The Xbox Live Gold To Game Pass 'Conversion Ratio' Has Gotten Worse

Damn that sucks, makes sense but still sucks.
So even if I find codes on the cheap I won't even wanna max out, decisions decisions 🤔

I understand that this was bound to happen someday, but is Xbox really in a position to do things like this right now given their continued struggles this generation? Maybe next year if Starfield and some other games finally get them on the right track, but oh well I guess.

It makes sense and is 'fair' to both MS and Consumers. With the 'possible' reintroduction of the $1/£1 introductory offer, MS won't lose out massively as people Abuse the system and buy up 36months of Gold to 'convert' to GPU for a $1...

I wouldn't be surprised if that's why they stopped the introductory offers, hesitant on the Family plan roll up, increased the 'Price' to 'compensate' for those who abused the system and revised their 'conversion' rate.

I believe Sony charge you the 'Difference' between 'Essential' and their higher tiers if you 'upgrade' and still have months of PS+ Essential (or at least doesn't convert 1:1) too

It was abused by some - because they 'could' but no doubt contributed to changes.

Overall, I think its 'Fair' and even the Price increase isn't 'unreasonable' considering its an extra £12 a year and a Single AAA game these days is £10 more. Just 2 AAA games would cost you an extra £20 this year...

When I first converted over to Game Pass Ultimate (for $1), I was shocked when the entire 1 year of Gold (that I got for $50) ended up getting converted.

I thought "Wow, I wonder how long that will last. I can totally see that getting abused."

I guess my answer was about...what..3 years or so?

Annoying but I suppose it had to happen some day. Probably won't resub when mine is up in a couple years.

I suppose if one was to take advantage of the 3:2 ratio, then it also affects how long you will have game pass subbed for. Because you can only stack 3 years so you'd end up with 2 years and 1 month (the GPU month you bought to convert it)

Damn it. But it was clear, this couldn't work forever.

@KilloWertz 'Struggles' depend on your perspective. The Series S/X is selling more units than their previous Console generation, have more and more Game Pass Subscribers - not ALL on Console and a growing user base across PC/Cloud/Console.

Compared to Sony, then yes, they aren't selling as many Consoles, but then consumers don't need to buy a Console to play 'Xbox'. You can even play 'next Gen' only Xbox releases on last gen hardware via Cloud instead of being forced to 'upgrade' or miss out.

I expect games like Starfield and Forza to be a 'success' - even if they don't sell a single copy because Consumers have a 'choice' to play on a Sub service. Forza will no doubt be the best Racing game released this year (as usual) and Starfield will be massive too. Don't forget that these are 'NOT' just on Xbox Consoles so consumers don't have to 'buy' either Xbox hardware or the Game to play it...

Sony maybe 'more' Successful in terms of Sales but MS are 'successful' relative to their previous Gen and its not as if this gen was a 'clean' start as Back Compatibility gives gamers a reason not to jump back to Xbox for example.

After 6yrs of Game Pass, and the Price rises of games etc, I don't think this is the 'wrong' time - not with their 'Future' looking Strong and Sony's seemingly struggling...

It's still worth stacking 36 months if you can now guys, get it done!

@KilloWertz This has been one of their best generations for me, struggles? Seems a bit harsh, been a strong year already.

Nice of them to do that just as mine is expiring. 😂😂 Got 36 months of gold last month. At least there's still some saving. Will maybe switch and start using the rewards points in 2 years time.

I am surprised at what many sites and users considered a loophole or a exploit having lasted so long. Still, the best platform for me is Xbox, considering Game Pass value, the free Microsoft Rewards credit just by using Bing instead of Google and the excellent and varied library of games. It's sad that most Pure Xbox threads have become full of hatred towards Xbox and Xbox fans, e.g., similar Microsoft Rewards: How To Claim 1000 Bonus Points thread, so I hope that this place will be the wonderful place it was before, once the ABK acquisition is over and only the genuine users stay.

It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will bring it back to a 1:1 ratio in the future, although that seems unlikely at this point

I very much doubt that too. It was fantastic that they offered the option for so long, but like most good things it had to end at some stage 😀.

My Gamepass Ultimate ends in Feb 2024,
I will NOT be get Gamepass any more, I'd rather buy 1 game I want as opposed to pay for 500+ games I don't want.

