Microsoft doesn't know what it's going to do with Xbox Game Pass

4 hours ago 3

Published Apr 18, 2026, 5:20 PM EDT

Xbox is still deciding what the future of its recently-troubled subscription service will look like

Key art for Xbox Game Pass featuring art from Age of Empires, Grounded, Psychonauts 2, and Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft increased the price of every Xbox Game Pass tier in October 2025 and claimed it did so because it was "delivering more value, more benefits, and more great games across every plan." Now, seven months and an Xbox leadership change later, even Microsoft seems unsure of what the subscription service's future looks like, according to a new report.

On April 16, The Verge's Notepad newsletter discussed some of the changes and ideas Asha Sharma is fielding internally after taking over as CEO of Microsoft Gaming from Phil Spencer in February. Earlier this week, she stated in a memo that Game Pass has become too expensive. As a result, she is reportedly considering a Game Pass tier that exclusively includes first-party games from Microsoft-owned studios and is debating whether future Call of Duty games should come to Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Polygon has contacted Microsoft for comment, and we will update this story if we get a response.

The Verge's report frames the first-party tier and Call of Duty ideas as potential options, not concrete plans, for Game Pass. That shows just how nebulous a state Game Pass is currently in. Once a great deal for players, Game Pass Ultimate isn't quite as alluring at $29.99 a month. Microsoft messed up the value proposition of its marquee subscription service, and now the company is unsure of how to fix the mess it made.

I definitely see the appeal of a first-party Game Pass tier, but I don't think it would feel like a good deal if it's more expensive than Game Pass Ultimate was before the most recent price increase. Meanwhile, I believe Call of Duty's removal as a day-one Game Pass franchise would create a messy precedent for Xbox's first-party series and would need to come alongside a drastic Game Pass Ultimate price decrease to justify the decision.

Although I can try to predict the future of Game Pass, there isn't a grand plan to be clairvoyant about. While Xbox has Project Helix as a North Star, Sharma has yet to make firm decisions about what Game Pass will look like under her guidance.

Xbox Game Pass may look very different one year from now, or it may stay the same. Right now, not even the CEO of Microsoft Gaming knows.

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