Xbox Game Pass Ultimate goes on sale for $1, upgrades existing memberships

By Asher Madan
last updated

Grab it right now.

What you need to know

  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate was previously only available to Xbox Insiders.
  • You can purchase it now for $1 for first month.
  • After that you'll be charged $15 a month.
  • You can purchase Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through the Microsoft Store (opens in new tab).

Updated June 9, 2019: Microsoft confirmed that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Game Pass for Console Games, Xbox Game Pass for PC Games, and Xbox Live Gold.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combines Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold into one complete package. There are rumors that it will also include certain Windows 10 games and access to Project xCloud game streaming when it's available later this year, but that hasn't been confirmed as of yet. While it's been available to select Xbox Insiders for a few weeks, anyone can subscribe to the service for $1 a month right now.

Keep in mind that the $1 price is just for the first month. After your trial expires, you'll be charged $15 a month. In a few months when retailers like Amazon offer discounts on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you should stock up so you don't have to pay $15 a month. We're noticing similar discounts on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold right now. A special introductory offer of $20 for three months should also be revealed at E3 2019.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also seems like it gives better perks. For example, some leaked promotional images say that Gears 5: Ultimate Edition will be included with the service. The regular Xbox Game Pass gives you just the standard edition it seems. If this trend continues in the future, with the top-of-the-line editions being available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, that's by far the best deal.

The biggest question on peoples' mind is what happens to your prepaid months of Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass when you join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? When you join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft will apply any prepaid time you have on Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass towards Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You can only get up to 36 months so don't go crazy trying to buy a decade-long subscription. For example, if you have three months of Xbox Live Gold and three months of Xbox Game Pass already on your account, you'll have a total of seven months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate before you need to renew.

Best of the best

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one

Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over a hundred games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends. You can either get a one-month trial for $1 from the Microsoft Store or a three-month subscription for $20 through Amazon.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One (opens in new tab) ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote (opens in new tab) ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand (opens in new tab) ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

16 Comments
  • Do I have to cancel my current Live and Game Pass subscriptions, or can I upgrade?
  • I read you can upgrade... And it should be automatic... But surely we'll know more by the end of the day after the conference
  • Do it! You'll get a month of Ultimate for every month of Gold and Game Pass you have, up to 36 additional months. You have one year of Gold and one year of Game Pass? You now have two years of Ultimate for $1. I just did it and the conversion was instant.
  • Seriously?! That is pretty sweet. I wonder if I use my bing/MS rewards to buy more and apply it first if that will add more. Don't see why not
  • Update it did indeed upgrade me for a year and 3 months for 1 dollar.
  • Hm... I'll have to try this with my Year and a half of Gold and 6 months of GP left.
  • Yes, it works. In fact, it tells you that it will upgrade even if you just had gold. I should have stacked another year on before I upgraded. Cards are usually 40-45 dollars online.
  • What? So 1y gold + 1y gamepass becomes 2 years of ultimate?
  • I should have checked my subscription page before doing it to know for sure. *EDIT* This was taken from the GP site: After I join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, can I still redeem Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass codes? After you join the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan, you can continue to redeem Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass codes. These codes will automatically convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at a ratio based on the ERP (Estimated Retail Price) of those codes. Token says… You get… 1 month of Gold 20 days of Ultimate 3 months of Gold 50 days of Ultimate (1+ month) 6 months of Gold 79 days of Ultimate (2+ months) 12 months of Gold 4 months of Ultimate 24 months of Gold 8 months of Ultimate 1 month of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games) 20 days of Ultimate 3 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games) 2 months of Ultimate 6 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games) 4 months of Ultimate 12 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games) 5 months of Ultimate 24 months of Xbox Game Pass (Console Games) 10 months of Ultimate 1 month of Xbox Game Pass PC Games 20 days of Ultimate SHOW MORE
  • Also: What happens to my prepaid months of Xbox Live Gold and/or Xbox Game Pass when I join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? When you join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, we will apply any prepaid time you have on Xbox Live Gold and/or Xbox Game Pass toward Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, up to a maximum of 36 months. For example, if you have 3 months of Xbox Live Gold and 3 months of Xbox Game Pass already on your account when you purchase your first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you will have a total of 7 months of Ultimate on your account before you need to renew your membership
  • Thanks for taking the time to get all that info, that's really handy.
  • Sorry about the formatting if it looks bad, copy and paste on a mobile device. It looks like you get month per month for the initial upgrade and then they do price equivilants in the future redemption of cards.
  • I'm definitely upgrading then, my Game Pass ends this month, but I have gold until this time next year.
  • Get a couple of prepaid cards first. You can do 36 months.
  • Yeah, I just moved house so I'm pretty cash strapped, I'm hoping they add GPU to Microsoft Rewards though and I can add to it from there.
  • For $1, you can completely upgrade your Xbox account's entire length of period to Ultimate. no matter how you look at it, it's an awesome deal. let's say you only have 6 months left of Gold. If you paid $1 to upgrade it to Ultimate, you would now have 6 months of Ultimate and for those 6 months, you have the benefits of Gold, the benefits of Game Pass, and the benefits of PC Game Pass. And if you let it lapse, you can always go back to being just Gold and resume your Gold games and benefits. But if you want to truly max that $1, you would max out your Gold membership to 3 years. And then pay the $1 to convert it from Gold to Ultimate and then have 3 years of Ultimate (Gold + Xbox Game Pass + PC Game Pass). example: 8 months left of Gold -> pay $1 -> 8 months left of Ultimate
    example: 1 year of Game Pass -> pay $1 -> 1 year of Ultimate
    example: 1 year of Gold + 2 years of Game Pass -> pay $1 -> 3 years of Ultimate
    example: 2 years of Gold + 1 year of Game Pass -> pay $1 -> 3 years of Ultimate
    example: 8 months of Gold + 4 months of Game Pass -> pay $1 -> 1 year of Ultimate Now that conversion table is for people that already have Ultimate and want to redeem a Xbox Live Gold code or Game Pass code. And it's converting at the true value of those codes. A month of ultimate is $15/month. A month of Gold is $5/month. A month of Game Pass is $10/month. So you can’t expect to redeem a month of gold to a month of ultimate. A month of gold is only worth 1/3 of ultimate. So if you try to redeem your 12-month Gold card (worth $60) to extend your membership, you only get 4 months of Ultimate (worth $60). So for the lower codes for gold and game pass, Microsoft is actually converting it at a value higher than the true worth. For 1 month, it should convert to 13 days of ultimate but they’re offering 20 days. For 3 months, they’re giving 50 days versus 30 days.