Xbox Game Pass May Get a 'Pick Your Own Plan' Model

Microsoft is reportedly preparing a major rethink of Xbox Game Pass, with Jez Corden saying the service could shift toward a “pick your own plan” model. The report ties that idea to Xbox Series X and PC, where Game Pass Ultimate currently costs $22.99 per month. That matters because players have spent months arguing over what Game Pass should actually include, and Microsoft now appears to be listening.

The timing lines up with a broader reset inside Xbox after Call of Duty was removed from the offer and the Game Pass price was slashed. Corden says Microsoft sources point to a longer-term plan to make the subscription more flexible, while chief executive Asha Sharma has already confirmed Xbox is working to increase Game Pass flexibility in a post about a new Discord partnership. For players, that could mean paying only for the parts of Game Pass they actually use instead of swallowing a bundle that feels too expensive.

About Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft publishes Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X and PC, and the current Ultimate tier sits at $22.99 per month. The service has also sat at the center of Xbox price-hike criticism, with the source describing those increases as a major controversy. That history matters here, because any attempt to rework the subscription has to answer a simple question: does it finally make the price feel justified?

According to the report, Microsoft’s current thinking comes after a period where nearly $30 per month looked like a poor deal to many players. That kind of backlash changes the conversation fast. If Xbox wants Game Pass to feel like a must-have instead of a reluctant add-on, it needs to give people more control over what they’re paying for.

How The Reported Game Pass Rework Could Work

Jez Corden, citing Microsoft sources, says the company wants Game Pass to become more flexible over time. He said, “Microsoft sources tell me that the longer-term goal for Xbox Game Pass is to make it more flexible,” and added that “a sort of ‘pick your own plan’ formula for Xbox Game Pass is on the cards, essentially, where users can effectively decide what packages of content they want to see as part of their plan.” That would let players shape the service around their own habits instead of accepting a fixed package.

In practical terms, the reported system would let users choose what goes into their plan, with flexible and custom costs attached. Corden says players could drop and pick up select features from their plan, which means someone who never touches cloud gaming wouldn’t have to keep paying for it if Microsoft follows through. That same logic could also let Xbox swap in day one games or other bonus subscriptions like Netflix, so the plan feels more like a menu than a locked box.

• Game Pass may be reformed into a “pick your own plan” deal.
• Users may be able to choose what is included in their Game Pass plan.
• Flexible and custom costs for Game Pass plans are part of the rumor.
• Users may be able to drop and pick up select features from their plan.
• Cloud gaming may be removable from the offer to lower the price.
• Day one games may be exchangeable as part of the plan.
• Other bonus subscriptions like Netflix may be added on top.
• Xbox is working to increase the flexibility of Game Pass.

What This Means For Players

This is a smart direction if Microsoft can actually pull it off. Game Pass price hikes were a major controversy, and the service has clearly lost some goodwill when players look at the nearly $30 monthly figure and ask what they’re really getting. A more flexible plan could fix that by letting people trim the fat, keep the features they value, and stop paying for extras that don’t matter to them.

Still, the idea only works if Microsoft resists the usual subscription trap: chopping a service into pieces until the cheapest option feels stripped bare. Removing cloud gaming might lower the price, but it could also turn the “custom” model into a game of paywalls dressed up as choice. The new Discord partnership mention suggests Xbox is thinking about broader ecosystem ties, but Sharma didn’t spell out what future plans look like, so there’s still plenty of room for this to go right or badly wrong.

For now, Microsoft hasn’t laid out the final version of this plan, and that leaves the whole thing in rumor territory. Even so, the direction is clear: Xbox wants Game Pass to feel less rigid and less expensive, which is exactly the kind of move players have been asking for since the price hikes started drawing heat. If Microsoft follows through, the next big question won’t be whether Game Pass changes, but how far the company is willing to let players customize it.