Microsoft is Reportedly Working on a Cheaper, Cloud-Based Game Pass Tier

Microsoft announced earlier this month that in addition to introducing more price hikes for Game Pass, it was also removing the base Xbox Game Pass console tier for new subscribers and replacing it with the new Xbox Game Pass Standard, which isn’t going to include any day one releases. As significant as that change may have been, however, it seems like Microsoft may have yet more changes in the works as well.

At least that’s what a report recently published by Windows Central suggests, with claims that Microsoft is currently working on another new tier of Xbox Game Pass that will be cloud-based and, as such, offer a cheaper alternative to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Presumably, that means it will include day one games, but as per the report, the cloud-only tier is going to be targeted at potential subscribers who don’t own Xbox hardware- possibly including rival platforms as well. Allegedly, users will also be allowed to digitally purchase games in the Game Pass library individually while being subscribed to the new tier.

On top of that, the report claims that Microsoft could also be considering introducing a friends and family plan for Game Pass after playing around with the idea (and eventually abandoning it) in some regions previously. Additionally, Microsoft is allegedly also exploring the idea of tiers that include ads, but that’s not something that’s being actively worked on right now.

For now, Microsoft has yet to officially announce a date for when Xbox Game Pass Standard will become available for new subscribers on console, so we’d be surprised to hear anything official about other new Game Pass tiers in the near future.