2025-10-02T23:39:15Z

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Imagine waking up to discover your favorite gaming subscription just got 50% more expensive overnight. That’s the shock Microsoft delivered to gamers this week with a dramatic price hike for its Xbox Game Pass subscription, leaving many fans fuming and canceling their accounts in protest.

The recent restructuring of the Game Pass tiers, which now includes Essential at $9.99, Premium at $14.99, and the Ultimate tier skyrocketing to $29.99, has sent ripples of anger through the gaming community. The Ultimate tier promises a whopping library of over 400 games, including 75 day-one releases annually and new perks like access to Ubisoft+ Classics and Fortnite Crew. But is that extra content worth the price tag? Many gamers seem to think not.

Microsoft claims that these changes offer “more flexibility, choice, and value” for players, pointing to popular titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Assassin’s Creed. They argue that the added content equates to nearly $30 of standalone value, alongside an upgrade in cloud streaming quality to 1440p. Yet, for many, the math just doesn’t add up.

As the price leaped from AU$19.99 to AU$29.99, players flooded social media with screenshots of their canceled subscriptions. Some expressed their frustration on platforms like Reddit, where a post titled “I’m cancelling my subscription” gained significant traction, and calls for a boycott began to emerge.

Let’s put this into perspective: at A$30 a month, those who opt for the Ultimate tier will now spend about $360 annually—about the price of five full-priced games. This is not Microsoft’s first encounter with price increases this year; back in May, they raised prices on Xbox hardware in Australia, and just recently faced backlash over the hefty $1,599 price tag on the upcoming ROG Ally X handheld.

Despite all this upheaval, Microsoft maintains that Game Pass engagement is at an all-time high, boasting nearly US$5 billion (A$7.6 billion) in revenue this year. But as gamers voice their discontent, one has to wonder: how long will they keep paying up for a service they feel is no longer worth it?