Microsoft hikes Xbox Game Pass price in India, launched new Standard plan

Microsoft has announced a price hike on its Xbox Game Pass subscription plans and has also launched a new tier called Standard. The Game Pass Ultimate subscription plan will cost Rs 829 per month in India, up from Rs 549 per month right now. The price hike comes a day after Microsoft announced that it’s bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming to select Amazon Fire TV sticks.

Xbox Game Pass price hike in India: Check new prices

Microsoft confirmed that from September 12, the Xbox Game Pass subscription plan prices will be hiked. The Game Pass Ultimate subscription plan will jump to Rs 829 per month, a much bigger increase than its current Rs 549 per month pricing.

On the other hand, the PC Game Pass subscribers will have to pay Rs 449 per month, a Rs 100 increase from the current Rs 349 price increase. It’s worth noting that Microsoft isn’t changing the perks as they will still be able to get day-one releases.

As for the Game Pass Core plan, its price will be hiked from Rs 1,999 to Rs 3,349 for the annual membership. The 6-month membership for the same plan will cost Rs 1,799, up from Rs 749. These prices are much higher, making it unaffordable for some.

In addition to this, Xbox also launched a new subscription tier called Game Pass Standard, which costs $14.99 per month (roughly translates to Rs 1,250). Unfortunately, the membership plan will not include day-one releases for first-party Xbox games. It’s worth noting that this plan will be for the new console players, the existing ones will still be able to renew their Game Pass console plan.

For the unversed, the Xbox Game Pass is getting the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Is this one of the reasons Microsoft thinks it needs to keep the Game Pass’ high? Or is it some other reason? Well, we never know unless Microsoft devices tell us.

However, the new prices will indeed be expensive for many existing Game Pass subscribers. It’s worth noting that Microsoft recently announced that it’s bringing Cloud Gaming to Amazon Fire TV sticks. This means you can play Xbox games through Cloud on your Fire TV stick with just fast internet connectivity. Of course, you will require Game Pass subscriptions to play all the titles.