Bad news for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions: price increased by 34 percent in November
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription prices have increased by 34% in South Africa, raising the monthly cost to R268, prompting users to reconsider their subscriptions due to the lack of transparency and justification from Xbox. Picture: Microsoft
Image: Microsoft
Gaming is not cheap, and the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription from Microsoft made it one of the most affordable ways to buy your games.
When I first signed up for Xbox Game Pass a couple of years ago, it was R129 per month. That gave me access to around 100 games, and more new AAA games than I could play at any one time.
It was quite honestly the best value subscription available as a gamer.
Then the first price increase struck, and then without much warning it went up by R70 from R129 per month to R199 monthly in September last year. That was a 53.8% increase.
Xbox Subscription Price Hike: A 34% Increase in South Africa
Yet still, at R200 per month it was still worth it. Now Xbox have announced another 34% increase which equates to R68 for R268 total per month.
That means that in South Africa, I was paying R129 in August last year for the service, and from next month I will be paying over double that.
Xbox have not put much effort into explaining why the prices are increasingly so dramatically, as they announced the increase in a statement to its subscribers in a nearly identical release to the one in 2024. They also don’t bother to give you the rand value, and you have to calculate what you will actually be paying by working out what the 34% increase is on your current subscription.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Increase: £14.99 Starting 12 September 2024
I got this email about the increase at 3AM this morning: “Thank you for being an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member. We are planning to update our prices to address changing market conditions. This price change allows us to continue to bring you more value and great games for the very best gaming experience. Starting 12 September 2024, you will be charged £14.99 plus applicable taxes every recurrence period unless you cancel up to two days prior to your next scheduled payment date. You can manage your subscription, how you pay, or cancel your subscription by visiting your Microsoft Account here.”
The only positive is that the direct conversion of the subscriptions is not applicable and that a smaller amount in rands will be payable, as detailed above.
Still, it’s a shameless increase that’s making me seriously reconsider cancelling my subscription altogether.