Microsoft has discontinued the $1 trial offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The trial version has been available for years, with brief periods where it wasn’t always available in certain markets, and it now appears that Microsoft is considering new promotions instead.
“We have discontinued our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating various marketing promotions for new members in the future,” said Kari Perez, head of global communications at Xbox, in a statement to The edge.
The $1 trial allowed people to sign up for Xbox Game Pass for a month before the full Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription started at $14.99 a month or $9.99 a month for the PC or console-only subscriptions. It was a great way to recommend the service to a friend or family member, but we’ll now have to wait and see what these “various marketing promotions” are for new members.
Microsoft has also been working on its Friends & Family plan for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The subscription allows you to share Xbox Game Pass Ultimate benefits with up to four other friends or family members. Prices in Ireland are set at €21.99 per month (almost $24), which works out to less than $5 per person.
Microsoft recently expanded this Friends & Family subscription to New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Hungary, Israel, and Sweden, but it’s still not available in many European markets or the UK and US. This removal of a $1 trial could be a sign that Microsoft is getting ready to expand Friends & Family even further, after testing this new plan for less than a year.
