GameStop Sells Xbox Game Pass at $19.99 as Microsoft Raises It to $29.99
Retailers including GameStop, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target are currently selling Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at the previous $19.99 monthly price, while Microsoft has announced a new $29.99 monthly rate effective after its Oct. 1 announcement. For now, those lower-priced cards and codes are available through those retailers.
- What happened
- Where to buy the $19.99 cards
- GameStop social posts and promotion
- Cost and buying options
- Availability and Microsoft response
What happened
On Oct. 1, Microsoft announced that the monthly price for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will rise to $29.99. Retailers have continued to sell physical and digital subscription cards for the previous monthly price of $19.99.
Microsoft commented on the change. “We understand price increases are never fun for anybody, but we’re trying to reinforce by adding more value to these plans as well,” Dustin Blackwell, director of gaming and platform communications at Microsoft, told The Verge.
Where to buy the $19.99 cards
Multiple major retailers are listing Game Pass Ultimate at the old monthly price. For example:
GameStop social posts and promotion
GameStop has posted about the price situation on its social accounts and is advertising that it is selling Game Pass Ultimate at the $19.99 price both in-store and online. The brand used direct lines such as “Xbox Game Pass is still $19.99 with us” and “Welcome to GameStop.”
Game Pass: $29.99 every month. Own nothing.
GameStop: Buy once. Own forever.
Math isn’t that hard. https://t.co/ThUMcLZh6t pic.twitter.com/8WCrnS3kck
— GameStop (@gamestop) October 1, 2025
Welcome to GameStop. https://t.co/1bczMZbDuu
— GameStop (@gamestop) October 1, 2025
Don't call it a comeback pic.twitter.com/NAIIj7rDTU
— GameStop (@gamestop) October 1, 2025
Cost and buying options
If a buyer wants to cover a full year at the $19.99 monthly rate, they would need 12 monthly cards or multiple 3-month cards. At $19.99 per month, a 12-month total comes to $239.88. By contrast, the new $29.99 monthly rate would total $359.88 for 12 months.
Retailers currently offer both single-month and multi-month cards; however, stock and specific pack sizes vary by store.
Availability and Microsoft response
Retail listings for the $19.99 cards are live at the stores linked above, but how long those listings remain available is not specified by the retailers. Microsoft has said it is adding value to its plans and listening to player feedback, as quoted earlier.
Note: All links to retailers and reporting are included above for reference.
