This seemingly provides Xbox users with what might be their last chance to stack up months of their membership, and avoid the new Game Pass price hikes… at least for now.
$54.99, down from $59.99, might not seem like much of a deal, but once you dig a little closer, you’ll realise how significant such a price drop really is.
A few dollars off might not sound like much, but when you’re stacking codes like this, it adds up quickly, especially when compared to the new prices Microsoft is now enforcing. Under the new rate, three months of Game Pass Ultimate would cost $89.97. So just for starters, that’s a $35 saving almost immediately.
To take things one step further, let’s also discuss stacking. Stacking is where you buy up several codes and then repeatedly add them to your account to “stack” up your membership times. The max you can do this for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is 36 months.
So at the new rate ($29.99/mo), you’d be paying $1,079.64. Yikes! But, with the discount at Amazon, this total ends up at a more respectable, $659.88 for the full three years. In total, you can save up to $419.76, which is over an extra year of Game Pass covered.
Even just covering yourself for the next year, with four $54.99 codes (totalling $219.96), could be a great move. This is remarkably better compared to $359.88 on the new plan ($29.99/mo for 12-months).
Xbox Game Pass Wave 1 October 2025 Lineup
Microsoft has also recently made its first Xbox Game Pass lineup announcement since the controversial Ultimate price hike, revealing the first wave of games subscribers can expect over October 2025.
This icnludes Double Fine’s Keeper, and the Xbox Game Studios’ published Ninja Gaiden 4.
- October 8: Supermarket Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- October 9: Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Editions (PC) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- October 14: The Casting of Frank Stone (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- October 15: Ball x Pit (Cloud, Console, and PC) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
- October 15: The Grinch: Christmas Adventures (Cloud, Console, and PC) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- October 15: Eternal Strands (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Now with Game Pass Premium
- October 15: He Is Coming (Game Preview) (PC) Now with Game Pass Premium
- October 15: Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Now with Game Pass Premium
- October 16: Pax Dei (PC) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- October 17: Keeper (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
- October 21: Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- October 21: Ninja Gaiden 4 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Here’s Where Game Pass Stands After October’s Pricing Update
The new pricing represents a 50% increase in the US, with Game Pass Ultimate jumping from $19.99 to $29.99 per month. That’s an extra $120 a year for what used to be gaming’s best deal.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: $29.99/month (up from $19.99)
- Xbox Game Pass Premium: $14.99/month (replaces Standard)
- Xbox Game Pass Essential: $9.99/month (replaces Core)
- PC Game Pass: $16.49/month (up from $11.99)
As I’ve mentioned, if you want to dodge the higher prices, your best option is to stockpile up to 36 months of Ultimate before the new rates take full effect at retailers like Amazon. Or you could simply cancel your subscription entirely if you’ve had enough.
Meanwhile, GameStop says it won’t raise its Game Pass prices for now, and Best Buy, Target, and Walmart have also yet to match Microsoft’s latest hike. So if you’ve been planning to renew, now’s probably the moment to do it before everyone else catches up.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
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