According to engadget, Microsoft is adding Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and ten other titles to Xbox Game Pass throughout November 2025. The lineup starts with Dead Static Drive on November 5, followed by Sniper Elite: Resistance the same day and Egging On plus Whiskerwood on November 6. Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and Pigeon Simulator arrive November 11, with the headline Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 dropping on its November 14 launch day featuring 16 6v6 maps and two 20v20 maps. This comes after Microsoft recently raised the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $30 per month from $20, a 50 percent increase, with that top tier now required for day-one game access.
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The price hike reality check
Here’s the thing that really sticks out. Microsoft is giving us this massive November lineup right after jacking up the price of Game Pass Ultimate by 50%. We’re talking $30 per month now instead of $20. That’s $360 per year just for the subscription, not counting the console or any games you might still buy outside the service.
And they’ve structured it so you need that expensive Ultimate tier if you want to play these new games on their actual release days. Basically, they’re dangling the carrot of day-one Call of Duty access while making you pay significantly more for the privilege. It’s smart business, but it definitely changes the value proposition.
Don’t sleep on the indie games
Everyone’s going to focus on Call of Duty, but some of the most interesting additions are the smaller titles. Egging On sounds absolutely ridiculous in the best way – you play as an egg trying to escape a hen house. Whiskerwood has mice building colonies for a feline overlord. These are exactly the kind of weird, creative games that Game Pass excels at letting people try without additional cost.
The beauty of Game Pass has always been discovering gems you’d never risk $30 on individually. Now that the subscription itself costs $30 monthly, that discovery element becomes more crucial. You really need to play multiple games each month to feel like you’re getting your money’s worth.
Is the math still mathing?
Look, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 would probably cost $70 at launch anyway. If you were planning to buy that plus one or two other games from this November lineup, the $30 monthly fee still makes sense. But what about the months when there aren’t blockbuster releases?
Microsoft seems to be betting that enough people will stick around for the consistent flow of content. But at $360 annually, subscribers are going to be much more critical about whether they’re actually playing enough games to justify the cost. The days of Game Pass being an obvious no-brainer are definitely over. Now it’s a calculation – and one that gets harder every time they raise prices.
