsoft Overhauls Xbox Game Pass Into Tiered À La Carte Model as Growth Stalls Near 35 Million
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Oct 20
Microsoft Overhauls Xbox Game Pass Into Tiered À La Carte Model as Growth Stalls Near 35 Million
3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Oct 20
Summary
Fortune reported Microsoft plans to recast Xbox Game Pass from a single-price bundle into a tiered service where users add features such as cloud gaming, multiplayer and console-only games.
The shift is aimed at cutting costs and widening the audience by stripping out lightly used features, while charging heavier users more and potentially pairing the model with a lower-cost ad-supported tier.
Day-one access appears increasingly vulnerable after Call of Duty already left that offering earlier in 2026 in exchange for a price cut, and more first-party launches could follow.
Internal ambitions once topped 100 million subscribers, but Game Pass growth has plateaued around 35 million, adding pressure before Xbox's next major first-party release cycle begins with Fable in February 2027.