Source-cited · Updated Jul 2026
Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus: $22.99/mo vs $19.99/mo
Game Pass Ultimate has whipsawed — a 50% spike to $29.99 in 2025 before being cut back to $22.99 — and is up sharply since 2021. PlayStation Plus has nudged its monthly tiers up just once, in 2026, making it the steadier and currently cheaper choice on monthly billing. Every Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus tier tracked, 2021–2026, with every price change sourced.
Xbox Game Pass
4 plans + 2 retired · default: Ultimate
PlayStation Plus
Better value3 plans · default: Premium
Verdict
Better value: PlayStation Plus
Game Pass Ultimate has whipsawed — a 50% spike to $29.99 in 2025 before being cut back to $22.99 — and is up sharply since 2021. PlayStation Plus has nudged its monthly tiers up just once, in 2026, making it the steadier and currently cheaper choice on monthly billing.
Scorecard
The numbers behind the verdict
Ultimate vs Premium — the default tier of each service, 2021–2026. A green tick marks the better number in each row.
| Metric | Xbox Game Pass Ultimate | PlayStation Plus Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Current Price (2026) | $22.99 | $19.99 (better) |
| Total Change | +53% | +11% (better) |
| Number of Hikes | 3 | 1 (better) |
| Hike Frequency | Every 1.7 yrs | Every 4.0 yrs (better) |
| Avg Annual Change | $1.60/yr | $0.50/yr (better) |
Every tier
Which tier costs what today
Every Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus plan in one list, cheapest first. First Tracked is each plan’s price when our tracking began — 2021, or its debut year if it arrived later. Retired tiers sit at the bottom with their final price.
| Service | Plan | Price Now | First Tracked | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXbox Game Pass | Essential (formerly Game Pass Core) | $9.99 | $9.99 (2023) | 0% |
| PSPlayStation Plus | Essential | $10.99 | $9.99 (2021) | +10% |
| XXbox Game Pass | PC Game Pass | $13.99 | $9.99 (2021) | +40% |
| XXbox Game Pass | Premium (formerly Standard) | $14.99 | $14.99 (2024) | 0% |
| PSPlayStation Plus | Extra | $16.99 | $14.99 (2022) | +13% |
| PSPlayStation Plus | PremiumDefault | $19.99 | $17.99 (2022) | +11% |
| XXbox Game Pass | UltimateDefault | $22.99 | $14.99 (2021) | +53% |
| XXbox Game Pass | Xbox Live GoldRetired | $9.99 final (2023) | $9.99 (2021) | 0% |
| XXbox Game Pass | Game Pass for ConsoleRetired | $10.99 final (2024) | $9.99 (2021) | +10% |