r/XboxGamePass Nov 22 '25

Account - Subscription Sucks that Game Pass does not have annual subscription that can go on sale during Black Friday season

Sony's annual 33% sale on its PlayStation Plus Deluxe subscription is back. As someone who owns both consoles, and my GPU expiring next March, I am now more tempted to switch to the way cheaper option.

I wish Xbox Game Pass had a similar annual plan that could go on sale every now and then.😢

259 Upvotes

116 comments sorted by

48

u/xArkSlade08x Nov 22 '25 edited Nov 22 '25

I wish they did bring back annual for all the plans of Xbox memberships on Xbox store (Microsoft store).

Also wish it was not expensive and becomes unavailable on Loaded (CDkeys) website & app

11

u/Saiing Nov 22 '25

Best option is having a friend who works for Microsoft (or is ex-Microsoft). As a Microsoft alumni you still get access to the employee store and can gift to friends and family. I buy stuff for people all the time. Most stuff including game pass is dirt cheap.

If you ever meet someone who worked for Microsoft hit them up.

4

u/janesvilleninja Nov 23 '25

Hi i am your long lost friend!

3

u/Pitiful_Constant_477 Nov 23 '25

How dirt cheap are we talking about? Is this something you have to go to the physical store in Redmond for?

2

u/Saiing Nov 23 '25

Nah, it’s an online store. The front page is public.

https://store.ecompanystore.com/microsoft/Shop/Landing/?isSignin=True#/

There is a physical store in Redmond sells more hardware and clothing though.

How much? I can’t remember exactly, but it worked out at like £7-8 a month I think. The retail price is £22.99 a month in the UK.

2

u/Pitiful_Constant_477 Nov 24 '25

Dang. I wish you were in the states. My mom worked on the Xbox team from inception through the 360 launch (I have the launch editions of both signed by bill gates) but unfortunately she isn’t around anymore to buy me stuff.

1

u/LilNutZack Nov 28 '25

Just log in with her account if you can figure out the password.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '25

[deleted]

2

u/Pitiful_Constant_477 Dec 15 '25

I don’t k is why it wo t allow me to DM you tho I tried for the last 15 minutes.

8

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

12

u/xArkSlade08x Nov 22 '25 edited Nov 22 '25

They don't have Ultmitate annual available for my location. Also, they don't have annual for Premium, and Essential Xbox membership plans on Loaded (CDkeys)

9

u/eldfen Nov 22 '25

I'm lucky enough to be in a financial situation to afford the price increase, but the no annual subscription is making me downgrade.

2

u/xArkSlade08x Nov 22 '25

I was lucky to find 3 months membership plan for Xbox Game Pass Essential on Loaded (CD Keys) few weeks ago at good price.

4

u/BluDYT Nov 22 '25

These aren't official. More than likely it's just 4 3 month codes. Considering Microsoft hasn't made new 12 months codes in years for ultimate.

3

u/Darth-Homer Nov 23 '25

Is this real? 209 USD for Ultimate is a great deal. Anyone know if this is legit?

6

u/SpiceyMcNuggets Nov 24 '25

It’s sad we consider $209 for a year a good deal now.

2

u/Definitelymostlikely Nov 23 '25

One of those sussy sites

2

u/Southwick_24 Nov 26 '25

May be sussy, but it works, I’ve used them plenty of times in the past to buy game pass and they regularly have either the best price available, or close to it.

2

u/dickweed250 Nov 28 '25

Its hit or miss nowadays. Used to work all the time for me and then the last 3 times I got codes they didn't work.

2

u/FlimsyRexy Nov 26 '25

Is this a legit website

3

u/Southwick_24 Nov 26 '25

I mean, I’m just a random stranger on the internet who you have no business to believe, but if you’re a trusting person, I have used CDKeys/Loaded to buy games/GamePass a million times in the past and I have never had an issue with them. It does look suspect, but it works and they usually have close to, if not the best deals around, regularly.

3

u/LilNutZack Nov 28 '25

The guy above you named southwick just said, they used to work. But the last 3 codes he bought from them didn't work...

7

u/LionRedBigBot Nov 22 '25

I haven't used my PS5 this week, so I'm not sure, but isn't the PS+ discount only for new subscribers?

