Xbox Game Pass codes dominating resellers after controversial price hike

Gamers are hunting for Xbox Game Pass codes outside of official sources this week following recent price hikes, with many turning to reseller sites to find a bargain and a code on the older platform before they’re forced onto the new version of the platform.

Xbox Game Pass has been perceived and marketed as the best deal in gaming since its launch in June 2017. It was hard to beat the proposed $60 USD a year for access to all of the games on the platform in addition to the promise of new titles on day one. Now, with prices jumping and day-one access no longer guaranteed, players are hitting reseller sites in droves.

Reseller sites like CDKeys are seeing a spike in Game Pass sales this week as many rush to secure a pass that is using the old system. Players who had previously purchased older versions of the Game Pass essentially are grandfathered from the current version as long as they do not cancel their memberships. Additionally, the older version of the Game Pass subscription on these websites was already sold at the service’s older price.

Sites like CDKeys have already purchased codes for the older version of Game Pass, so players who want to get the most for their money are flocking to these resellers to skip out on the new version of Game Pass. This won’t be able to go on forever, though.

Even if resellers have bought many codes for the old subscriptions, they are a finite resource. This behavior replicates the same tactics some gamers used when PlayStation implemented its price hike. Despite that, Sony has been keen to prevent stacking subscriptions for reasons like these.

The new Game Pass system won’t be letting subscription stacking happen for users who haven’t been paying for it, although the reseller method circumvents that issue. It seems that gamers who have been on the fence about a Game Pass subscription have been given a reason to stay away from the service.

Game Pass was and is not perfect. In most cases, it requires that the user has the hardware to run the same games unless utilizing cloud streaming features. Some may also argue that exclusives are worth the price that competitor brands like PlayStation and Nintendo charge. Regardless, Game Pass has been Xbox’s saving grace this generation—perhaps not for much longer though. 

The new Game Pass system is now live for new users while existing Game Pass owners have until Sept. 12 before changes are forced on them.