Xbox Is Making Game Pass Cheaper — But It’s Sacrificing Call Of Duty To Do It

Hey, Daily Quest readers.

For the past few years, being an Xbox fan hasn’t exactly been cheap. Console prices crept up. First-party game prices climbed. And Xbox Game Pass — once the unbeatable value king — kept getting more expensive. It started to feel like the “best deal in gaming” wasn’t quite the steal it used to be.

Now, in a surprising twist, Xbox has announced that Game Pass prices are going down.

But of course… there’s a catch.

Game Pass Is Getting A Price Cut

In a new post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft confirmed that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is dropping from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, effective immediately. That’s a significant cut.

PC Game Pass is also getting cheaper, falling from $16.49 to $13.99, with regional variations depending on where you live.

On paper, this is fantastic news. A lower monthly cost makes the service more accessible, especially for players who felt priced out after multiple increases.

But here’s where things get complicated.

Call Of Duty Is No Longer Day-One On Game Pass

Earlier rumors suggested that Call of Duty might be leaving Game Pass altogether. That’s not happening — but it’s not staying the same either.

Xbox has officially confirmed that future Call of Duty games will no longer launch day-one on Game Pass.

Instead, new Call of Duty entries will arrive on the service around one year after release.

That’s a huge shift.

For players who relied on Game Pass to jump into each year’s Call of Duty multiplayer cycle without paying full price, the value equation just changed dramatically.

What This Means For Subscribers

This move creates two very different reactions:

For non-Call of Duty players:

• Game Pass is now cheaper.
• The core library remains strong.
• It’s arguably a better deal again.

For Call of Duty players:

• You now have to buy the game at full price to play at launch.
• Waiting a year means missing the core multiplayer window.
• The service may feel less essential.

Call of Duty is one of the biggest franchises in gaming. Removing day-one access is not a small tweak — it’s a strategic shift.

Is This A Smart Trade-Off?

From Microsoft’s perspective, this likely balances profitability. Call of Duty reportedly cuts into direct sales when included day-one. Pulling it back allows Xbox to lower subscription prices without bleeding revenue.

But it also risks weakening Game Pass’s biggest selling point: day-one access to major titles.

Final Thoughts

Game Pass is cheaper. That’s great.

But sacrificing day-one Call of Duty is a bold gamble.

Will lower pricing attract enough new subscribers to offset losing one of gaming’s biggest franchises at launch? We’re about to find out.

What do you think — is this a fair trade-off, or does this hurt Game Pass too much? Drop your thoughts below, and follow @TheDailyQuest0 for more daily gaming quests!