Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price hike sparks backlash across cost-sensitive Brazil, Greece, and South America

Microsoft’s recent rebranding and price hikes for Xbox Game Pass have caused widespread frustration among subscribers across the globe. In some territories, the price bump has resulted in a particularly tricky situation with the biggest affectees being emerging markets like Brazil, Turkey, Greece, and South Africa.

These regions see price increases surpassing 100%, a stark jump from the 50% increase in play for the United States, along with no access to Xbox Cloud streaming in some cases.

For context, on October 1, 2025, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles console, PC, and cloud gaming, jumped from $19.99 to $29.99 per month in the U.S., a change that was justified by Microsoft by the addition of Ubisoft+ Classics, Fortnite Crew, and the promise to add at least 75 day-one titles annually.

Gamers worldwide have voiced disappointment online, with many canceling their Game Pass subscription after the announcement. However, the financial burden feels more like a gut punch in regions where currencies and income tell a different story. Paul Tassi on X mentioned on X that the price of Game Pass Ultimate has actually doubled in Brazil.

In Brazil, the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has increased almost 100% from R$59.99 to R$119.90 per month. This means that the subscription roughly equates to $22 USD, up from $11. To put things into perspective, this is approximately a mammoth 8% of Brazil’s monthly minimum wage of 1,500 BRL.

Other tiers have also seen a price increase, with Essential (formerly known as Core) climbing 25% to R$43.90, while Premium (Standard) increased 33% to R$59.90. To add to the frustration, some features touted by Microsoft, such as enhanced 1440p cloud streaming, remain unavailable for Brazil.

In a similar vein, Game Pass in Greece follows the same price hikes as seen in countries like Germany, where Game Pass Ultimate costs €26.99 or roughly $31. To put things into perspective, the average income in Germany is double that of Greece, which has one of the lowest average salaries in the EU and does not have access to Xbox Cloud streaming.

In South Africa, Game Pass Ultimate now costs R350 per month, up from R200 per month, a 75% jump, which is quite a hefty singular jump, especially when considering the median income in the region.

While Microsoft touts these global changes as part of Game Pass’s broader evolution, it struggles to address regional realities like weak purchasing power and limited access to guaranteed features.

This is something that could result in a first-time dip in gross subscriber numbers even as executive pressure for better profitability continues to guide the Redmond-based tech giant’s moves across the Xbox division, which is reeling from a considerable amount of layoffs and project cancellations in 2025.