Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's popular subscription service, has always been seen as excellent value for money. For a small monthly fee, subscribers gain access to a large catalog of games, including some of Xbox's most popular first-party franchises such as Halo and Gears of War. Recent news indicating that Xbox will raise its first-party game prices in line with PlayStation's, at the $69.99 mark, only serves to underline just how important Xbox Game Pass will be for gamers moving forwards.
Truthfully, Xbox raising game prices next year shouldn't really come as too much of a shock. Sony made this move a long time ago, with PS5 exclusives such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, and Demon's Souls each costing $69.99 at launch. Even some cross-generation titles, such as Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok, faced similar mark-ups, with PS4 and Xbox One versions costing $10 less, and players in some cases having to pay a small fee to upgrade to current-gen versions.
Xbox Game Pass's Value Has Never Been in Doubt
While in recent years, Xbox has not quite been on an equal footing with PlayStation in terms of console sales and exclusive titles, many would agree that Xbox has the edge when it comes to its subscription service. Microsoft's first-party games frequently launch on Game Pass from day one, meaning the service has almost become a no-brainer for many Xbox owners. Combine this with the ease at which users can switch their subscriptions off and on with no kind of minimum term to serve or early cancelation fees, and it makes Xbox Game Pass a low-risk, high-reward proposition.
Sony tried to emulate this success to a degree earlier this year, by revamping and relaunching its own PS Plus subscription service. Its three-tiered service was met with mixed reactions though, with some bemoaning the price, while others were less than impressed with the catalog of games on offer -- especially the lackluster selection of retro titles. Compounding this is a distinct lack of first-party titles on offer, and so far, in terms of day one releases, only a handful of indie titles such as Bugsnax and Stray have launched on the platform.
Major Xbox-exclusive first-party titles including Starfield, Redfall and Forza Motorsport are all expected to launch in 2023, and each will now carry a $69.99 price tag. More importantly though, unless anything changes, each will also launch on Xbox Game Pass, which offers a month's top-tier subscription for $14.99. For less than a quarter of the price of one of these titles, a gamer could access all three of them for at least 30 days (providing all have been released at the time). Aside from game collectors who seek out physical copies of each title, it seems Xbox Game Pass is about to become even more crucial for the overall Xbox fanbase than before.
Of course, it can't be ruled out that Microsoft also chooses to increase the price of Xbox Game Pass at some point next year. Xbox head Phil Spencer has already alluded to various price increases for Xbox products at an undisclosed point in the future. While he didn't specifically mention a price hike for Game Pass, as one of Xbox's premium products it would certainly fit the bill. Barring an incredibly substantial hike though, which is unlikely, it should still prove to be far better value for money than paying $69.99 per first-party game, and Xbox Game Pass could find itself in an even stronger position once some of these big titles launch next year.