If their subscriber growth numbers aren't benefitting from it, then this makes a ton of sense. There are still options for cheap people, like redeeming Microsoft Rewards points.

Great for us that got to enjoy it as it was instead of whinging how unsustainable it is. Been an incredible deal for years. Now it is a slightly less incredible deal.

I just converted 3 years of XBL Gold a few days ago, after previously converting 2 years which ran out recently. Good timing but not so great for others. I think it will still work out much cheaper though, since 12 months of Gold is £40, so that will be 8 months of GamePass at £5 per month.

@Ep_13 They are a distant third and have struggled with 1st party output overall for another console generation. Things do look like they will finally get better starting with Starfield, but that is what I meant by struggles.

Or just buy turkey/Brazilian 3 years gold for approx £75 then convert , 2 years of ultimate for approx £78

Wow, I'm so glad I already had this feeling a few weeks ago and converted in time. So I have GP Ultimate until June 2026. They won't change that in hindsight, right?

Why do I feel like I'm the only one here that actually just pays the recurring billing at the normal price? So many tricks and loopholes people keep somehow doing.

I still don't get the Rewards Points thing though. I think I have only like $60 worth after 5 years of XB being my primary 3rd party box.

@Moonglow Free cloud saves are incredibly useful and understated but you forgot free remasters compared to Nintendo's full-priced ports and Sony's full-priced remasters, the exact reason why I only have one Switch port and just one of the three releases of The Last of Us.

Well there goes any chance of me re-subscribing. I'll be back to buying games on a case by case basis cherry picking sales again.

@KilloWertz seems you're not a fan, when you've ignored great games, Pentiment and Hi Fi Rush, Planet of Lana and more.
Grounded etc etc.

Xbox is not one game, and it never will be. Also Nintendo hardware is woeful, they are only top because of a few games.
Their online and MP experience is last currently.

Just canceled gamepass. And honestly, it has been an eye opener.

Im currently left with hardware I can't use on it. And even games that have free multiplayer elsewhere, such as their own Elder Scrolls Online, is unplayable.

Moving forward will definitely be moving back to buying games and prioritizing games on my PC for the lack of subscription required to play online.

I'm not sure what Microsoft is trying to do this gen. Their best release was the niche Microsoft Flight Sim. They're ve killed their flagship Halo with Infinite. So much so they actually disabled the forums for it. Then they're releasing a Series S, with the amount if storage it should have launched at, at a mark up price.

They're really making me question having bought two Series Xs at launch and even my 17 year Xbox Live tenure.

I just cancelled my ultimate yesterday to take part in the 1:1. Wouldn't you know.

@Sifi That's true but at the same time Sony haven't made the main selling point of their subscription service day one access to all first party games.
If they want to have any chance of those GAAS games being successful then the smart move would be to put them on Plus, knowing Sony they probably won't though. Although some of those GAAS games may still have a significant single player element with included multiplayer, similar to something like CoD so it may be justifiable them being premium releases.

@KilloWertz I don't think people realized how cheap it was. They won't have a strong reference point. The value is there even with the changes.

I did the conversion three years ago and am getting six years (and counting) out of it. Those opportunities could not remain for much longer.

@somnambulance But then you couldn't have tried Redfall and would you really have wanted to miss out on that?

Yeah, I don't really play games on GP, I mostly really use it for cloud play, primarily of games I own anyway lol. I keep debating. If I keep GP or not might depend on how Starfield handles GF Now. For the same price i could stream Starfield at double the fps and prettier gfx, but I'd only do it if it has cross-save with the XB version I think. Although, P3 remake will be on GP and at $70 freaking dollars for a PS2 remake otherwise, that really pays for almost half of GP itself..... sigh

Never used it so it doesn't affect me.

@NEStalgia I'm about in the same boat. Was originally going to play Starfield through Gamepass. By my PC can do it just fine, and no doubt at 60fps minimum.

At this point it would just be better to buy the game outright for the years of entertainment it'll provide via mods instead of having to pay a monthly fee to play it.

End of an era! Luckily I’m set with Game Pass until March 2026 at a cost of a mere £2.84/month! It really was a ridiculously good offer.

