Microsoft is hitting the brakes on its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price hike — but only for a few countries

Last week, Microsoft introduced a huge overhaul to Xbox Game Pass that revamped the subscription service with more widespread access on Windows PCs and Xbox Cloud Gaming, along with renamed tiers and price hikes to both PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — the latter of which proved to be extremely controversial, with users unsubscribing so fast the firm's website struggled to keep up.

Now, in the wake of the gaming community's blistering reaction to the changes, Microsoft is delaying its $10 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price increase in select countries. The firm seems to be hitting the brakes on the updated cost in European countries specifically; users in the US and UK will still have to pay the new, higher price.

The news came in an email Microsoft sent to Game Pass subscribers overnight, informing those in regions where the delay applies that they won't have to pay a steeper cost for Ultimate for now.

Notably, this delay appears to be indefinite, though it's been stressed that it only applies to subscribers that were already signed up for Game Pass Ultimate before the price hike and maintain an auto-renewing membership. If you cancel your subscription at any time, you'll have to pay the new prices if you want to sign back up.

"At this time, these increases will only affect new purchases and will not affect your current subscription for the market in which you reside, as long as you are on an auto-recurring plan," explained Microsoft in the email. "Should you choose to cancel your plan and repurchase, you will be charged at the new current rate."

The company then went on to promise that users in markets where the increase has been delayed will be notified about the end of that holdup — or any other adjustments to Xbox Game Pass' pricing — 60 days in advance. This means that the current delay will last at least two months, and likely considerably longer.

"If for any reason there may be changes to your existing account, we will notify you 60 days in advance and you will have the option to cancel or change your subscription plan at any time," Microsoft noted.

As for the reasoning behind the delay, a statement provided to The Verge confirms that it went into effect as a result of "local requirements" in the regions it's applicable too. "Current subscribers in certain countries will continue renewing at their existing price for now, in line with local requirements," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

In other words, it sounds like there are regulations on subscription service cost adjustments that forced the company's hand, and that the delay is not in response to scathing negative feedback; if this was the case, you'd expect to see the it come to the US and UK, too.

Windows Central has reached out to the firm for comment as well, and I'll update this article if we receive some answers.

Will Microsoft backpedal on the price hike?

The delay is good news for anyone who's in the select few countries where it's applicable. With that said, it's also disappointing for those that aren't, leaving many to wonder if Microsoft will be open to reconsidering the price hike in any way beyond what law dictates.

Ultimately, only time will provide an answer to that question. As Windows Central Executive Editor Jez Corden wrote about at length last week, the increase may have come as a consequence of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's huge spring-summer quarter and the expected costs of fostering game-rich seasons like that again moving forward.

In the end, we may see Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's price remain where it is, with users begrudgingly accepting it if it means they'll continue to get a wide variety of excellent games as they did in 2025. Alternatively, Microsoft may backpedal, returning Ultimate to a lower cost but potentially limiting how much it ends up bringing to customers.

Whatever the future looks like, it's a good idea to snag some Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription time now while you can still find gift cards for it at the old $19.99/month price. If you have a solid gaming PC or a gaming handheld, you might also swap to PC Game Pass like I did; provided you have a system to use it with, I'd argue it's stolen the crown of the "best deal in gaming" from Ultimate.

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