The best way to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate cheaper after October 2nd

Xbox Game Pass: this is how it comes out cheaper in October 2025.

More stories in the category Xbox Game Pass

• Xbox eliminates direct discounts on Game Pass DLC and moves them to Rewards
• Xbox Game Pass Essential: all games available to date
• Xbox Game Pass: we’re going into the weekend with a double dose of «Prince of Persia»

With the change in conversion rates since October 2, 2025, Microsoft has drastically limited the options for cheaply expanding Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Many players who try to follow the old method of accumulating months of Core (now Essential) and then converting them to Ultimate are in for a surprise: the result is no longer cost-effective.

That’s why we’ve tried to clarify how to get the most out of your subscriptions at this time. It’s clear that there’s no magic conversion anymore, you can still get it cheaper, but it’s not as profitable as it was before the price increase, although it’s still more interesting and economical than the official price.

Real example with today’s prices (depending on the store)

All prices shown here can change from one day to another, what you see is indicative and depends on the store where you choose to buy the subscription codes. (We use Loaded because it’s the header page of Generación Xbox, but you can use the one you want).

• 12 months of Xbox Game Pass Core (Essential) → 46.59 €

• You buy 2 codes of 12 months → 93.18 €

• You add 1 month of Ultimate for 17.49 €

• Total spent → 110.67 €

With the current conversion (40% from Core to Ultimate), those 24 months of Core are transformed into just 9.6 months of Ultimate, which, together with the month you bought, add up to around 11 months of Ultimate in total.

• Result: you pay over 110 € and only get 11 months of Ultimate.

Official Xbox Game Pass prices

• Essential – 8.99 € / month
  Includes 50+ selected games, online multiplayer, cloud gaming, and up to 25,000 Rewards points per year (~25 €).

• Premium – 12.99 € / month
  Expanded catalog with over 200 games, Xbox Game Studios releases within the year, extra advantages in online games, and up to 50,000 Rewards points per year (~50 €).

• Ultimate – 26.99 € / month
  Over 400 games, with 75 Day One releases per year, EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew from November, better cloud quality, and up to 100,000 Rewards points per year (~100 €).

What’s convenient now? Buying Ultimate directly

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – 3 months → 39.39 €
  (Equivalent to 13.13 € per month).

• Xbox Game Pass Core – 12 months → 46.59 €
  (Equivalent to 3.88 € per month).

And what about conversion?

Before, many players used the trick of buying months of Core (old Gold/Core) and then converting them to Ultimate. But since October 2, 2025, the conversion changed, and now the math doesn’t work out as well.

Real example:

• 12 months of Core (46.59 €).

• 1 month of official Ultimate (17.49 €).

• Total: 64 €.

With the new rates (Essential → Ultimate at 40%), those 12 months of Core are converted into just 5 months of Ultimate. That leaves the cost at 12.8 € per month.

Compared to the 39.39 € for 3 months of Ultimate (13.13 € per month), it’s practically a tie, but without the hassle of converting.

Adding Xbox Rewards

Here’s the big difference:

• Ultimate → up to 100,000 Rewards points (~100 € per year).

• Premium → up to 50,000 points (~50 €).

• Essential/Core → up to 25,000 points (~25 €).

This means that, although you pay around 13 € per month for Ultimate, if you complete Rewards missions you recover almost all the expense. In practice, Ultimate can be almost free.

Generación Xbox recommendation

• If you only want to play online cheaply and don’t care about Day One releases → buy Core 12 months for 46.59 €.

• If you want the full experience, with Day One releases, EA Play, and Ubisoft+ Classics, the best option is Ultimate direct for 39.39 € every 3 months.

Conversion, which was once the star trick, is no longer worth it. Now the clear strategy is Ultimate direct + taking advantage of Rewards.