Earlier in July, we heard reports that last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was headed to Game Pass this month, and we may now know the specific date for its arrival. As per prominent Xbox leaker @eXtas1stv on Twitter, the first-person shooter will release for Game Pass on July 24. It will not be available via cloud. 

Of course, Microsoft recently announced that in addition to price increases, it was also eliminating the base Xbox Game Pass tier for new members and replacing it with Xbox Game Pass Standard, which will not include day one games. Whether Modern Warfare 3 will be included remains to be seen. 

The aforementioned leaker, meanwhile, has also claimed that Valorant is finally getting its full console release later this week. Read more on that through here.

As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft is set to increase Game Pass prices, while also introducing a new tier of the service for newcomers, as leaks previously claimed. Xbox Game Pass Core is seeing is annual subscription price raised from $59.99 to $74.99, though monthly prices will remain unchanged at $9.99.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s price hike will see it going from $16.99 per month to $19.99 per month, while PC Game Pass’ hike will take its monthly subscription price from $9.99 to $11.99. Microsoft says prices are going to increase globally, and will come into effect on July 10 for new members. Meanwhile, for existing subscribers with recurring charges, the new prices will go into effect on September 12.

Meanwhile, the base Xbox Game Pass tier is going to be replaced with Xbox Game Pass Standard, which will have $14.99 per month subscriptions starting this September and won’t include day one releases. Read more on that through here.

Starting July, select Fire TV devices will be able to direct Xbox Game Pass Ultimate directly, via the cloud. The supported devices will be the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the Fire TV Stick 4K, and this will be available in over 25 countries. Players will, of course, also need a Bluetooth enabled controller, as well as a subscription of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

“For people new to console gaming, or for those looking for another way to play, it’s a great low-cost, convenient, and portable option to enjoy a huge library of incredible games,” Microsoft says.

The Xbox app has been designed as a “smooth and seamless experience” for Fire TV, according to Microsoft, and the company has also confirmed that non-Xbox Bluetooth enabled controllers will also work, including the DualSense, the DualShock 4, and others. Meanwhile, players will also be able to hop into Fortnite for free, even without a subscription for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

In a post on Xbox Wire, Atlus has revealed that Persona 3 Reload’s Expansion Pass and all three of its waves will be free for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Anyone subscribed to the service’s lower tiers will still have to purchase the DLC, but if you’re an Ultimate member, you can save that money and dive right in.

Wave 1 of the Expansion Pass will add new background music from Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal on March 12, while in May, wave 2 will add more new music, as well as Velvet Room-themed costumes. Finally, Episode Aigis -The Answer- will arrive sometime in September.

As reported by Kotaku’s Ethan Gach on Twitter, Microsoft has changed the terms of the deal to reduce the period for which it’ll give you a Game Pass subscription. New or relapsed Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can still buy in for an introductory price of $1, but while previously that would give you a month’s access to the service, that’s now been reduced to 14 days.

Apparently, this change was implemented sometime last week, though Microsoft has yet to officially communicate the same.

Earlier this year, Microsoft also announced an increase in pricing for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions in several markets around the world.

Microsoft has nerfed its $1 Game Pass trial again.

It's now for just 14 days instead of a full month.

The change happened sometime in the last week. https://t.co/oAfQrRRBBH pic.twitter.com/g2MmVypThH

— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) August 8, 2023

Earlier this year, Microsoft discontinued its $1 introductory pricing for Game Pass, though that has now been reinstated (as spotted by XGP). Returning subscribers with lapsed subscriptions and new subscribers can buy a subscription for just $1 for the first month, with all subsequent months returning to regular pricing.

The deal only applies to PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so if you are looking to get a base subscription on console, you will not get a low introductory price for your first month.

How long the offer sticks around this time around remains to be seen, though while it is still available, it does represent really good value for money.

Along with raising the price of the console itself, Microsoft is also raising the price of Game Pass subscriptions up from $9.99 to $10.99 per month for the console version, and from $14.99 up to $16.99 per month for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. PC Game Pass will not see an increase in price.

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” said Xbox head of communications Kari Perez, head of communications for Xbox to The Verge.

While Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the new price tag for the Xbox Series X, it will likely be close to the PS5’s raised price from last year, when the console’s price was raised by around €50 across the board, depending on the market.

While the price for Xbox Series X is going up, the Xbox Series S will not be seeing any change in price. Earlier this month, Xbox boss Phil Spencer also stated that an upgraded version of the Xbox Series X is unlikely for now.

Alongside PC Game Pass, the invited friends will be able to make use of all other Game Pass features as well, including an EA Play Membership, and the ability to link their Riot accounts to Game Pass to unlock  content and XP boosts in League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Legends of Runeterra.

Microsoft also announced the first wave of titles arriving to the subscription platform for the month of May. Kicking things off this month is Arkane Austin’s co-op shooter Redfall, available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and the cloud. Other games coming to the platform in May include action RPG Ravenlock for PC on May 4, Weird West: Definitive Edition for Xbox Series X/S on May 8, and the Shadowrun Trilogy for PC on May 9.

Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – the service’s higher tier which bundles together Xbox and PC Game Pass along with EA Play Live – have long been allowing new subscribers to subscribe for a one-time introductory price of just $1, with subsequent months reverting to the service’s regular pricing model.

Going forward, however, that introductory price will no longer be available, and regardless of whether you’re a new subscriber or not, you’ll be required to pay the monthly price of either $9.99 (for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass) or $14.99 (for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate).

“We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future,” Xbox’s head of global communications, Kari Perez, said in a statement to The Verge.

Exactly what these new marketing promotions will end up being remains to be seen, though given how pivotal the service is to Microsoft’s gaming strategy, one would assume that the company will want to introduce new offers in the near future.

Game Pass’ pricing and potential changes have been a price of contention for some of late, especially in the context of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, though the company has assured that should the acquisition go through, it will not result in prices for the service being increased. Read more on that through here.

EA and DICE have announced that Battlefield 2042 is coming to EA Play- and, by extension, to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes EA Play. Following the launch of the shooter’s Season 3 sometime in December, the game will become available via EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. A specific date for the same hasn’t yet been announced, but presumably, those details will be arriving in the next couple of weeks.

Battlefield 2042’s post-launch support has left a lot to be desired in the eyes of most series fans, compounding the many significant issues the game already had at launch. But while it doesn’t look like the shooter is going to be able to make the kind of recovery that fans might have hoped for, the future of the series in general is looking intriguing.

While DICE continues to focus on Battlefield’s multiplayer offerings, the newly-established Ridgeline Games is working on the next Battlefield’s single player campaign, while Ripple Effect Studio – the developer of Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode – is working on “an entirely new Battlefield experience.”