Xbox Game Pass Hits 50 Million Subscribers in June 2026

Microsoft announced Xbox Game Pass has surpassed 50 million subscribers globally, CEO Satya Nadella confirmed at the company’s annual Build conference in June 2026,

crediting the expansion of day-one first-party releases and PC Game Pass growth for reaching the milestone.

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Key Developments

The 50 million figure covers all Game Pass tiers including Xbox Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold), PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate.

Microsoft did not provide a breakdown by tier, which has prompted analyst questions about the proportion of lower-priced Core subscribers.

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Background and Context

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Game Pass Ultimate, priced at $19.99 per month in the US, includes Xbox console, PC, and cloud gaming streaming access.

What Experts Are Saying

It is the highest-margin tier and the one Microsoft has most aggressively promoted through bundle promotions and Family Plan options.

Microsoft’s acquisitions of Activision Blizzard in 2023 and Zenimax in 2021 brought Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Starfield, Fallout, and Doom to

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Game Pass day one. See also: World Cup 2026 June 18: Mexico, South Korea, Canada, Qatar.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, released in October 2025, added 3 million Game Pass subscribers in its launch month alone, Microsoft said.

The Game Pass Family Plan, launched in 2024, allows up to five accounts to share a Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $29.99 per month.

Microsoft said Family Plan adoption exceeded projections and contributed meaningfully to the subscriber count growth in 2025 and early 2026.

Cloud gaming via Xbox Cloud Gaming now supports 1080p at 60fps streaming to any device with a browser, including non-Xbox televisions, tablets, and Chromebooks.

The expansion beyond Xbox hardware is cited as a key reason for subscriber growth in markets with lower console penetration.

PlayStation Plus has not disclosed subscriber numbers publicly since 2022, when it reported 47 million subscribers.

Industry analysts at Newzoo estimate PlayStation Plus currently has 35-40 million subscribers following price increases in 2023, though Sony has not confirmed this.

Nintendo Switch Online has approximately 38 million subscribers, Nintendo reported in 2025, but its service model is primarily online multiplayer access rather than a

games catalog, making direct comparison to Game Pass less meaningful.

Xbox Game Pass has surpassed 50 million subscribers globally as of June 2026, Microsoft announced at Build 2026.

The count includes all tiers: Game Pass Core, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft has not provided a breakdown of subscribers by tier.

Game Pass Ultimate at $19.99 per month includes access to over 400 games including all Microsoft first-party releases on day one, EA Play titles, and cloud streaming.

If you play more than two new first-party titles per year, the subscription typically costs less than buying those games individually at $69.99-79.99 each.

Rockstar Games has not confirmed whether GTA VI will be available on Xbox Game Pass. Historical Rockstar releases have not appeared on Game Pass at launch.

GTA V was added to Game Pass several years after release.

Given GTA VI’s expected $79.99 price point and massive commercial potential, day-one inclusion on Game Pass is considered unlikely.

Sources: TechCrunch – AI | Reuters – Technology | The Verge