Xbox's New Game Pass Tiers Are Causing Confusion Around Online Multiplayer

I'll be changing to Game Pass Console from now on.

Confusing but i always go with Ultimate so this doesn't impact me.

I'm sure it includes online MP, why would it?

Edit: ah, I stand corrected. Console GP never had online MP. Which makes me wonder why it even existed, in the first place.

Yea. Makes absolutely no sense. Should have done away with subscription for online play entirely.

Especially with the $9.99 PC package having day one games and free online.

They essentially just renamed "Gold" to "Gamepass Core" and renamed basic "Gamepass" to "Gamepass Console".

I think a lot of this has been fumbled. Gamepass needed to undergo some changes.

The problem is instead of announcing everything all at once — new tiers, price increases, closing the Gold loophole, etc. — they drag out the confusion and outrage by announcing a new change every few weeks. By the time people come to terms with it, a new shakeup is suddenly announced and the cycle begins anew.

In product marketing it’s better to unveil everything at once, creating some cohesion and only temporarily causing angst. Right now there’s a feeling of “okay, what unwelcome or confusing change is going to happen next week?”

@InterceptorAlpha Getting rid of pay-for-multiplayer would have been a huge move that could have really altered the landscape in MS’s favor. Especially since they were the ones to pioneer the business model/modern console online experience in the first place with Xbox Live.

That does sound weird, I'd assumed it would just be like PS plus where buying a more expensive tier gives you access to everything the previous tiers offer too. Hopefully it's just an oversight in the communications.

Hardly confusing. If you want game pass games but don't need online multiplayer, get the console tier. Quite simple really.

Yeah I also agree it’s the most baffling thing about this, 25 games seems small compared to Game Pass Library which is only $1 more in the US but it doesn’t include online so they practically force you to upgrade to Ultimate even if you don’t want EA Play, xCloud or access to PC GP.

A better structure would’ve been $7.99 (or less) for GP Core per month, $10.99 for GP Console WITH Online and $16.99 for GP Ultimate.

I’d totally get the normal Game Pass for console if it included online as I never use Cloud, EA Play nor PC Game Pass.

Honestly, Microsoft should have just done away with Gold and added multiplayer to Console.

I know Ultimate is a combination of Gold, PC, and Console - but what about folks who don't care about Game Pass PC? Shouldn't they have a lower tiered option that doesn't include Game Pass PC?

Or as @EvenStephen7 said, get rid of paid multiplayer completely. It's always been stupid that it was a charge on consoles when PC has always been free.

So what's the confusion the base console game pass never included online play unless the game allowed it. You needed ultimate or xbox live sub. I don't get how people outrage over nothing. Live gold just basically became gp core but without the free games. Instead includes 25 games. Or did I get it wrong.

@Tonmoy nope that is exactly right. Really don't understand the "confusion'.

Now THIS is the Microsoft i know! 😂

Everyone is assuming this is a mistake or doesn’t make sense, this is actually a very clever business move and very similar to what apple do with their storage options. Essentially what they are offering is a base package in core that will fit some people, the ultimate version covers the audience that already have ultimate, the console tier is essentially a phantom offering that neither side of the fence will choose. This who have gold will either stay where they are or think, if I’m paying $10.99 I might aswell pay the extra $5 and get all those extra games, those who have ultimate already won’t drop down for the sake of $5 and would be more likely to go to the $9.99 offering. Microsoft are very cleverly going to get a fair few gamers end up on Gamepass ultimate who ordinarily wouldn’t have considered it. Smart.

Saw someone say this somewhere else: they should just get rid of Game Pass Console. Grandfather existing accounts but stop offering it.

@GamingFan4Lyf "Honestly, Microsoft should have just done away with Gold and added multiplayer to Console."

IMO, this would have been the ideal solution.

Ultimate gets access to retain Games With Gold, Deals with Gold, PC games and EA Play as reasons to justify the extra cost.

@FraserG fair enough. Pretty stupid tiering.

This is stupid, I'm already letting Game Pass lapse. I figured they would screw it up at some point.