Even with this new conversion ratio, it’s lightyears better than paying standard month-by-month. If you’re willing to shop from CDKeys you can currently get the monthly cost down to just £4.17/month. And even if you prefer to stick strictly to high street retailers it’ll still only cost you £6.79/month using the 3:2 conversion offer. Compare that to the regular £12.99/month pricing and it’s still a no-brainer deal in my mind.

Figured they'd patch it up, I got three years while I still could thankfully but I'll be damned if I pay full price for game pass when I own -most- of the games I'd want to play on it. Especially when it feels it's been falling off a lot lately outside of that massive GTA V gain. I love Xcloud and all but it's kinda useless outside of my home.

@KilloWertz what struggles this generation?

they are not struggling

@KilloWertz gaming business is not a race

I loaded mine up via Turkey or Brazil a couple of times but now I’m just happy to pay the monthly fee. It’s worth it and GamePass has saved us so much money it’s silly over the years.

So what does 3 years of Gold get you now when converted to Gamepass Ultimate? 2 years?

Ouch. I'm wondering if this will start to see a bit of a decline in subs. It's already losing a bit of its shine since big show stopping titles (outside of first party) seem to be drying up, and PSPlus is now offering a similar service on the third party side. I know a lot of people, myself included, who kept up the sub bc of these types of deals (grabbing cheap live from cdkeys and converting it). I don't think I've really gotten into a GP game this year and I can see myself dipping in and out of subscribing going forward just for the odd first party offering.

@XBOT Way behind in sales against the competition, major exclusives being pretty dry overall this generation aside from a handful so far, certain studios struggling to keep talent and get development on track (The Initiative being a prime example), and the Redfall debacle. I agree that they have had a few pretty solid indie style titles too, but there should be more major exclusives well before now.

My original comment was just an honest question with the fact that things have been a bit of a struggle so far. Not even meant to be taken as a fanboy comment trying to start an argument, but that seems to be what people have taken it. I even acknowledged that there's a chance things could be finally coming around with Starfield coming, but whatever. Everything's been great I guess even though it has not been. Again, not saying it won't be starting with Starfield, but it hasn't been smooth sailing so far either.

I think we all should have known this would happen eventually.

@Martsmall Are international Xbox Live and Game Pass codes compatible with UK accounts?

@BAMozzy To be fair, in the vast majority of the world, cloud gaming of these games is a terrible option. I have pretty good internet (400 mb) and I’ve tried cloud gaming on console and through PC and it was garbage. So I don’t think the “you don’t need a console” argument is valid at this time.

@NEStalgia Between the bing searches, daily stuff and Xbox quests, I have made enough rewards to never pay for GamePass and use it to get Amazon cards for discounts on PS games. It has recently gotten worse as they’ve chopped points off of stuff but still will keep me getting free GamePass.

@FatalBubbles I have tried Cloud too - on my RoG Ally, Laptop, XB1 (all via 'wifi') and my Series X (hardwired) and the experience can be 'mixed'.

I have played numerous games entirely over wifi on cloud with no major issues so it is 'possible' so I think it is a Valid argument - especially as these games can also be played 'locally' on handheld devices like Steam Deck/RoG Ally as well as on PC's day/date - therefore you don't 'need' to buy a Console.

Cloud is the 'cheapest' option but its still an 'option' for those who maybe don't have the resources to invest in a 'higher' tier gaming experience. Series S is the next tier up with Series X offering a 'Premium' Console experience equivalent to Sony's PS5 and PC is the highest tier. Point is, if you have a 'decent' PC or a Cloud enabled device, you can still play Starfield day and date - you don't need a Console - its an 'option' offering a 'certain' tier of Graphical Quality and Performance relative to their cost - same as Cloud or PC too.

With Sony, you have no choice but to 'buy' a PS5 to play Spider-Man 2 day/date. Its NOT on a Sub/Cloud service or releasing on Steam/PC so you have no CHOICE but to 'buy' a PS5 and 'buy' the game to play.

With Xbox, you have a 'Choice' to play on Cloud, on Console or on PC so you don't 'need' a Console. You don't 'need' to rely on Cloud either as you could own a Steam deck, Gaming Laptop/PC etc so don't 'need' to buy an Xbox Console, don't even 'need' to buy the game to play Day 1 as its on a Sub service....

