South African gamers hit with massive price hike as Microsoft raises Game Pass fees by up to 109%

Microsoft is, once again, raising the price of its game subscription service, Game Pass, across the board. Microsoft is also rebranding and ‘upgrading’ some of its tiers, while others are left out in the cold. The new prices start from 4 November 2025 for current subscribers. Newcomers aren’t quite as lucky.

These hikes aren’t minor. They are, in fact, the most substantial increase the subscription service has seen yet. You’d think, with Microsoft’s gaming hardware slowly drifting towards an iceberg, it’d like to hold onto one of its most valuable assets yet — software. Apparently not, with some increases reaching as high as 109% locally.

“Xbox Game Pass Ultimate just got its biggest upgrade yet”

What was once known as Game Pass Core is now Game Pass Essential, and it remains the most affordable option for gamers seeking a modest library of around 50 games (double the number of Core), as well as access to online multiplayer. Essential now costs R140/m — up from the previous R80/m. This plan also includes unlimited cloud gaming — a feature that has yet to come to South Africa.

Game Pass Premium replaces the middle tier, Game Pass Standard. Where subscribers once had access to the full Xbox catalogue of roughly 400+ titles, this has been halved. This also offers access to unlimited cloud gaming, in-game benefits, “including for Riot Games.” Games published under the Microsoft banner will only be available to Premium subscribers within a year of their launch, and not on the day of release.

Gamers can also earn up to $50 worth of in-game rewards just for playing games — another feature not available to South African subscribers. While technically the most minor increase locally, US subscribers did not see a price hike for both the Essential and Premium tiers. South Africa, on the other hand, will now pay R200/m for access to Premium, up from R150/m.

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As for Game Pass Ultimate, this is the largest increase for Xbox console gamers. A month of Game Pass Ultimate will now cost R350/m, up from R200/m. This includes “Unlimited cloud gaming at our best quality with the shortest wait times.” Once again, this is not a feature that should tempt South African gamers.

Ultimate subscribers will still have access to over 400 titles in the catalogue (including Ubisoft+ Classics and EA Play games), with Microsoft claiming as many as 75 day-one releases per year on the tier. This means games like Call of Duty, Hollow Knight: Siksong, and even titles from companies like Bethesda. Microsoft also promises up to $100 worth of in-game rewards… but not to South Africans.

It appears that the features of the Xbox Game Pass PC-only service remain the same — aside from a local price hike. And it’s the largest hike of the lot, rising to R250/m from R120/m — a massive 109% increase.