Game Pass Ultimate Contributes To Nearly 80% of Game Pass Subscribers

Game Pass has given Xbox a unique offering over its competition. While rivals like PlayStation offer similar subscriptions, Microsoft’s service is packed with high-quality day-one releases like Hi-Fi Rush and the anticipated Starfield.

Much like other services, Microsoft offers different tiers for users at varying price points. This includes the most expensive Game Pass Ultimate, which provides EA Play and online gameplay, in addition to the other benefits.

While Game Pass Ultimate is significantly more expensive than the base version, we spotted that 70-80% of subscribers opted for the highest tier of Microsoft’s service.

This information comes from the European Commission. It states:

“With Game Pass Ultimate, which accounts for nearly 70-80% of the current subscribers.”

Comparing Game Pass Ultimate to its cheaper counterparts, the highest tier offers more value for the asking price. While it costs $16.99/month, users gain access to titles from EA’s catalog.

EA has recently added games like Need For Speed Unbonud to the service, allowing subscribers to try the latest racing game that was released less than a year ago.

This figure highlights that Xbox users value online play and the games catalog, leading to them picking the tier that offers both options. It also means Microsoft is able to maximize revenue from around 8 out of 10 subscribers.

This is great news for the customers and Microsoft in the long run. The profitability and sustainability of the service have been a long debate for a while, but the majority share for the highest tier likely helps justify the existence of big-budget AAA games on the service at launch.

In the coming years, Microsoft will try and grow the service further. The promising list of first-party titles like Avowed and Fable should ensure customers continue to return to Game Pass, while the continued third-party deals should keep Xbox players engaged in between the major first-party games.