Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price jumps 50% to $30 a month - and users are furious

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate jumps to $29.99 per month, a 50% hike.
• Essential and Premium plans get upgrades without price increases.
• Gamers slam the changes, with cancellations crashing Microsoft's site.

Microsoft has increased the price of its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription a second time in less than a year, and it's not by a small amount. According to the official Xbox Wire blog, the service will now cost $29.99 a month -- a 50% price hike. If you do the math, that's $360 a year.

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In July 2024, Microsoft raised its prices to $19.99, but unlike last year's increase, the tech giant is throwing in some extra perks.

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