The announcement, which came alongside a complete overhaul of the Game Pass tier system, has sparked immediate backlash, with searches for "cancel Xbox Game Pass" spiking so hard that Microsoft's subscription management website crashed under the traffic.
The New Pricing Reality
The price increase took effect immediately on October 1, 2025, catching many subscribers off guard. Microsoft simultaneously restructured the entire Game Pass lineup into three tiers:
- Game Pass Essential: $9.99/month (50+ games, cloud gaming, online multiplayer)
- Game Pass Premium: $14.99/month (200+ games, includes new Xbox titles within a year)
- Game Pass Ultimate: $29.99/month (400+ games, 75 day-one releases annually)
For perspective, that Ultimate price tag translates to nearly $360 per year—more than five full-price AAA games at launch.
Why the Massive Increase?
The documents reveal the uncomfortable truth behind Microsoft's pricing shift. Xbox gave up more than $300 million in sales of Call of Duty on consoles and PCs last year after putting the blockbuster franchise on Game Pass.
When Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched as a day-one Game Pass title, it became the franchise's biggest release ever—but there's a catch. Sony's PlayStation accounted for 82% of sales, according to IGN's reporting. Many Xbox players simply paid for a month or two of Game Pass instead of buying the game outright at $70.
"Game Pass hasn't delivered the explosive growth Microsoft anticipated post-Activision, and they've realised their infrastructure costs don't align with their pricing model," said Joost Van Dreunen, founder of video-game analytics firm Aldora, Bloomberg reported.
The numbers tell a sobering story: after surging 80% between 2020 and 2021, Game Pass growth slowed dramatically to just 36% between 2022 and 2024. The service had 34 million subscribers as of February 2024—the last time Microsoft shared the data publicly.
What You're Actually Getting
Microsoft is positioning the price hike as adding value, not just extracting more money. Ultimate subscribers now get:
- Access to over 75 day-one releases annually, including highly anticipated titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, The Outer Worlds 2, and Ninja Gaiden 4
- Fortnite Crew membership ($11.99/month value) starting November 18
- Ubisoft+ Classics ($7.99/month value per platform)
- Enhanced cloud streaming up to 1440p resolution
- Up to $100 per year in Microsoft Store points through the Rewards program
The library expanded significantly with additions like Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV, and a massive influx of Ubisoft titles, including multiple Assassin's Creed games and Far Cry entries.
The Cancellation Wave
Google Trends data shows worldwide searches for "cancel Xbox Game Pass" shot up and peaked at the maximum score of 100, making it one of the most searched phrases globally. Microsoft's membership page crashed after the announcement as users rushed to cancel their subscriptions.
Social media erupted with frustration. Even GameStop joined the pile-on, posting a cartoon suggesting customers would be better off buying games in stores. California Governor Gavin Newsom blamed the increase on tariffs, while former FTC Chair Lina Khan pointed out that "Microsoft's acquisition of Activision has been followed by significant price hikes and layoffs, harming both gamers and developers."
The backlash wasn't just online posturing—users flooded forums with cancellation screenshots, and many longtime subscribers called it their breaking point.
How to Cancel Xbox Game Pass on Phone
If you've decided the new pricing isn't worth it, here's how to cancel Game Pass on your mobile device:
- Open your mobile browser (Safari, Chrome, etc.)
- Navigate to account.microsoft.com/services
- Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials
- Scroll down to find your Xbox Game Pass subscription
- Tap "Manage" next to your subscription
- Select "Cancel" or "Turn off recurring billing"
- Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm cancellation
Cancelling on desktop is similarly straightforward:
- Open any web browser on your computer
- Go to account.microsoft.com/services
- Sign in with your Microsoft account
- Locate your Xbox Game Pass subscription in the list
- Click "Manage"
- Select "Cancel subscription" or "Turn off recurring billing"
- Confirm your cancellation when prompted
You can also cancel directly through your Xbox console by pressing the Xbox button, navigating to Profile & system > Settings > Account > Subscriptions, selecting your Game Pass subscription, and choosing to cancel.
Important: Simply uninstalling the Xbox app does not cancel your subscription. You must go through Microsoft's account management system.
Your subscription remains active until the end of your current billing period, so you'll still have access to games until then.
Can You Get a Refund?
Microsoft's refund policy for subscriptions is notoriously strict. Generally, Xbox subscriptions are non-refundable once charged, but there are exceptions:
- If you're within your first billing cycle and haven't used the service extensively
- If you can demonstrate a billing error or an unauthorised charge
- In some regions, consumer protection laws may mandate refund windows
To request a refund:
- Visit support.microsoft.com
- Navigate to Billing > Request a refund
- Select your Xbox Game Pass purchase from your order history
- Submit your refund request with a detailed explanation
Keep in mind that Microsoft reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis, and approval isn't guaranteed.
How Many People Have Cancelled?
While there is no such number count available, users report that the website to cancel Xbox Game Pass subscriptions is overloaded, showing a blank page.
According to Google Trends data, trending search terms, and widespread social media reports all suggest thousands—possibly tens of thousands—of users are voting with their wallets.
Industry analysts note that this could be Game Pass's biggest test yet. The service reported nearly $5 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending in June, but whether it can maintain that momentum at the new price point remains uncertain.
Former Xbox Game Studios vice president Shannon Loftis wrote on LinkedIn that "the majority of game adoption on [Game Pass] comes at the expense of retail revenue"—a statement that cuts to the heart of Microsoft's dilemma. The company built a Netflix-style service for games, but unlike movies, blockbuster games cost hundreds of millions to develop and traditionally sell for $60-70 each.
This price increase reflects broader struggles in the gaming industry. Microsoft has laid off over 2,500 Xbox employees in the past year, cancelled at least four games in 2025, and faces pressure from CFO Amy Hood to find ways to increase profit margins.
The gaming landscape is also shifting. Players are spending more time on existing live-service titles like Fortnite and less money on new releases. Sony's PlayStation Plus takes a different approach—it doesn't offer major new releases like Call of Duty on day one, preserving full-price sales while still offering a subscription library.
Whether Microsoft's bet on premium day-one access will pay off at $30 per month remains to be seen. For now, the company is banking on the value of 75 annual day-one releases, cloud gaming upgrades, and partner perks being worth double what Ultimate subscribers paid just days ago.
Should You Stay or Go?
The math is simple but personal. If you primarily use Game Pass for day-one blockbusters and would typically buy 6+ full-price games per year ($420), the $360 annual cost might still make sense. Add in Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics, and the value proposition strengthens—at least on paper.
But if you're a casual player who dips into Game Pass for indies and older titles, Premium at $14.99 or even Essential at $9.99 might be the smarter play. Both tiers now include cloud gaming and PC access, features that were previously Ultimate-exclusive.
The real question is whether Microsoft's infrastructure and content investments can justify essentially pricing Game Pass Ultimate like a utility bill. For many longtime subscribers now cancelling in protest, the answer appears to be no—at least not at $30 per month.