Microsoft has increased the price of its Game Pass Ultimate subscription by 50 percent, raising it from $19.99 to $29.99 per month. The change took effect on October 1 for new subscribers, while existing subscribers will see the new rate applied starting November 4th.

At the same time, Microsoft rebranded its Game Pass tiers. The former Core plan is now called Essential, and Standard has been renamed Premium. The Essential and Premium plans retain their pricing but gain new features such as cloud gaming access.

Game Pass Ultimate now includes expanded benefits. Subscribers will have access to more than 75 day-one game releases annually, upgraded cloud gaming quality (up to 1440p), Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew, and an enhanced rewards system.

Other tiers also see updates. PC Game Pass rises from $11.99 to $16.49 per month. In parallel, Essential and Premium subscribers will see enlargements to their game libraries: Essential now offers over 50 titles, while Premium gives access to over 200, including cross-platform games.

Microsoft justifies the adjustments by citing the rising costs of game development and the need to maintain a competitive and sustainable service model in a challenging hardware market.