With the Latest Price Hike I'm Canceling My Xbox Game Pass

I don't play a ton of video-games these days. I do sometimes get a chance and enjoy renting games for my PS5 from the library and/or VStock. With my Xbox, I've used the Game Pass to sample various titles as I don't, "Own," them via the pass, but can play a variety of stuff. I'm going to cancel my pass this month, however. The main reason? A sudden and massive price hike with little to show for it. Yeah, Microsoft, this wasn't a good move.

There are various, "Levels," of Game Pass, and the, "Best," in terms of getting the most games to play, is the Ultimate Level. It has been $20 a month for a long time, but starting this November, it is shooting 50% to $30. This means it will be the most expensive streaming service around, to my knowledge. The other Game Pass echelons will be going up in price too, with many saying the, "Premium," level will now be best as there isn't too much coming via Ultimate besides some big day-one games to fiddle with. I'm just quitting for now, though, as I don't want to pay more for less. Other folks are angry as well, and Microsoft isn't giving us much for this upcoming cash grab besides a lot of old Assassin's Creed titles or that Hogwarts school game, if you're into Harry Potter games without Harry Potter.

Is this proof that Game Pass is not a sustainable model? Is this because Microsoft is thinking of launching a, "Free with ads," style version of Game Pass? Will a massive number of cancellations counteract any possible benefit of a price increase? Clearly, there are many questions that only those with access to big ol' spreadsheets (for how much money Game Pass has made/lost) or the ability to tell the future (for how this will work out) can answer. All I personally know is I don't use my Game Pass enough right now to want to pay $360 total a year. If a title comes to Game Pass which I'm chomping at the bit to play. I may dive back in for a month someday in the future, but for now, I'm much happier just occasionally renting games and buying ones that I determine I absolutely love and need to own. I mean, heck, that PlayStation Network has its own Game Pass-style options that might start looking pretty attractive to sample now as well, even!