Xbox pulls access to Diablo 4, Starfield and more as new Game Pass tier arrives-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

The standard tier comes with some unexpected side effects (Microsoft)

Microsoft has rolled out the new standard tier for Xbox Game Pass, with many big games now no longer available for subscribers.

After the changes were originally announced in July, Microsoft’s new standard tier for Xbox Game Pass has officially launched worldwide.

As of September 10, the subscription service’s base tier – now called Game Pass Standard – will no longer grant access to day one releases or cloud gaming options. This standard membership, which replaces the Xbox Game Pass for Console tier, is available for £10.99 a month and gives players access to ‘hundreds’ of games, online functionality, and various discounts.

Since the revamped tier launched, around 40 games previously available as part of the Console subscription have been removed. These include Diablo 4, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Starfield, and plenty of other big name titles which were added to the service over the past year.

As highlighted by players on ResetEra, the list of games also includes indie titles like Another Crab’s Treasure, Botany Manor, Flock, and Harold Halibut.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has also been removed from the standard tier. The shooter was made available on Xbox Game Pass in July, with additional Call Of Duty titles set to hit the service at some point in the future.

This comes ahead of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, which will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass on October 25, albeit now only for Ultimate subscribers on console.

This comes as Microsoft tries to capitalise on Call Of Duty’s popularity to push Game Pass subscriber numbers, which, like other gaming based subscription services, are believed to be stagnating.

For now, if you want to play any new games day one through the service on Xbox Series X/S, you’ll have to subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate at £14.99 a month. It’s important to note that with a PC-only membership at £9.99 per month, you’ll still have access to day one releases, along with EA Play titles.

As part of an Xbox Wire post, Microsoft confirmed it could take ‘up to 12 months or more’ before new games will be released on the standard tier. So standard subscribers will have a considerable wait before they see Indiana Jones And The Great Circle or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on the service.

Microsoft hasn’t officially listed all the games no longer available for standard subscribers, but you can check out a list of titles accumulated by players below.

Beyond the Standard and Ultimate subscriptions, the cheapest Game Pass option on console is the Core membership for £6.99 per month, which gives you access to a smaller catalogue of ‘over 25’ games, online functionality, and discounts.

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