Microsoft is apparently planning some massive changes to its Game Pass subscription service, with a new rumour pointing to the company heavily transforming the value it has offered up until now. According to leaker Slayven from the ResetEra gaming forums, Game Pass will no longer include day-one games, cloud streaming, and the family plan, among other features.
According to Slayven, the changes are set to take place between February and April 2027. They include the removal of day-one game launches, such as Call of Duty, meaning that members would have to buy games separately if they don’t want to wait months before accessing new releases. To soften the blow, Microsoft is reportedly reducing the subscription price by $3.
Separate cloud streaming
At the same time, cloud streaming will be reportedly separated into its own bundle, demanding $5.99 per 25 hours of playtime. It seems that the recently introduced 15-hour limit was just the premise of what’s to come. The Friends & Family tier, which is a pilot subscription service that allowed up to five individuals to share Xbox Game Pass Ultimate benefits under a single plan, will also finally release according to the leak, although it will now be asking for an additional $5.99 per month.
But that’s not all. According to Slayven, Microsoft is planning further changes to the prices of its Game Pass tiers. The leaker indicates that, in future, Game Pass users will have a choice between an ad-supported tier for $12.99 a month and an ad-free tier for $19.99 per month, or $239.99 annually. While the leaker didn’t specify if this change concerns the cheap Essential tier or Ultimate plan, paying $12.99 while being forced to watch ads won’t fly with many users.
Lastly, those who only want the Game Pass library and console online play, and don’t care about the extra perks, will be able to subscribe for just $14.99 per month. As for those who buy their games and only want access to online multiplayer, they will get a $10.99 per month tier.
Who is Slayven?
Slayven has previous form for Game Pass leaks, although they’re not always 100% correct. In 2025, Slayven accurately described Microsoft’s incoming renaming of Game Pass Core to Game Pass Essential, and Pass Standard to Game Pass Premium, for example, as well as pointing to a future price rise for Game Pass Ultimate. However, it turned out the latter was even higher than Slayven originally stated, coming in at $30 rather than $25.
As such, take this with a pinch of salt, but there may well be something in it. For this rumour, Slayven claims to have spoken to someone who’s been “right in the past,” adding that “I don’t post rumors unless they got some meat on the bone.”
Microsoft has already responded to the rumour in a statement to Forbes game journalist Paul Tassi, which the latter shared on X. “We regularly test different Game Pass offerings and look at what works best for players in different markets,” says the company. “We don’t have any changes to announce today or plans that have been finalized. There are no changes to previously announced games coming to Game Pass Ultimate on day one.”
The biggest take is that, if this rumour is accurate, Game Pass will lose one of its most valuable features – day-one games. That’s especially the case for gamers who were hoping to play Call of Duty and other AAA games without shelling out for the full price right away. Next, paying for a membership and being forced to watch ads will likely be a disaster, more so if such a tier costs more than the current ad-free Essential plan.
That said, keep in mind that this is just a rumour, and that these plans may well change even if the leaked details are accurate. In other words, Microsoft may well be planning massive changes to Game Pass, but the exact price tiers may shift ahead of launch.