@iplaygamesnstuff all they've done is instead of 2 games a month or whatever, give 25 games at once which are of a higher quality that games with gold. How is that screwing it up?

Game Pass 'Core' - 25 games - no Day 1 Games, but 'Online' play
Game Pass 'Console' over 500 games inc Day 1 releases but 'no' online play.
Game Pass Ultimate - both of these + EA Access, GP for PC/Cloud and additional perks.

It maybe $1 difference between Core and Console - but Core doesn't get Day 1 games (like Starfield or Forza Motorsport when they release) and limited to '25' games. However, you can play 'Online'. Console gets games like Starfield, Forza etc Day 1 but you can't play 'online' so some content in Game Pass is unplayable.

Nothing has really changed - Gold is now just Game Pass Core - a change in 'name'. The only other thing that has changed is that instead of 2 'mediocre' games every month (24 over a year) with 'Gold', under Core, you'll get access to 25+ 'better' games which will 'change' over time to play.

Nothing has 'changed' really. You still need to pay to play online and instead of drip feeding a game every half month, you get 25+ games to play. Console and 'Ultimate' haven't changed either...

normal gamepass now renamed Gamepass console has always existed

Sooooooo when are the 12 month deals going to be available?

I enjoyed buying 12 months of Gold on sale for $40-$50.

Or is this just more of forcing Game Pass down our throats?

@Lightning720 Everything having to deal with getting rid of Gold and then allowing online multiplayer for only the Ultimate? On top of it they took away the ability to prepay using Gold and converting. Not sure what you don't get. But consumers are getting screwed.

Completely stupid naming conventions by Xbox continues to confuse - shocked

Hey let me have my Console Game Pass, it's way cheaper than Ultimate, and it is important to me.
I only buy a month of Ultimate when I need to for some games, but the price difference between Console and Ultimate is absolutely not a detail on the long run.

@iplaygamesnstuff yeah nobody with sense should be celebrating this move… MS have basically kept gold, but removed it’s only actual value - getting cheap Gamepass. For the purpose of boosting their GP numbers so shareholders can see the leap after spending 69billion.

I remember last year the speculation was always that MS was going to hand Sony a killer blow in ending the MP paywall by dumping gold altogether. Today, on twitter, I see those same people that pushed that speculation celebrating that we’re still being changed for mp… only now instead of 3 monthly games you keep we get 25 games that rotate god knows when, and lose the chance of cheap GP. Yeah feels like a W to me 🤷🏻

I see it this way...

You have three 'entry level' paths... Core, Console and PC. You play online, you get Core, You want the massive game library, you get Console or PC. You want both, you get Ultimate, which includes all three.

Sony and Microsoft have always had a policy of giving with one hand while taking with the other unless you pay top dollar. And this hasn't changed.

Wow, this super confusing

• One is for online multiplayer.
• One is for Gamepass (Console).
• Ultimate is for Both.

Not sure why people get so confused over these things. If you didn’t offer the 2 options people would cry that they just want online multiplayer or they just want gamepass.

Let’s face it.

They have managed to do a Sony with stupid tiers.

Both trying to confuse consumers so they go for higher tiers, so they know they have everything they want.

Not just gaming is guilty of this but all streaming is.

It is literally still Xbox Gold but instead of free games every month you have access to a small library of game pass games. The other tiers have not changed at all. The base game pass has never had online.

Silly decision and why I'll keep Gamepass for console only and buy (multi platform) multiplayer games for PS5 as I usually have PS plus active. If Microsoft did away with these stupid arbitrary decisions and included multiplayer with Gamepass I'd likely stop buying ps plus AND buy multi platform games for Xbox instead. Their business decisions are baffling at times.

@ValentineMeikin The issue is, PC is the same price as core, has free online, gives EA access, AND gets day one games.

This is giving the shaft to console players.

@IOI But then, they would lose many ultimate subs, as no one would stay ultimate just for EA play and cloud.

It’s bad. All levels should have it.

@iplaygamesnstuff umm you can stack it for 3 years. Or you could easily. Mines until 2025. So don'tet lapse. Sort it now.

