Jez Corden - gamebastion.com

Xbox Game Pass users were recently shocked to discover that Microsoft is hiking the price of the popular subscription service while also adding a new tier to the platform and if a recent report is accurate, those who sign up for the Standard version will need to wait a long time for new games. 2024 hasn't been an especially successful year for Xbox's reputation, especially from the perspective of its enthusiastic fans and supporters. As the so-called «best deal in gaming» slowly becomes worse, many are left wondering if Game Pass is still worth their money.

Per reputable insider and journalist Jez Corden on X (formerly Twitter), those who sign up for the new Standard Tier may need to wait between six and 12 months to gain access to new releases that will be added to more expensive tiers as Day One launches.

Corden goes on to say thatthe actual waiting time isn't fixed and will be adjusted on a case-by-case basis. While it was known that the cheaper version of the Game Pass package was doing away with Day One drops, Microsoft has yet to officially confirm when new releases will arrive on the Standard Tier.

As previously speculated, Xbox Game Pass will undergo a new restructure, with some tiers ending and others seeing price increases.

While price increases for subscription services are relatively common (Netflix and Disney+ both went through the same process recently), many users have expressed anger toward Microsoft's handling of the situation. The price hike comes just months after Xbox reassured players that it had no intentions of increasing the cost of Game Pass, prompting many unsatisfied users to cancel their subscriptions. The latest increase is also substantial as the cost of Xbox Game Pass has increased by up to 55% in some parts of the world.

With many insisting that the best part of Game Pass was the ability to play new releases on the same day they launch on other platforms without paying for them individually, the Standard Tier is lackluster. Yet

Jez Corden