Price hikes on everything from consoles to gaming subscriptions make budgeting for your favorite hobby harder. But paying full price for Xbox Game Pass isn’t always necessary, if you know where to look. Deals on the popular gaming subscription pop up throughout the year, giving players a chance to access hundreds of titles on console, PC and the cloud for less. If you’re ready to dive into the library without overspending, we’ve gathered the best Xbox Game Pass deals available right now.
There are multiple Game Pass subscriptions to choose from, but we've looked through them to help you pick the right one for you and your budget. If you've got a decent internet connection, you can even use this subscription on your phone, thanks to Microsoft's cloud gaming tech. Our dedicated deals writer, Max McHone, is a prolific gamer with plenty of experience helping gamers save on their favorite hobby.
With that, the CNET deals team has broken down the key differences between the membership tiers and rounded up the best Game Pass deals currently available to help you choose the right plan and get signed up for less. Former CNET editor Dan Ackerman called it the "best content deal in gaming," and you can get it for even less with the best Xbox Game Pass deals we've posted below.
We'll continue to update this page as bargains come and go, so be sure to check back often for the best prices available.
Best Xbox Game Pass deals
Unlike the comparable subscriptions for PlayStation, there's no official annual membership plan. Deals directly from Xbox turn up occasionally, but they're usually just for new subscribers. However, new and existing subscribers can score some savings through third parties with a little digging.
To help you save some cash each month, we've rounded up some of the best (and only) ones available right now below.
If you want to go one month at a time, don't bother with Microsoft's official pricing. Loaded has the same Xbox Game Pass Ultimate monthly subscription available, but for 39% off. You can access hundreds of games across console, PC and the cloud, along with Day 1 releases, discounts and an EA Play membership. Why pay more?
Note that this deal is non-stackable and can only be used when there are no other memberships active on your Xbox Live account.
The Xbox Game Pass Essential 12-Month Membership provides a year of access to a rotating library of 50+ games. It also includes online multiplayer, cloud gaming support and exclusive in-game perks for select titles.
Game Pass Essential costs $10 per month or $25 per quarter, which means a 12-month period could cost you $120 or $100, depending on how you subscribe. This offer saves you $46 off the monthly cost or $26 off the quarterly cost.
Loaded also has a discount on the three-month Ultimate Game Pass. Because a single month costs $30 throughout Xbox, this deal essentially nets you one month free.
If you don't need all the bells and whistles of an Ultimate membership, but also don't want to pay for the 12-month option we mentioned above, there is also a three-month membership for the Essential tier available. An Essential subscription is typically $10 per month, but thanks to this Loaded offer, you'll be paying about $2 less.
What is the best Game Pass deal right now?
This is currently one of the best Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3‑Month Membership deals available. You can grab the three-month subscription for about $60 at Loaded, a solid drop from the usual $96 price.
Game Pass Essential vs. PC. vs. Premium vs. Ultimate
There are four Game Pass subscriptions available. To help you choose the one that's right for you, we've broken down what's included in each tier and the usual monthly cost below.
Game Pass Essential
Game Pass Essential, which used to be Game Pass Core stays at $10 per month, or you can save a bit with a $25 three-month subscription. It covers what was previously included with a Gold subscription, providing access to online multiplayer for console gamers. This new membership also offers access to a library of over 50 titles, including popular games like Doom Eternal and Fallout 4.
PC Game Pass
If you're a PC gamer, PC Game Pass is still budget-friendly. It's up from $12 to $16 per month, but it still includes access to a much larger library of hundreds of PC games and access to new games on the day they go on sale. This subscription also includes an EA Play membership, which adds a whole bunch more games to your library and provides some exclusive rewards and content for select EA titles.
Game Pass Premium
Game Pass Premium, formerly known as Standard, is Microsoft's replacement for the previous Game Pass Console membership. It costs $15 per month and offers perks such as a library of over 200 games, select discounts, online multiplayer and other benefits. It doesn't include games released on Day 1 or within the first year of launch. For a limited time, you can get it for $1 for the first 14 days.
Game Pass Ultimate
Game Pass Ultimate is the best of all worlds. At $30 a month, an Ultimate subscription bundles the benefits of an Essential and Premium membership. You'll get access to the entire Game Pass library on your console, PC and mobile device, including access to select titles on Day 1, and you'll have the ability to participate in online multiplayer.
Note that this price increased from $20 to $30 in October 2025.
You'll also get perks like exclusive offers and in-game content, and it includes the EA Play subscription that you get with the PC membership. Like many people, our reviewer called Game Pass Ultimate the "best content deal in gaming" and it's still the best option out there for all-around gamers who don't want to compromise.
How we choose Game Pass deals at CNET
Savings on Xbox gaming subscriptions can be pretty tough to come by. To help you get signed up for less, we scout the best deals being offered by Microsoft directly, as well as through trusted third-party retailers like Loaded (formerly CDKeys). We evaluate the membership tier, subscription length and discount to help you get the best monthly price on the plan that works best for you.