@TJ81 I think you've read it wrong.

@InterceptorAlpha I suspect that the reason that it's such an odd situation is that Microsoft, up until now, assumed Console players were subscribed to both. Which is why Ultimate is automatically both.

Course, when PC got it's own Game Pass, it didn't need XBOX Live for anything, which caused this oddity.

@Ep_13 They changed the conversion rate like a week ago. This method no longer works. You are one of the lucky few to re-up before the conversion.

It doesn't make sense, usually the higher tier should have everything the lower tier has.

I would prefer that they got rid of having to pay for online multiplayer and make it free for everyone.

need to pay for multiplayer should be illegal

@iplaygamesnstuff it still works by the way just less 3:2 which is still amazing. I'd urge everyone to stack 2 years now or 3 and get the ratio. Easy to do.

@Ep_13 It's not good enough. I'm fine just paying for the games I want.

Online multiplayer should be free - that is doesn't come with every subscription is heinous.

? gold is just being renamed to core. not too sure why its confusing people, its the only thing thats changing. the 'console' tier was just the game pass library (minus EA play) without gold.

reminds me of the wii u days when people thought the controller was an add on.

@Lightning720 I don't see the problem either. Some people might want GamePass but not online play because they don't play online and want to save a little money. I can't remember the last time I played online, i might switch to GamePass console myself.

@Moonglow it could be more simple. Confusion isnt the change with XBL gold. Its the fact that Game Pass lowest tier costs more with no online MP. That is what is confusing some.

Better option as someone said earlier is restructuring to have Core PC and Ultimate as GP models which is what they will probably do soon, just made more sense to do it simultaneously.

@Moonglow to you and me. It causes no confusion at all.

To the casual out there, the parents who got an Xbox for their kids. There is inevitably those who will see GP console priced higher and automatically think "must be better" realise after. No online play.

Taking it down to the 3 would negate that issue. Its easy for us to sit here avid gamers frequenting gaming sites and know our shiz - gotta consider the ones who arent and dont.

I am not confused, but I am shocked.

About 2 weeks ago I compared MS and Sony subs. I did so because I have considered upgrading from my PRO to a Series X instead of a PS5. And I was shocked, shocked to find that all three tiers MS offers do not include full online play.

I have no confusion about the new Core tier as 2 games per month is replaced by a mini Game Pass list. Also no confusion abou how GPU will now have less for more with the 2 "free games" dropped while also getting a recent increase in monthly fees.

Also not confused about tactics being used to steer customers to higher priced sub tiers and product purchases.

It's a bit of a rip off really isn't it I love gamepass and all but I don't think these tier are any use to be honest other gamepass ultimate which to be fair hasn't be great recently at all

@NoCode23 but the only tier that doesn't have online is gamepass for console tier, thats how its always been.

@Nalverus, Well It's all new to me as I just recently did a comparison of MS subs. My bad for assuming that a higher cost sub would include all of the features of a lower cost sub.

In a way it's like a shop that sells 3 sizes of subs. Small and large have cheese and tomato slices, but sorry no cheese and tomato slices on a medium size.

@NoCode23 The different plans are not in a hierarchy from low to high. They offer different things at different prices. The more expensive one will not necessarily include everything the one before included and then some. They wrote it out as plain as day for anyone to compare. I don't see why anyone is having a problem.

@ZYDIO no just pcmasterrace has it always better, on pc I can actually use what I have bought

It’s a typo. It already includes online play!

Core=online and a few games
Console=all the games
Ultimate=both

Doesn’t seem that difficult, not everyone needs all the games and not everyone plays online.
If I didn’t have cheap sub prepaid for months I’d be on console.

@Lurkes Who or what is stopping you from using what you bought?

@elpardo1984 That's about as simple as you can make it. If people don't understand that, then they never will.

I really wish they would just add MP to gamepass console (even if it were a couple of quid more). I only use my Steam Deck for PC gaming so Gamepass PC is worthless to me - unless they eventually manage to to get it on the SD, but that seems unlikely at this point

The real question is if the new tier will be compatible with the Xbox Series ES.