Xbox Game Pass major shake-up revealed in new report; end of an era for Day One releases

Xbox Game Pass could be changing forever, after a new report claims Microsoft is planning major changes to its Day One releases and cloud gaming, potentially raising concerns over the long-term value of the subscription service.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service offers good value for money, regardless of which tier you’re subscribed to. In particular, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives subscribers Day One releases for first-party games, cloud streaming, access to EA Play and more.

However, newly revised plans are making the social media rounds, and they could bring some controversial changes that may not go down well with Game Pass subscribers. This rumour follows confirmed reports of the Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming service being nerfed.

What major changes are reportedly coming to Xbox Game Pass?

As shared on ResetEra by industry insider Slayven, it’s claimed that there will soon be a service with and without ads, something that has quite recently been implemented by Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video.

The tier with ads will reportedly cost $12.99 a month or $19.99 without. The annual cost for the service with ads will also reportedly be $239.99.

In terms of Day One releases, they will reportedly no longer be included in the service as of somewhere between February and April 2027. It’s also said that the service will drop by $3 to counter this change. While not specified by the leaker, this is most likely equivalent to the Ultimate tier. At the time of writing, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $23.99, so the $3 price drop to $19.99 makes sense.

What’s more, it’s claimed that cloud streaming will not be bundled in the service and will essentially become an add-on option for $5.99, but that will only reportedly last for 24 hours. Then presumably, you’d have to pay again if you want to use it. Also, a family plan would be an additional, recurring $5.99 per month.

You can also reportedly have Xbox Game Pass with access to the game library only for $14.99 per month, and there will be an online multiplayer-only option for $10.99. It reads as if all of these options will be in addition to other tiers, including Ultimate, or at least we hope.

READ MORE: Xbox Game Pass free game lineup confirms arrival of Call of Duty’s most underrated entry

What else has been reported about the Xbox Game Pass changes?

In a Reddit thread discussion of the reported changes to Xbox Game Pass, Juggernaut9776 shared this comment from another industry insider, NateTheHate:

“Slayven previously shared Game Pass information about the tier changes -- to Core/Standard -- in late 2025; so the individual giving them information clearly has knowledge of some matters. Whether the intended timeline stays true or slides about, we'll learn in due time.”

Replying to a post on X (formerly Twitter), NateTheHate made it clear that he’s not vouching for the claims from Slayven.

“I didn't vouch for the information. I simply said the ERA mod who posted the information has shared accurate information in the past concerning GamePass. I said in the thread I have no information on the claims outlined in the thread,” he said.

Of course, these are unconfirmed rumours at this point and should be taken with a pinch of salt until we learn otherwise. That being said, if Microsoft confirms these rumours, we’ll let you know right away.