Microsoft Reportedly Plans Custom Xbox Game Pass Bundles
Microsoft is reportedly planning to let subscribers build their own Game Pass bundle rather than pay for set tiers, according to recent reports.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
A Potential Shift to Flexible Game Pass Bundles
Microsoft is reportedly planning to let subscribers build their own Game Pass bundle rather than pay for set tiers. Xbox has been in what seems like a constant state of flux since Asha Sharma took over as CEO in February. The Microsoft gaming division has gone through <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2208480/xbox-confirms-plans-to-lay-off-3200-workers-over-the-next-year/">layoffs</a>, studio sales, and tweaks to its core products and services as Sharma has attempted to turn the brand into a viable business, and bigger changes are reportedly on the way.
Alongside the possibility that its next-gen Project Helix consoles <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2292408/the-next-xbox-might-cost-1800-report-says/">could start at $1,800</a>, the company is apparently also revamping its Game Pass subscription to make it much more flexible. Game Pass offers a host of benefits including online multiplayer and a rotating library of games, but Xbox's next move is reportedly to let subscribers pick and choose the features they want, rather than pay for a preset bundle.
The change could make the subscription service more appealing and affordable for newcomers and existing customers alike, though it remains unclear if it alone can change the company's fortunes.
Current Subscription Landscape and Recent History
Following <a href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-jacks-the-price-of-game-pass-ultimate-up-to-30-a-month-142441307.html">a price hike</a> in 2025, one of the first things Xbox announced after Sharma took control was <a href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-cuts-game-pass-prices-but-new-call-of-duty-games-will-no-longer-hit-the-service-on-day-one-163636536.html">a price cut</a> to Game Pass Ultimate, its most expensive subscription tier.
As of now, the subscription tiers break down into various categories. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is priced at $23 per month and features a library of over 500 games, day-one releases, bundled Fortnite Crew, EA Play, and Ubisoft+ Classics subscriptions, online multiplayer, and up to 15 hours of game streaming.
Xbox Game Pass Premium costs $15 per month and provides a library of over 200 games, online multiplayer, and up to 10 hours of game streaming. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Essential costs $10 per month for a library of over 50 games, online multiplayer, and up to five hours of game streaming. PC Game Pass is priced at $14 per month with over 300 PC games, day-one releases, and a bundled EA Play subscription.
Xbox previously allowed customers to pay to play online multiplayer games through an Xbox Live Gold subscription, but retired that option when it <a href="https://www.engadget.com/xbox-game-pass-core-replaces-live-gold-on-september-14th-143904124.html">folded the benefit into Xbox Game Pass Core</a>, which is the subscription tier now known as Essential.
Towards an À La Carte Game Pass Future
Back in April, Windows Central reported that Xbox eventually hoped to offer a more flexible version of Game Pass where users could effectively decide what packages of content they wanted to see as part of their plan. For example, the new version of the service could allow users to drop access to bundled subscriptions like Fortnite Crew in order to lower the overall price of Game Pass.
The concept gained further traction when Fortune profiled Sharma and reported that Xbox planned to let users pick the features they wanted to include in their subscription. According to people familiar with the strategy, Xbox is planning a major overhaul that would have players choose features à la carte, including add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer, all operating on a tiered structure.
Practical Implications and Market Outlook
How this custom bundle approach will actually work in practice remains to be seen, but Xbox is clearly open to offering customers more ways to pay for its services. The company has already started previewing a way for non-Game Pass subscribers to pay to stream games individually.
While making the rest of the subscription service a series of optional separate payments would not necessarily make things simpler for Xbox owners, it would give them significantly more control over pricing. This control appears poised to become even more important moving forward as the overall cost of games and consoles continues to grow.
Sources
- EngadgetXbox Game Pass could let you pick which features you pay for
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