Xbox Slashes Game Pass Prices, But Call of Duty Games Will No Longer Be Coming To The Service On Launch Day
In a significant reversal of its recent pricing strategy, Microsoft has announced a price reduction for its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, effective today (22/04/2026). The move comes just six months after the company faced widespread fan backlash for hiking subscription costs by more than 50%.
In the United States, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will drop from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, while PC Game Pass will decrease from $16.49 to $13.99. Similar reductions have been implemented in the UK, where Ultimate is being reduced from £22.99 to £16.99 and the PC tier from £13.49 to £10.99.
While the price drop is being welcomed by many as a move toward better accessibility, it comes with a major caveat for fans of the Call of Duty franchise. Moving forward, new entries in the blockbuster series will no longer be available on the service on launch day. Instead, these titles will arrive on Game Pass "about a year" after their initial retail release.
Existing Call of Duty titles currently in the library will remain available to subscribers, and other games from Microsoft-owned studios will continue to hit the platform on day one.
The change follows reports that putting Call of Duty on the service at launch may have cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars in potential sales. By moving these high-profile titles to a delayed schedule, Microsoft appears to be balancing its subscription-based strategy with the need for traditional retail revenue.
The price adjustment follows a leaked internal memo from new Microsoft gaming boss Asha Sharma, in which she admitted the service had "become too expensive for players." This change is seen by industry analysts as a sign that Xbox is refining its platform business to better "monetizing audience attention rather than just access to content."
For many casual players, the decision is a relief. However, industry observers warn that while the price is lower than it was six months ago, the [rice of the Ultimate tier is still significantly higher than it was two years ago, and some fans remain wary of potential further changes to the service.