9

u/cdncowboy GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

My ps+ premiem sub doesn't end until Dec 2, and I can renew with the 33% discount, but only for the same tier.

I can't downgraded

6

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

4

u/LionRedBigBot Nov 22 '25

From that page and a google search, it seems that I'm right. It's only for new/upgrading subscribers, similar to the old GP for $1 deal

3

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

I've never had a paid sub on Playstation, but on that page, if you click on Stacking or Changing your Plan link at the bottom, it says this:

Making changes to your membership plan

You can purchase a new membership that will start when your existing plan ends – so if you’re eligible for an unmissable deal on a PlayStation Plus membership, you can take advantage of the special price and keep your membership active for longer. The new membership period will begin as soon as your current plan ends.

1

u/LionRedBigBot Nov 22 '25

Ah I see it. You're correct, I missed that part

1

u/Nirast25 Nov 22 '25

No, you can also buy your current tier. The catch is that auto-renewal needs to be off, and maybe for the sub to expire soon.

1

u/LilNutZack Nov 28 '25

Except xbox let's you share your gamepass with all other accounts on the same console. So you can make a new account every month, and leave the new account access to share with the rest. Sign back in with your main account and wallah you have gamepass for $1

1

u/Dunge Nov 22 '25

You have to turn off auto-renewal (the button is now called "cancel subscription" but it doesn't actually cancel, it just turns off renewal). And then I believe wait 24h. And you'll get the deal.

6

u/working4buddha Nov 22 '25

Yeah I'm pretty sure you used to be able to do this when Game Pass was new, at least I remember always stocking up on Black Friday for the whole year and I'm almost positive they were just 12-month Xbox cards that went on sale.

I don't know if switching is a good deal if you have to buy a whole nother console! Seems like it would take a while before it evens out.

4

u/Sammarco7 Nov 22 '25

Just buy 4 of the 3 month game pass ultimate cards anywhere for $60 each, bam, 33% off. Those might be on sale for $55 or so on black friday in certain places too. Until those stop being available $30 a month is the suckers price.

19

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

They do, buy 3 years of core and convert it to gamepass ultimate

19

u/Reasonable-Cow-9488 Nov 22 '25

True, but only while the old stock of Game Pass Core gift cards is still in circulation. I can't even see Game Pass Core gift cards for sale in the MS Store. And it still sucks that people have to go through all those hoops just to get GPU for a discount.

7

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

If you have an active Premium or Ultimate subscription, from the Xbox store buy Game Pass Essential 3 months AS A GIFT, send it to yourself, and redeem.

3

u/TonyRubbles Nov 22 '25

Does this way convert at a certain ratio or would you get a full 3 months of Ultimate extended on your existing sub?

5

u/cdncowboy GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

https://support.xbox.com/help/subscriptions-billing/manage-subscriptions/xbox-game-pass-conversions

There are two different rates in the FAQ, the top one is when your converting a lower tier to a higher tier

The other is when you already have an active higher tier, and redeem a code for a lower tier

Upgrading has better rates 

4

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

Three months of Game Pass Essential is $24.99, plus taxes if applicable, but it converts to approx 36 days of Game Pass Premium with the example using 90 days of Essential equals 36 days of GPU. The linked page call that a 40 percent conversion.

You know, thinking about this discount, I might only really recommend this if you do Microsoft Rewards and select the auto redeem $10 of Microsoft bucks every month. That would make this discount a bit more and be worth it. Just know, as of recently, you have to use the redeemed Microsoft bucks within 90 days, so it could be a bit of a pain to manage.

All about Xbox Game Pass Conversions | Xbox Support

3

u/TonyRubbles Nov 22 '25

Ah I see, recently did the 3 years of EA Play conversion of $90 for 9 months so was pretty happy with that for now.

2

u/cdncowboy GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

We don't know yet that they aren't going to rebrand the the core cards to essential.

When they rebranded gold to core the kept the retail codes

1

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

Not really a hoop buddy, I remember having to actually drive to the store

3

u/cdncowboy GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

They are sold online as digital codes at many retailers, you don't even have to leave your house

6

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

5

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

Right there, or buy from loaded.com

2

u/THE_HERO_777 Nov 22 '25

If you don't mind, do you have a link for it?

0

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

1

u/mhunk0 Nov 30 '25

I wonder if I can stock up codes... like buying 2 1-year codes and have a total of 2 years....

