What you need to know
- Microsoft recently shortened the length of a $1 trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to 14 days.
- Previously, a $1 trial provided one month of access to the subscription.
- The change came into effect just before the arrival of Starfield on Xbox Game Pass.
Trials of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass now only last for 14 days. Previously, a trial of either of those subscriptions cost $1 and lasted for one month. The change has already gone into effect, as seen on Microsoft's website for joining the various versions of Xbox Game Pass.
The $1 trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate earned notoriety because it was a path for people to convert Xbox Live Gold into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for only $1. That option isn't affected by the recent change in the trial length, but it was altered by Microsoft earlier this year. Rather than being able to convert Xbox Live Gold into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at a 1:1 ratio, the exchange is done at a 3:2 ratio.
The shortening of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate free trial to 14 days only affects those that have never held a subscription to the service and that want to try it out.
As a quick note, Xbox Live Gold is being replaced by Xbox Game Pass Core on September 14, 2023. While Xbox Game Pass Core provides access to several titles, Starfield is not among them.
The $1 trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has been in the news quite a bit this year. Microsoft ended the offer for a brief time just before raising the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. The tech giant then brought the $1 trial back, giving gamers an affordable way to try out Microsoft's gaming subscription service.
Unfortunately for anyone hoping to pick up a $1 trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass to play Starfield for a month will have to pay a bit more. Though it's worth noting that even the full price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass is less than the retail price of Starfield.
