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Xbox Game Pass quietly ends $1 trial ahead of Starfield release

Players can no longer spend just one dollar USD to see what Xbox Game Pass has to offer, conveniently just before Starfield launches.

TJ Denzer

August 29, 2023 7:15 AM

Image via Xbox

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Starfield, one of 2023’s most anticipated video games, is right around the corner and will be on Xbox Game Pass. However, Xbox has seemingly decided to curtail an Xbox Game Pass promotion that might have somewhat stifled its success. Ahead of Starfield’s launch, Xbox has quietly ended the deal that allowed new users to sign up for a 14-day Xbox Game Pass trial for $1.

There has been no notable announcement from Xbox itself over the ending of this trial. It was first noticed via Polish gaming publication XGP, and gaming Twitter Wario64 would later confirm via comparison screenshots from now to earlier this month. Wario64 in particular shows how the messaging of the deal changed. Where the sign-up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate initially read “Get your first 14 days for $1, then $16.99/mo.” it now simply shares the $16.99/mo. price.

That this deal has been shuffled off of Xbox Game Pass’s registration pages for now is likely no coincidence. Starfield is almost upon us, offering one of the most wanted games of the year in early September 2023. In all likelihood, and despite no official word from Xbox, it very clearly looks like the company is looking to stifle abuse of the trial in relation to its latest flagship game launch. If you already had Game Pass, this won’t matter much, but it is a bit unfortunate for players that legitimately wanted to try Game Pass and now can’t enjoy the promotion for the foreseeable future.

With the Xbox Game Pass $1 trial stuffed for now, it looks like sneaky players won’t be able to abuse the trial to get in on Starfield and then duck out when done. With the game coming next week, stay tuned for any final news and updates right here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.