Ever since Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass, clever Xbox users have been using a legitimized loophole to access the subscription service’s highest tier at very cheap rates.
Microsoft had promised that it would allow Xbox Live Gold subscriptions to convert at a ratio of 1:1 into Game Pass Ultimate. Users could stack up to three years of Xbox Live Gold time and then use a single Game Pass Ultimate code to convert all of it to GPU. That worked for six years, but now, Microsoft changed the ratio to 3:2 as explained in the updated page on the Xbox Support FAQ.
- Xbox Live Gold and PC Game Pass conversion ratio: Any remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time at a ratio of 3:2 and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of Xbox Live Gold or PC Game Pass will convert to 60 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
- Xbox Game Pass for Console conversion ratio: Any remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time at a ratio of 4:3 and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of Xbox Game Pass for Console will convert to 68 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
- EA Play conversion ratio: Any remaining time will convert to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time at a ratio of 3:1 and be rounded up to the next full day. For example, 90 days remaining of EA Play will convert to 30 days of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate time.
Even with the nerf, though, this remains the cheapest way to get a lengthy Game Pass Ultimate subscription. With a three-year XBL Gold subscription that can be purchased for around $150, you’ll get two years (instead of the previous three) of Game Pass Ultimate, which would normally cost around twice as much.
It may be a coincidence, but with the biggest game to ever launch on Game Pass (Starfield) now less than two months away, Microsoft might be seeking to close certain loopholes that have stayed open in the early years of the subscription service. This follows the recent decision to increase the pricing in many countries (not in the United States, though).
On the flip side, it’s not all bad news as the $1 promotion for new Game Pass users is apparently back, though only for Game Pass PC and Ultimate rather than console. Microsoft’s reasoning might be related to the fact that, as mentioned repeatedly by Gaming division CEO Phil Spencer, the PC market is seeing the most growth in Game Pass subscribers.
