The famed $1 Xbox Game Pass trial appears to have quietly disappeared again, nine days out from the launch of Starfield, Xbox’s biggest launch of the year.
This isn’t the first time Xbox has ditched the $1 trial — earlier this year, it vanished without a trace and was mourned for being a great, low-risk way to check out the platform before committing to a subscription. It then made a surprise return in July, following price rises to both Xbox consoles and Game Pass subscriptions. Earlier this month, Xbox reduced the $1 trial term from the original 30 days to 14.
Xbox has made a lot of noise about how Starfield, Bethesda’s biggest RPG since Fallout 4, would arrive on Game Pass Day One. Therefore, Xbox would expect to see a jump in subscriptions ahead of its launch as players prepare. Game Pass is still a good deal, and presents an affordable way for a LOT of people to play one of the decade’s most anticipated games. Pulling the $1 trial now ensures that even if players signed up prior to its disappearance, they’ll only get a few days of Game Pass access post-launch before being charged for a full month.
It’s not clear when the $1 trial disappeared again, but industry observers like Twitter’s Wario64 began to notice its omission this morning.
Xbox conceded in February that, despite its mammoth success, Game Pass is such a good deal that it can contribute to a decline in sales of major titles. With Starfield positioned to be its biggest exclusive in years, it’s clear why Xbox would want to wring every dollar it can out of the launch.
Kotaku Australia has reached out to Xbox ANZ for comment. We’ll update this piece if/when we hear back.
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