I have a Series X and PS5, but I can play Starfield day and date on my PC, RoG Ally or even XB1X via Cloud over wifi - so I don't 'need' my Series X to play. It may well be the 'best' way to play on my 4k TV but I could play entirely on my handheld RoG Ally. I have 'no' choice with Spider-man 2 - its PS5 or nothing...

@BAMozzy many developing countries do not have great internet speed infrastructure. Heck even in the UK I can drop to 3G on my phone. And people here don’t have fast internet access in rural areas.

So yes cloud is a great option for a select few who have the internet capability. But for the majority the internet isn’t there yet.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Cloud is 'just' an Option and regardless of how the 'infrastructure' is around the world is 'irrelevant'. If it isn't 'suitable' for you because of the area you live or even the 'quality' of the experience isn't what you want, it doesn't mean that you MUST buy an Xbox Series S/X - there are other options - Handhelds (Steam Deck/RoG Ally), Laptops and PC's

The Console may offer the 'best' quality for the cost in your situation, but there are people who still play on XB1S despite the fact that it was the 'worst' way to play games. Lowest Picture Quality and often lowest frame rates too. I'd rather play games like FH5 on Cloud for example as it offers 60fps and 'Series X' visual settings, albeit reduced to 1080p (720p over Mobile Wifi - which isn't great) with some compression. If you only own an XB1S, you can still play Starfield though despite it not releasing on that platform.

Even if Cloud wasn't 'good enough' for ANYONE to play games, you still don't need to buy a Series S/X to play 'Xbox' games day and date as the game is also on PC/Steam so you can play 'locally' without having to buy an Xbox.

Like I keep saying, the ONLY option for consumers with Sony is to buy their hardware and buy their software or 'miss-out'. With MS, you have CHOICE - you don't 'need' an Xbox as these games will be on Cloud AND PC's too so have 'options'. You don't 'need' to buy the Game as its Available on Game Pass...

Cloud may well 'improve' and be a more 'competitive' option to hardware based gaming - but its still better than 'nothing'. Considering its 'cost', its still letting you play these games on 'ANY' device, anywhere. Series S has a much bigger 'upfront' cost so you get a 'better' quality, spend more and you get even higher res and a disc drive, spend more and you can have the 'best' PQ and Frame Rates - maybe even with much better RT implementation and DLSS too.

Point is, Everyone can 'access' Starfield without needing to buy a Series S/X. If you have a decent gaming PC, its pointless to buy an Xbox, but you'll need a PS5 to play Spider-Man 2 on release as consumers don't get any other 'options' at all..

They definitely had some fantastic deals/way's of getting you into Gamepass on the cheap. This is a very drawn out version of the drug dealer saying that the first one is free to get you hooked on the product. Gamepass is still a massive value proposition to most folks even at regular price, but a price increase always sucks.

Again, if you have MS reward's in your area start using them abd get free Gamepass that way and look out for the discount sales for the 3 month cards. I haven't seen them in Canada but I know that the US seems to get deals on them at least once a year.... w*******

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I live in rural Northumberland and get better internet here than when I lived on a new build estate in the South East. So not sure where this rural people don't have good internet comes from.

I also get 5G a lot of the time up here too.

Rural doesn't mean we're 20 years behind other places. In the UK it's the very select few who don't have good internet access.

@VenomUK yes use a VPN , DON'T change your account address

Buy em ( up to 3 years gold ) ,turn on VPN got to redeem.microsoft.com ,redeem the turkey /Brazil code , turn off VPN apply a ultimate code ,2 years ultimate at the new rate

@KilloWertz Xbox is in an excellent position actually. They will be just fine going forward as well.

Game pass isn’t worth the entrance fee anymore. It’s literally cheaper to buy the one or two exclusives per year off Amazon than to subscribe for the full year.

I'm not sure I'll be renewing when my current sub runs out. It's a cool service but as someone who owns the other two consoles I'm happy enough to pick up games I want cheap in sales instead of playing the games xbox puts on the service.

Converted last week and got the full bhuna, 36 months

@Martsmall Cheers, will try soon when I need to renew.