Xbox Game Pass Standard, the new basic tier of Microsoft’s subscription service which costs $14.99 a month, doesn’t include major games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Starfield, Diablo 4, and much more.
Microsoft announced the revised Game Pass tiers in July and as of September 12 the changes went into place. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has risen from $16.99 to $19.99 a month and still includes all the typical benefits, but the Xbox Game Pass Standard tier is quite different from its predecessor.
It replaces Game Pass for Console (though those already subscribed don’t have to upgrade) and includes significantly less benefits. Subscribers no longer gain access to day one titles or access to EA Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, perks, Quests, and discounts on games in the Game Pass library. Microsoft said players would also be denied access to “specific entries to the Game Pass Ultimate library,” and that list has now been revealed to be fairly extensive.
Xbox Game Pass Changes
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $19.99 a month – Access to full library of Xbox Game Pass games, PC Game Pass games, EA Play, day one titles, online multiplayer, member deals and discounts, perks, and cloud gaming.
Xbox Game Pass Standard – $14.99 a month – Access to a limited library of Xbox Game Pass games which doesn’t include day one titles, plus online multiplayer and member deals and discounts. This tier is “coming soon” and not necessarily alongside the September 12, 2024 price hike.
Xbox Game Pass Console – $10.99 a month for existing subscribers only – Limited library of Xbox games alongside member deals and discounts. No longer available to purchase as a new subscriber, but day one games are still included as they were before.
PC Game Pass – $11.99 a month – PC Game Pass games and EA Play. Microsoft has confirmed to IGN that day one titles will be included in this subscription.
Xbox Game Pass Core – $9.99 a month – Around 25 Xbox Game Pass games, online multiplayer, and member deals and discounts.
A total of 41 games are now available only through Game Pass Ultimate for new subscribers, including the aforementioned Modern Warfare 3, Starfield, and Diablo 4 but also Forza Motorsport, MLB: The Show 24, Octopath Traveler 2, Payday 3, Age of Mythology: Retold, and more. The full list is available below, courtesy of ResetEra user vixolus who collated the list.
Players subcscribing to Game Pass Standard therefore have access to 370 games instead of 508, according to the Xbox website. The remaining 96 titles belong to the EA Play library, which is not included in Xbox Game Pass Standard. Players looking to access this additional library of heavy hitters will need to pay $19.99 a month for Ultimate instead of $14.99 a month for Standard.
Xbox Game Pass arrived in 2017 at just $9.99 a month with all features included, though in 2024 it does have significantly more games, not to mention access to Bethesda and Activision Blizzard titles such as Starfield and the incoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Games Not on Xbox Game Pass Standard (Not Including the EA Play Library)
Age of Mythology: Retold Standard EditionAnother Crab’s TreasureBotany ManorCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Core KeeperCreatures of AvaDiablo 4Dungeons Of HinterbergEiyuden Chronicle: Hundred HeroesFlintlock: The Siege of DawnFlockForza MotorsportGalacticareGo Mecha BallHarold HalibutHauntiiHeavy WeaponHumanityKunitsu-Gami: Path of the GoddessLittle Kitty, Big CityMagical DelicacyMLB: The Show 24Neon WhiteOctopath Traveler 2Open RoadsPayday 3PlateUp!Robin Hood – Sherwood BuildersRolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make FriendsSea of SolitudeSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2Slime Rancher 2SpiderHeckStar TruckerStarfieldStill Wakes the DeepTchiaThe Case of the Golden IdolThe RewinderTurnip Boy Robs a BankYou Suck at Parking Complete Edition
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
