Just days after the price of Xbox Game Pass increased in most regions, Microsoft has brought back its offer for a heading trial month.
It’s interesting to see the offer come back so quickly, as back in March Microsoft stated it would no longer be offering it. In a statement to The Verge, head of global communications at Xbox, Kari Perez, said “We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future.”
Like before, the $1 trial gives players a whole month of the service for that price before the normal price kicks in from the second month forward.
As of July 6, prices have officially gone up on subscriptions. A normal Xbox Game Pass subscription went up from $9.99 to $10.99, while the Ultimate version increased from $14.99 to $16.99. However, the price of PC version didn’t change and remains $9.99.
It’s also important to note that some markets won’t be getting the price increase, as it will remain the same in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.
This is the first time Microsoft has raised the price of Game Pass since the service launched in 2017. Microsoft says the price hike isn’t because of the pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but instead is “intended to match local market conditions.”
At the same time, Microsoft is also going to increase the price of the Xbox Series X in August, in some markets. Although the price won’t increase in the United States, starting August 1 the systems will cost £479.99 in the UK, €549.99 across most European markets, CAD $649.99 in Canada, and AUD $799.99 in Australia.
The next set of games coming to Xbox Game Pass include Grand Theft Auto 5, Exoprimal, and Techtonica. You can see the full library of titles on the service here.
