Xbox Game Pass Standard launched: Which plan is for you?

Microsoft has launched the Xbox Game Pass Standard tier. Following a short Xbox Insiders test last month, the new tier replaces the classic Xbox Game Pass for Console. Priced at $14.99 per month, the new subscription features the standard Game Pass library for Xbox and online console access. However, it lacks Day-1 game release access.

The Xbox Game Pass Standard tier was first revealed in July alongside price hikes for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. While the new tier takes over from Xbox Game Pass for Console, the existing subscribers will continue to get Day-1 game releases.

With Xbox Game Pass Standard, the lineup for Microsoft's subscription expands to four tiers. Console players can now choose between Core, Standard, and Ultimate, but what do the tiers offer? Xbox Game Pass Core, as the name suggests, is the simplest tier of Game Pass, offering online console multiplayer alongside over 25 games.

Bumping that up one tier, we get Xbox Game Pass Standard, which adds the whole Game Pass library with hundreds of games. However, it lacks access to Day-1 releases like the upcoming Call of Duty Black Ops 6. For that, you have to jump up to the top tier, which is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Ultimate also includes access to the EA Play subscription. Meanwhile, for PC players, the choice is simple: get the PC Game Pass and have access to everything except console multiplayer — which PC players don't need.

When the new Xbox Game Pass structure was revealed in July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chimed in with a filing against Microsoft. In the filing, the FTC claimed that the new structure offered a degraded product at a higher price.

Microsoft was quick to respond by pointing out that the original Xbox Game Pass for Console did not include multiplayer, which would further add a $9.99 cost. But that does nothing to assuage the customers who subscribed at $10.99 with the Call of Duty's Day-1 release in mind but will now have to upgrade in time for October.

As with any subscription, regional pricing plays a big role in what the actual cost to consumers will be. And for Xbox Game Pass Standard, that cost can range from $7.25 to $16.71 depending on where you live. Here's a complete list of prices:

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