Reports indicate that Xbox Game Pass currently has approximately 30 million subscribers

Recent reports indicate that Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service has amassed approximately 30 million users. The Wall Street Journal cites informed sources for this figure, which is significantly lower than Microsoft's previous estimate of 77 million users by 2026, disclosed during its effort to acquire Activision Blizzard.

As of September 2024, Game Pass had about 34 million subscribers according to former Xbox head Sarah Bond, as noted in a GamesIndustry.biz report.

In a staff memo regarding a major workforce reduction at Xbox, newly appointed CEO Asha Sharma emphasized the company's commitment to Game Pass, cross-platform strategies, and expanding its content offerings. "While these areas have generated considerable value, the anticipated growth was not achieved," she explained. Sharma noted that although the company had bolstered its resources expecting better results, they now face a historic hardware crisis, necessitating a strategic overhaul of Xbox.

Game Pass user fluctuations are not new; in early 2022, the service had 25 million subscribers but experienced a decrease to 22 million later that year, as revealed in documents related to Microsoft's acquisition proceedings with Activision Blizzard and the FTC.

In 2025, Microsoft raised Game Pass prices by 50%, but subsequent memos from Sharma suggested the service's cost was excessively high for consumers. Following price reductions, there was an uptick in user numbers, with Sharma telling The Verge that the subscriber growth increased and retention rates improved after lowering the prices.

Sharma highlighted a deceleration in growth and a faster rate of subscriber loss following last year's pricing changes but remains focused on restoring sustained growth, emphasizing that no single initiative will resolve these challenges instantly.