Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it in 2026? This is a genuinely different question than it was a year ago — Microsoft cut the price from $29.99 to $22.99 in April 2026, but also quietly removed one of its biggest selling points in the process.

I covered Is PlayStation Plus Premium Worth It recently, so this is the natural follow-up for anyone weighing the two platforms’ subscription services against each other.

This is part of my ongoing series reviewing subscriptions and software to help you figure out what’s worth paying for.

Note: subscription pricing and terms change frequently, and Xbox Game Pass has changed twice in the past year alone. Double-check current pricing directly on xbox.com before subscribing.

Xbox Game Pass Tiers and Pricing in 2026

As of April 2026, Xbox Game Pass runs four tiers:

• Essential: $9.99/month — online multiplayer, a rotating selection of games, member discounts
• Premium: $14.99/month — a larger game library, but Xbox first-party titles arrive roughly a year after release, and Call of Duty is excluded even on that delay
• PC Game Pass: $13.99/month — PC-only, but includes day-one first-party releases and EA Play
• Ultimate: $22.99/month — everything above, plus console access, cloud gaming, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew

Microsoft cut Ultimate’s price from $29.99 to $22.99 in April 2026 after significant subscriber backlash to an October 2025 price increase. PC Game Pass dropped at the same time, from $16.49 to $13.99.

The Big Change: No More Day-One Call of Duty

This is the detail that actually matters most if you’re deciding whether Ultimate is worth it in 2026. Alongside the price cut, Microsoft confirmed that future Call of Duty titles will no longer launch day-one on Game Pass Ultimate — new entries will instead arrive about a year after release, during the following holiday season. Existing Call of Duty titles already in the library remain available.

If day-one Call of Duty access was a major reason you were considering Ultimate, that specific value proposition no longer exists. Other first-party Xbox titles are still expected to launch day-one on Ultimate, at least for now.

Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Worth It? Here’s What You Actually Get

Beyond the Call of Duty change, Ultimate’s core value is still strong for a specific type of player: day-one access to Microsoft’s other first-party releases, cloud gaming that lets you play without downloading, and the added extras (Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew) bundled in.

The honest breakeven point: if you’re mainly interested in one specific live-service game and play it heavily, buying that game outright over a year often beats any Game Pass tier. Game Pass earns its price when you’re actually rotating through multiple different titles rather than living inside one game.

Who Ultimate Is Worth It For

• Players who want day-one access to Xbox’s first-party releases (excluding Call of Duty, going forward)
• Console and cloud gaming users who want to play across multiple devices without separate purchases
• Players who rotate through several games regularly rather than sinking hundreds of hours into one title

Who Should Consider a Lower Tier Instead

Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it for everyone? Not necessarily — here’s who should consider a lower tier instead:

• PC-only players — PC Game Pass at $13.99/month includes day-one first-party access without paying for console features you won’t use
• Players mainly interested in Call of Duty — since it no longer launches day-one on any Game Pass tier, buying it outright may make more sense than subscribing for that reason alone
• Casual players who don’t need cloud gaming or the added extras — Premium at $14.99/month covers a large library, just with delayed first-party access

Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s day-one access to new releases (Call of Duty excluded) is its clearest advantage over PS Plus, which doesn’t offer new releases on launch day at any tier. PS Plus counters with a stronger classics catalog for older PlayStation titles, which Xbox doesn’t have an equivalent for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it for your specific setup? The answers above should help, but here are a few more common questions.

Does Xbox Game Pass Ultimate still include Call of Duty on day one? No, as of the April 2026 changes, new Call of Duty titles arrive on Game Pass Ultimate approximately one year after release rather than day one. Existing Call of Duty titles in the library remain available.

Is PC Game Pass a better deal than Ultimate? For PC-only players, yes — PC Game Pass includes day-one first-party access at a lower price than Ultimate, since you’re not paying for console or cloud gaming features you won’t use.

Did Xbox Game Pass prices change in 2026? Yes. After a price increase in October 2025 that drew significant backlash, Microsoft cut Ultimate from $29.99 to $22.99 and PC Game Pass from $16.49 to $13.99 in April 2026.

Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate better than PS Plus Premium? It depends on what you value. Ultimate offers day-one access to most new Xbox releases; PS Plus Premium offers a larger classics catalog and cloud streaming of older titles. Neither is a strict upgrade over the other.

Final Verdict

Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate worth it in 2026? At $22.99/month, yes, for players who actually rotate through multiple new releases and want day-one access to Xbox’s first-party lineup. The removal of day-one Call of Duty access is a real downgrade worth knowing about before you subscribe specifically for that reason.

If you’re PC-only, PC Game Pass at $13.99/month is the better value. If you mainly play one specific live-service game, check whether buying it outright beats a year of subscription costs before committing to Ultimate.

My rating: 4.1/5 — a genuinely better deal after the April 2026 price cut, with one notable feature removed alongside it