Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass $1 trials come to an end

Microsoft is officially putting an end to the popular $1 trial offer it has been running for Game Pass subscriptions. The handy promotion has been available since the subscription service's inception, offering new members (and sometimes even returning ones) easy access to the wealth of games and other benefits for 30 days.

Both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, $14.99 per month, and PC Game Pass, $9.99 per month, are affected by this change. The Ultimate variant offers access to Game Pass and EA Play titles on Xbox consoles, PC, and cloud, with Xbox Live Gold also being thrown in. Meanwhile, PC Game Pass members gain access to the PC games lineup as well as EA Play titles.

Users first noticed the missing banner for the $1 trial offer on Sunday, which is usually present on new Microsoft accounts. Confirming the change, Microsoft soon provided a statement, via The Verge, with Xbox Head of Communications Kari Perez saying:

“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.”

The change comes as Microsoft's Xbox and Bethesda studios ready major releases for 2023, which will all be day-one releases on the subscription services. This includes Starfield, Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and Minecraft Legends, with possibly even more being announced later in the year.

It's unclear what sort of new promotions are incoming to subscribers, but one of them may be the family plan that is slowly being rolled out as part of a test. Six more countries entered the new program in February, which touts Ultimate subscription benefits to five users for one price. PC Game Pass is also being expanded quite heavily, with 40 more countries gaining access in a recent test.

Source: The Verge