Since 2019, gamers have been able to access hundreds of titles across PC and Xbox via Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service—but you don’t have to pay full price. With a few smart moves, you can lock in a 50 percent discount on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for up to a year and a half (18 months).
(Note: This trick was last confirmed as working in March 2025. Also, codes for select countries will not stack any longer; see news update below.)
How does it work? Through Microsoft’s own system of converting lower-tier Game Pass subscriptions up to ultimate. No weird hacks needed.
If you’ve heard of this trick before, things have changed a bit. Before July 2023, a sweet 1:1 conversion rate was in effect, which worked out to a 63 percent discount. Then it dropped to a 3:2 ratio alongside a price hike on Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. Then, in September 2024, the conversion rate dropped to 2:1 after another cost increase on Game Pass subscriptions. You’ll now pay $10 per month using this conversion hack. That’s not $5 per month (the original deal), but far cheaper than list price for Ultimate ($20/month), and still less expensive than PC Game Pass ($12/month). So PC gamers still benefit from this trick.
Read on for a step-by-step guide of how to secure this deal, which includes tips on how to maximize your savings.
!- News alerts -!
9/12/2024: On this sad day for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, the cost per month now goes up to $20—and brings around another nerf to the conversion rate. It now sits at 2:1, rather than the previous 3:2, effectively limiting your discounted rate to just 1.5 years (18 months) max.
4/11/2024: Xbox Game Pass Core codes for select countries will no longer stack up to three years, as per Eurogamer. Subscriptions for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, and Turkey will instead max out at 13 months. This change shouldn’t prevent residents of these countries (or those attempting a conversion over a VPN) from converting a Xbox Game Pass Core subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate—instead, you’ll just need to do so more frequently (about every eight months).
9/15/2023: Microsoft has sunset Xbox Live Gold (as of 9/14/2023). The service has now “evolved” into Xbox Game Pass Core. The good news is, the conversion ratio of 3:2 from Xbox Live Gold to Game Pass Ultimate carries over. You can pay for Core in yearly installments for $60 like XBL Gold, too.
8/29/2023: Microsoft has killed off the $1 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial again, likely due to Starfield‘s imminent release. You’ll have to pay full price for one month of Ultimate to trigger the conversion.
How to convert Xbox Game Pass Core to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
The most basic description of what you’ll do is this:
- Buy Xbox Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold)
- Buy one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- Agree to a conversion of your Core and/or standard Game Pass subscription(s) to Game Pass Ultimate
However, you can run into a few pitfalls during this process—especially if you’re going for the maximum of two years. The process has also gotten a little more complicated if you have an existing Xbox Game Pass subscription. The detailed instructions below are long, but read through them all. They will help you avoid mistakes.
(Note: If you need a more visual guide for redeeming Xbox Game Pass Core, you can refer to our old YouTube video guide. However, because it refers to the now-dead 1:1 conversion ratio, please refer to this written guide for all other instructions.)
Halo games are included in PC Game Pass for PC (and by extension, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate).
Step 1
Decide how long you want Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. To make the most of the deal, get as close to 36 months of Xbox Game Pass Core (or Game Pass Core + standard Game Pass) as you can afford—three years is the maximum amount of time you can load onto an account. Even with the change in conversion ratio, this remains true. The difference now is that you get fewer months of Ultimate when you convert.
You cannot go over 36 months—if you buy a code that will push you over the limit, Microsoft’s servers won’t let you redeem it. Also, if you get any bonus months for agreeing to recurring billing, those count toward your max, too.
The actual amount of time you buy for Xbox Game Pass Core will depend on your situation:
- If you currently don’t have any active Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, buy the amount of time you want to convert. (Ex: You should buy two 12-month codes if you want to convert two years and end up with 1 year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.)
- If you have an active Xbox Game Pass Core subscription, buy additional time for the subscription (as desired) before conversion to Ultimate.
- If you already have an active PC Game Pass subscription, it converts at a different ratio of 3:2. Calculate accordingly. (Most people will be subscribed to this plan on a month-to-month basis, so this math won’t be too difficult—basically subtract a month off the amount of Xbox Game Pass Core that you’ll need.)
- If you already have an active Xbox Game Pass Standard subscription, it converts at a different ratio of 4:3. Calculate accordingly. (Most people will be subscribed to this plan on a month-to-month basis, so this math won’t be too difficult—basically subtract a month off the amount of Xbox Game Pass Core that you’ll need.)
- If you already have an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, the easiest thing to do is let your current subscription expire, then do this conversion trick. (It’s a better rate than when you have an active Ultimate subscription, which gives you 114 days of Ultimate for a 12 month Xbox Game Pass Core code.)
You can buy $60 Xbox Game Pass Core digital subscription codes from Best Buy and Walmart. This rate is the cheapest available as of March 2025; other retailers like Newegg and Target also sell 12-month codes, but at a higher $75 price.
