If you have ever paid for Game Pass Ultimate and never once touched Cloud Gaming, this one is for you.
According to a report from Windows Central, Microsoft is exploring a "pick your own plan" feature for Xbox Game Pass. The concept would let subscribers build their own subscription by selecting specific features and content, rather than being locked into a fixed tier that bundles everything together whether they use it or not.
How the modular plan would actually work
The key here is flexibility. Under the reported system, you could opt into only the parts of Game Pass that matter to you and drop the rest. Want the game library but have no interest in Cloud Gaming? Cut it. No use for add-ons like Fortnite Crew? Remove it. The result would theoretically be a lower monthly bill tailored to how you actually play.
Right now, Game Pass Ultimate bundles console access, PC Game Pass, Cloud Gaming, and a handful of third-party perks into one price. That works well for players who use all of it. For anyone who subscribes purely for the rotating game library, though, it means paying for features that never get touched.
Microsoft has acknowledged that its player base spans vastly different regions and playstyles, which makes a one-size-fits-all subscription model harder to justify at scale. A modular approach would let the service adapt to those differences rather than forcing every subscriber into the same box.
Part of a much bigger Game Pass shakeup
This report does not arrive in isolation. Just this week, Microsoft dropped the price on several Game Pass tiers, and before that, data miners uncovered a new first-party games tier sitting in the service's backend, which Microsoft subsequently confirmed. The pick-your-own-plan concept is the latest piece of what looks like a deliberate, multi-stage rethink of how Game Pass is structured and priced.
That context matters. These are not random leaks or wishful speculation. Microsoft appears to be actively testing and rolling out changes to the subscription in quick succession, with the modular plan as a reported longer-term direction.
The "pick your own plan" feature is still in the exploratory stage and has not been officially confirmed by Microsoft. Treat it as a reported initiative, not an announced product.
What most players miss about the timing
Subscription fatigue is real. Services across entertainment have spent the last few years raising prices and reducing value, and gaming subscriptions have not been immune. Game Pass Ultimate has seen price increases in recent years, and the removal of day-one Call of Duty titles from the base tier earlier this week signals that the bundled-value proposition is already shifting.
A modular model, if it actually ships, would give Microsoft a way to retain price-sensitive subscribers who might otherwise cancel rather than absorb another increase. Offering a stripped-down, cheaper entry point keeps people inside the ecosystem, which is arguably worth more to Microsoft long-term than squeezing every subscriber for the full Ultimate price.
The business logic tracks. The player benefit tracks. The question is execution, and that part has no timeline yet.
For the gaming news coverage as this story develops, keep an eye on what Microsoft confirms ahead of any formal Game Pass announcement. Given the pace of changes this week, a formal reveal may not be far off, and you will want to know exactly what the new tier options look like before your next billing cycle hits. Check out our latest reviews for more on the games worth keeping in your library when you do customize your plan.
