Microsoft has announced that future Call of Duty titles will no longer be available on Xbox Game Pass from their launch day, reversing a strategy introduced with 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The change, effective from 2026, means new entries in the blockbuster series will retail at full price (typically £70/$80) and arrive on the subscription service around a year after release.
The decision comes as Microsoft reduces the price of its Game Pass subscriptions. In the UK, the top-tier Ultimate tier drops from £22.99 to £16.99 per month, while PC Game Pass falls from £13.49 to £10.99. US prices similarly decrease from $29.99 to $22.99 for Ultimate and from $16.49 to $13.99 for PC Game Pass. The reductions follow a nearly 50% price hike last October.
Microsoft Gaming boss Asha Sharma announced the changes on X, citing a memo sent to Xbox staff on 13 April that stated Game Pass was becoming too expensive. A Bloomberg report, citing a former Xbox employee, estimated that Microsoft lost $300 million in sales by including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Game Pass at launch.
Older Call of Duty games will remain available on Game Pass, and other titles from Microsoft-owned studios will continue to launch day one on the service. Microsoft acquired Activision, developer of Call of Duty, in 2023 for $68.7bn.
Game Pass has been central to Xbox's strategy to shift from console hardware to a streaming model, with Microsoft releasing its games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch since 2024. CEO Satya Nadella claimed Game Pass generated nearly $5bn in the 2025 financial year, while former Xbox chief Sarah Bond described it as profitable for both Microsoft and partner developers.
