Xbox Game Pass is getting a price hike, as Ultimate is rising to $16.99 per month. That makes today's lead deal even more appealing, as you can get three months of Xbox Game Pass for $31.49 (vs. $50.97 if you paid monthly). This effectively translates to roughly $10.49 per month for access to one of the most extensive game subscription services available, even featuring noteworthy titles like Bethesda's Starfield (available on Game Pass September 1). Given the high demand, we recommend taking swift action to seize this deal before it vanishes.
How to Avoid The Xbox Game Pass Price Hike
Yes, Xbox Game Pass has gone up in price in recent months, but that won't stop us from trying to secure the best deal possible for this service. Game Pass Ultimate, the all-inclusive package, has seen a $2 hike, landing at $16.99 per month. Meanwhile, the standard Xbox Game Pass has gotten a $1 increase, making it $10.99 monthly. The new pricing officially took effect on July 6 for newcomers and has since been applicable from August 13 for those already part of the Game Pass family.
With the deal we listed above, this means you're effectively getting all the benefits of Game Pass Ultimate at a price less than the cost of bog-standard Xbox Game Pass. This includes online multiplayer access, EA Play, PC Game Pass, and a whole slew of other benefits.
But, there is also a way to avoid this price hike for as long as possible, and this new deal makes it all the more enticing. We're currently recommending securing your current subscription for as long as possible. You can stack up to a maximum of 36 months of Game Pass, meaning you have the option to accumulate 3-month subscriptions up to 12 times.
Admittedly, this approach might put a strain on your wallet, totaling $377.88 if you purchase the 3-month codes via the deal we mentioned above. However, when you compare it to the new cost of Game Pass Ultimate for 36 months at $16.99 per month, amounting to $611.64, you'll realize you're saving a substantial $233.76 on your subscription for the next three years.
This is also just an example of the maximum savings available here, as it's unlikely many of us have got a spare $400 to burn on Game Pass right this second. But it's still food for thought, and you could even just buy 12 months' worth of codes for $125.96 (vs. it costing $203.88 per year) if you don't want to stomach the cost of buying three years of Game Pass at once.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.