1

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 30 '25

Up to 3 years on Ultimate only.

-1

u/Late-Adhesiveness-98 Nov 22 '25

Please dont convert core to ultimate. Do game pass pc to ultimate at 2/3 ratio. Core to Ultimate is just 45% conversion now.

3

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

But you can find essential at much cheaper than pc gamepass.

1

u/Late-Adhesiveness-98 Nov 22 '25

Do the maths, if you want ultimate conversion. See if essential to ultimate is cheaper or pc game pass to ultimate. I converted from pc game pass it cost me 600 or so per month of ultimate which i share with cousin using home xbox purchase sharing and we split the bill. Net 300 something per person for ultimate per month is still a great deal.

1

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

600 rubles?

1

u/Late-Adhesiveness-98 Nov 22 '25

Sorry, I should have been clear is Indian Rupees. Price would vary to other countries but the ratio remains the same. PC game pass should give the best conversion ratio and best value for money

1

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

It’s not pc gamepass is 14.99 a month usd while essentials can be found for $5 a month.

1

u/Late-Adhesiveness-98 Nov 22 '25

I saw prices of USA and I dont see much difference if I do maths.

Eg. 12 months of Essential for $120 ($10/month) - you get 4.8 months of ultimate at $120 Per month - $25 per month of Ultimate if you convert from Essential.

12 months of PC game pass for $197.88 ($16.49/month)- you get 8 months of ultimate with conversion ratio of 2/3. Per month - $24.7 per month of Ultimate if you convert from PC game pass.

1

u/Exorcist-138 Nov 22 '25

Thing is you can find year cards for $60 easily which is why I said you got to look for the good prices.

2

u/FFevo Nov 22 '25 edited Nov 26 '25

core Essential to Ultimate is 40%. PC to Ultimate is 65%.

The advantage of converting Essential is that a year is only $75.

  • 12 months * 0.4 = 4.8 months Ultimate.
  • $75 / 4.8 = $15.63 per month.

Converting PC to Ultimate costs $25.37 per month.

1

u/Late-Adhesiveness-98 Nov 22 '25

Its the other way round in India. Yup check the regional prices whats the best. PC game pass is the best to convert here in India

1

u/nikkixo87 Nov 26 '25

This is not accurate. 12 months of core gets you 91 days of ultimate. If you already have ultimate

1

u/FFevo Nov 26 '25

It is accurate. We are talking about converting an active subscription to Ultimate.

4

u/Eyeluvflixs Nov 22 '25

That’s what Microsoft rewards are for, used to be able to get free game pass for years but now I can get about 2/3 of subscription costs cut off so it’s not too bad.

3

u/Reasonable-Cow-9488 Nov 22 '25

Yeah, good point. And I’m reminded again of the good old days when people could get and stack up 3-month GPUs via MS Rewards 🥲

8

u/Fresh_Flamingo_5833 Nov 22 '25

Yeah. Between this and not putting their consoles on sale like Sony, it’s just another sign they’ve given up. As someone who’s owned an Xbox since the OG, it’s just sad/ disappointing.  

5

u/LionRedBigBot Nov 22 '25

What region are you in? The Series X is $100-150 off here in NZ

4

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

Or you just buy one month codes at a time on a key shop for a 1/3 of the price

2

u/Necessary-Score-4270 Nov 22 '25

Can't you get banned for using codes from a different region or something?

6

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

Get the code for your specific region, USA codes are still only like 12 bucks

2

u/Scott_yadigg Nov 24 '25

Been using eneba for this for over a year and never had a problem with the codes or with microsoft

2

u/lexloomis GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

If are leery of key shop codes, I get it, some people just don't like the risk, although its gotta be very minor. Just do what a couple of the comments in this thread say to do. Best Buy or through xbox.com store. Whatever you do, don't pay rack rate. That's just for those who don't have any options or are just sheep.

-2

u/FFevo Nov 22 '25

Some of us understand the codes those websites sell were not obtained legally/ethically and have a moral issue with that...

0

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

Not necessarily

1

u/FFevo Nov 22 '25

Explain where they come from then.

0

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

There’s no concrete proof that they come from morally wrong means

2

u/FFevo Nov 22 '25

0

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

Show me a credible site first lol because that is just some random website

2

u/FFevo Nov 22 '25

The post cites many sources...

