In a big report from Tom Warren at The Verge, the tech journalist touches on various topics relating to what Xbox has planned for 2026 and beyond. As part of that reporting, Warren drops some information about the future of Xbox Game Pass - and how Microsoft is "in the early stages of exploring ways to expand its Game Pass subscription lineup".
We'll throw their full quote on this down below:
"While the free Xbox Cloud Gaming won’t be a new Game Pass tier, sources tell me Microsoft is in the early stages of exploring ways to expand its Game Pass subscription lineup. After a Game Pass Ultimate price hike in October, I understand that Microsoft is looking at ways to bundle third-party services with Game Pass subscriptions and potentially even merge Xbox Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass together. I wouldn’t expect to see any major changes to Game Pass this year, though."
It's important to note that Warren's sources say this is just "in the early stages" at the moment, with the reporter going on to say they "wouldn't expect to see any major changes this year". Still, it's interesting to hear that Microsoft could be looking at adding even more third-party perks to the service in future (such as EA Play, Fortnite Crew, Ubisoft+ Classics, etc.).
We're also curious to see how something like a PC Game Pass / Game Pass Premium merge would work. The former tier has day one games right now whilst the latter doesn't, and with the advent of ROG Xbox Ally, it's clear the PC side of things will become even more prominent going forward. In any case, it looks like any more major changes to Xbox Game Pass would come in 2027 at the earliest, going off this report.
And, as usual, do take this information with a pinch of salt - it isn't confirmed by any means right now. Next year sounds like it'll be an interesting one for Xbox though, and we're all ears as to how Microsoft might streamline its Game Pass offerings in the future.