Always increase the time on Xbox Game Pass Core, not standard Game Pass (relevant if you’re an Xbox console-first gamer)—Game Pass Core is the cheaper option.
Also add time in the largest increments possible—a 12-month code works out much cheaper per month than the one-month, three-month, and six-month varieties. And again, when purchasing codes always remember that Microsoft’s servers won’t let you redeem a code for a duration that exceeds the 36-month cap. (Ex: You’re at 34 months, but attempt to redeem a three-month code. The servers will not let you activate it.) Short multi-day trial codes won’t work for this conversion hack, either, like those for three days or two weeks.
WARNING: If you buy three one-year subscriptions, do not accept any bonus months in exchange for turning on recurring billing while redeeming the codes. Remember, any extra freebie months you get for doing so will make it impossible to redeem the final code.
The lone exception to the three-year limit is that one month of Ultimate you’ll use to convert your Xbox Game Pass Core subscription (or hodgepodge that includes other non-Ultimate subscriptions). If it puts you over the cap, the servers ignore that and still perform the conversion. If it doesn’t, you get that one month to count toward your time.
Additional tips and reminders:
- As mentioned just above, don’t forget to account for your purchased month of Game Pass Ultimate. It stacks on top of whatever amount of Xbox Game Pass Core subscription time you convert. You won’t get the full month if it puts you over the 36-month limit, though.
- When redeeming an Xbox Game Pass Core digital subscription code, agreeing to recurring billing will sometimes give you an additional one month for free. (YMMV.) If you turn off recurring billing before redeeming your next code, you can usually continue to take advantage of this bonus. (Don’t do this if you are redeeming three one-year codes—the system will refuse to let you redeem the final code because it’ll put you over the limit.)
To verify you’ve turned off recurring billing, head to the Services & Subscriptions section of your account info. Under “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate,” you’ll see an expiration date for your subscription, and the option to the right will say Turn on recurring billing.
- Microsoft Reward members can also check to see what Xbox Game Pass Core options are available to them. Nothing’s sweeter than a free way to max out a deal. (Though the point redemption rates aren’t so great.)
- Likewise, Microsoft Reward members can snag their one month of Game Pass Ultimate for free if they have enough points.
- Buying discounted Xbox Game Pass Core codes will further your savings. For example, CDKeys offers a modest discount available to everyone and sells 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month codes.
- Before buying any digital subscription codes, incorporate any of the above freebies or bonuses you can obtain into your calculations.
Example: You need 17 months to max out. (You already have 19 months of Xbox Game Pass Core active on your account.) You buy one 12-month Game Pass Core code and then use Microsoft Rewards points to obtain a single three-month GPC code. You can then angle for at least one bonus month by choosing recurring billing when you redeem each Xbox Game Pass Core code. (YMMV, Microsoft has become inconsistent with this bonus offer.) If you get zero bonus months, add another month of Game Pass Core to the account. Then buy (or apply a code for) one month of Game Pass Ultimate to convert everything to 18 months of Ultimate.
Step 2
Activate your codes for Xbox Game Pass Core. Again, as your final reminder, if you have three one-year subscription codes for Xbox Game Pass Core, do not agree to any freebie bonus months (in exchange for turning on recurring billing) in order to redeem your final code.
If you are using a patchwork of different codes, triple-check your math to be sure you know how many times (if any) you need to agree to recurring billing.
OOPS: Did you have three one-year Game Pass Core codes and accidentally make it impossible to redeem that final code? You can wait a month or two, then redeem code #3 and convert. Or you can wait to activate it after you upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate—you’ll be able to redeem it on a pro-rated basis to extend your Ultimate subscription. But the exchange rate won’t be as good; 12 months of Core converts to less than four months of Ultimate.
Step 3
Activate your code for one month of Game Pass Ultimate. (You can also purchase it instead through the Xbox website or the Store on an Xbox console.)
You should have two screens to pass through. The first explains how the conversion works if you already have an active Game Pass subscription. (Which you should, if you followed Step 2’s instructions.)
Usually, the second that follows will ask for billing information for recurring billing. You should be able to decline.
You should now see “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate” listed under Services and Subscriptions on your Microsoft account page. If you purchased your Ultimate code directly through the Xbox website or on an Xbox console, your Game Pass Ultimate subscription will likely be set to recurring billing as default. We suggest you turn this off, lest you be taken by surprise when your subscription expires (especially if that’s two years from now). You can do so by clicking on “Manage” just to the right of the billing information on the website.
Outside of that, you’re set to go. Happy gaming!
Editor’s note: This article originally published in August 2019 but has been since updated to keep it current. Recent updates include edits to explain the effect of the September 2024 price increase on Ultimate and downgrade of the conversion rate to 2:1 for Core to Ultimate.