Xbox Game Pass will see a price increase in September, but Prime Day can still save you hundreds of dollars

3 month Game Pass Ultimate card on a green background with Prime Day deals badge
(Image credit: Future)

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is seeing more price increases this year, after Microsoft announced a $3 extra charge to its monthly cost starting in September. That puts the full price of a per-month subscription to $19.99 rather than today's $16.99. We haven't seen too many Game Pass deals in the last year or so, the service has outgrown the kinds of record-low prices we used to see. However, CDKeys' anti-Prime Day deals have a trick up their sleeve today - and it can save you bags of cash in the long run. 

A three month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership has just jumped down from $49.99 to $31.99 at the popular code retailer, a rate we haven't seen in some time now. That timing couldn't be better, either - come September three months of the Ultimate tier (console + PC, and a whole load of online services) will cost you about $60 all in. You're pretty much saving 50% on the full price already - but the best part is these codes are stackable. 

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 months | $49.99 $31.99 at CDKeys
Save $18 -

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3 months | $49.99 $31.99 at CDKeys
Save $18 - CDKeys can net you a three month Game Pass Ultimate code for just $31.99 right now. That's a rare discount on a hugely popular service that we just don't see every day. Not only that, but stacking these codes can help you avoid the upcoming price increase - at least for a little while. 

Buy it if: 

✅ You play across PC, mobile, and console
✅ You don’t mind another monthly subscription
✅ You already have Game Pass Ultimate

Don't buy it if: 

❌ You have enough games to play at the moment
❌ You prefer buying physical media

Price Check: Amazon: $44.99 | Best Buy: $49.99

UK: 3 months for £24.59 at CDKeys

Let's fast forward to this time next year. If you paid monthly, you'd have sunk $239.98 into your year of Game Pass Ultimate - a considerable cost to say the least. However, Microsoft allows you to stack up to 36 months of Game Pass Ultimate codes - and taken for that first year you can save around $111.92 by grabbing four lots of the discounted code above (paying $127.96 for the year instead). 

The full 36 months will cost you $383.88 at CDKeys right now, a full $335.76 less than Microsoft's total monthly charges (which will rack up to $719.64 in total). We aren't talking about pinching a few pennies here, these are three-figure discounts. 

I've been a long-time subscriber to Game Pass Ultimate - it's how I play most of my games these days. I'm also a PS Plus Extra member, and I get far more mileage out of my Microsoft subscription. This is how I'm going to protect myself against Xbox's upcoming price increase, and - if you can dump the cash on it today - it's how I'd recommend everyone plan for the next couple of years. 

You'll find plenty of Prime Day gaming deals up for grabs right now, including Prime Day PS5 deals and Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals for more options. 

Tabitha Baker
Managing Editor - Hardware

Managing Editor of Hardware at 12DOVE, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector. 

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