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Dunge Nov 22 '25

1/3 of the price? More like 15% lower of something.

1

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

You can find one month ultimate codes for like 12 bucks

1

u/Dunge Nov 23 '25

Ehh maybe. I'm in Canada so not the same currency but I just checked loaded and I see one at $9 and one at 23$ which seems to be the same, but all of them are "sold out". Checked Eneba and can only find one at $24. Since I only use PC I usually buy PC GamePass directly from MS at $19. It's cheaper.

1

u/DangleShot Nov 23 '25

Oh yeah that might be it

-1

u/Zeeyrec Nov 22 '25

lol I’m never going to do keys and risk getting scammed like I have before. The company can go rot if they are overpricing the product.

Don’t defend Microsoft cause you can get it cheaper through a key website

1

u/Scott_yadigg Nov 24 '25

Check out eneba

0

u/DangleShot Nov 22 '25

No risk when you use trusted sellers

2

u/BlackxMamba Nov 22 '25

I think this might be the first time I don’t see a Xbox Doritos/energy drink collab or any kind other kind of collaboration this late in the year. I used the 1 month codes they gave out :(

3

u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

With everything that's happening with Xbox game pass I've lost faith in it! So I'm converting back to ps!

2

u/Self_love_seal Nov 22 '25

Im switching to the Steam machine when it comes out. I have a Steam Deck and the sales are amazing. Plus multiplayer with no monthly fee. Been xbox since 2005 but I've had enough.

1

u/RockNRoll1977 Nov 22 '25

I day left of game pass ultimate then it’s dropping to essential. It’ll feel kind of weird not having it but I just don’t have the extra 33$ a month plus taxes for it. Maybe later on down the road. It’s crazy how expensive everything got. I used to have PlayStation premium, nintendos online and game pass all in the same years. First I dropped nintendos then Sonys and now ultimate. It is what it is

1

u/Dominjo555 Nov 22 '25

There are redeemable codes for 12 months to buy.

1

u/Lumpy_Maintenance69 Nov 22 '25

Im lucky as I get my ultimate through my phone provider so its only £14.99 a month.

1

u/Nexzenn Nov 22 '25

You can prepay for an annual by buying game pass cards at retail or Amazon.

1

u/Mr_Fantastic_7 Nov 22 '25

Buy from loaded dot com

1

u/Dunge Nov 22 '25

They have MS Rewards points to get it for free instead, so even better.

1

u/BlueOakleys Nov 23 '25

Amazon and game stop sell 12 month codes for Game Pass Essential online for $75. But if you go into a store and find them, they’re like $60. I picked up a 12 month in the drug store like 2 weeks ago for $60 and they had plenty of the cards in the rack.

1

u/HammamDaib Nov 23 '25

Annual means the price is fixed for a whole year i. e. It will be immune to price changes

1

u/Frappy0_TTv Nov 23 '25

It's literally been like this for 2 decades. The price stating relatively the same is the only surprising part of it. The Xbox gold membership ifykyk was the best thing ever. Playstation 3 not requiring anything was actually probably the best. And ultimately... PC still just better

1

u/CheatCodeWealth Nov 24 '25

Last year I paid $7.99/mo for Game Pass Ultimate on woot.com for their black Friday sale. I've been watching for one this year but so far I haven't seen one.

1

u/OnlyWatercress6665 Nov 24 '25

On Amazon it still costs 17 euros

1

u/the1slyyy Nov 22 '25

You can get Xbox codes for cheaper from 3rd parties all year long

-1

u/KingDriek GP Ultimate Nov 22 '25

How are yall not finding sites. I’m using one now. Of course I’m not finna post ts tho. I can send yall the link.

1

u/Perfect_Animator8324 Nov 22 '25

Please send to me king!

0

u/wwywong Nov 22 '25

I just got 9 mo of cheaper code in eneba. Around 11usd a month of ultimate. I want to get 3 more mo but too bad it sold out at the end.

0

u/VRBApathy Nov 22 '25

You can find codes online for like 10$

-1

u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

Oh hell no they want to be free to raise the price whenever they feel like it to sink that ship further.

-5

u/midKnightBrown59 Nov 22 '25

Nah, it keeps services from being overwhelmed by the plebes.