[Update - October 8 at 7:18 AM] Kari Perez, head of Xbox communications, confirmed in a statement to The Verge that the Xbox Game Pass Price increase is not going to affect current subscribers in certain countries in line with local requirements. Original story follows.
[Original Story] The Xbox Game Pass price hike announced on October 1, 2025, reportedly will not affect every existing subscriber when it goes into effect next month.
On the official Xbox Game Pass subreddit earlier today, users shared recent emails informing them of the price increase, noting that some subscriptions will not be affected. Most exempt subscriptions exempt from the automatic increase are for users in European countries like Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Asian countries like Indonesia. This is likely due to local laws preventing an automatic price increase without the user's consent, although Microsoft has yet to provide confirmation.
The Xbox Game Pass subscription service has seen significant changes besides a price increase this month, rearranging subscription tiers into Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. While the Ultimate tier will offer considerable value with the addition of the Ubisoft + Classics library, the Fortnite Crew subscription, and day-one access to Xbox-published games, its steep price increase to $29.99/month wasn't well-received, so much so that the page to cancel the subscription was briefly overwhelmed.
Although the Xbox Game Pass service has seen multiple price increases, it will remain a central pillar of Xbox's market strategy. According to Xbox president Sarah Bond, the service is a profitable business that has reached a record high of $5 billion and is becoming more valuable for both users and creators.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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