Xbox Insiders will be the first to try out the new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier. Testers can access the plan for just $1 per month and provide feedback, starting today.
Xbox has provided more details about Game Pass Standard, the new tier for its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and the games available under it. In an Xbox Wire post published on Tuesday, Xbox Game Pass senior community lead Megan Spurr mentioned that day-one titles will remain exclusive to the Game Pass Ultimate and PC plans. The Standard tier will offer access to the regular Game Pass catalog. However, there may be a delay of “up to 12 months or more” for day-one titles to be available on the Standard tier.
Standard is targeted at users who want multiplayer included with the Core plan for $10 per month, with a larger catalog of “hundreds” of games and discounts for $15 per month upon launch. Alternatively, there’s a PC Game Pass plan for $12 per month that includes access to PC games (including day-one titles) and EA Play, as well as the Ultimate plan priced at $20 per month, offering everything and exclusive cloud gaming.
“We introduced a new membership option in the Game Pass family to offer players more choices in discovering and playing games, and provide different prices and plans for players to find what suits them best,” mentioned Spurr.
Xbox announced changes to its Game Pass program in July, with the new structure coming into effect on July 10 for new subscribers. Apart from the tier changes, price increases were announced for all existing plans, with Ultimate rising from $17 to $20 per month. While price hikes were expected by many, there was also some backlash. It remains to be seen if the subscription service will continue to offer good value upon its public launch.
