Xbox Game Pass could let you pick which features you pay for

Xbox is preparing a significant overhaul of its Game Pass subscription that would let players choose individual features à la carte, according to people familiar with the strategy cited by Fortune in an October 2026 profile of CEO Asha Sharma. The plan would cover add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming and multiplayer, with the system operating on a tiered structure.

The report arrives amid a period of sustained change at Microsoft's gaming division since Sharma became CEO in February. Xbox has carried out layoffs, sold studios and adjusted its core products and services as Sharma works to make the brand a viable business. Further changes are reportedly ahead, including the possibility that the next-generation Project Helix consoles could start at $1,800.

Game Pass itself has already been in motion. After a price hike in 2025, one of Xbox's first announcements under Sharma was a price cut to Game Pass Ultimate, its most expensive tier. The current lineup is Game Pass Ultimate at $23 per month, offering a library of more than 500 games, day-one releases, bundled Fortnite Crew, EA Play and Ubisoft+ Classics subscriptions, online multiplayer and up to 15 hours of game streaming.

Below that sits Game Pass Premium at $15 per month, with more than 200 games, online multiplayer and up to 10 hours of streaming. Game Pass Essential costs $10 per month for more than 50 games, online multiplayer and up to five hours of streaming. PC Game Pass is $14 per month with more than 300 PC games, day-one releases and a bundled EA Play subscription.

Xbox previously sold online multiplayer access separately through Xbox Live Gold, but retired that option in 2023 and folded the benefit into the tier now called Essential.

Talk of a more flexible Game Pass is not new. In April, Windows Central reported that Xbox hoped eventually to offer a version where users could decide which packages of content they wanted in their plan. That could include dropping bundled subscriptions such as Fortnite Crew to lower the price.

For US subscribers, the changes could reshape how they pay for console games, cloud streaming and multiplayer, which are currently bundled together in the higher tiers. The à la carte concept remained speculative until Fortune's October 2026 report described the overhaul as planned.

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