Microsoft pulls $1 Xbox Game Pass trial with Starfield on the horizon

Microsoft has seemingly scrapped its $1 Xbox Game Pass trial with the launch of Starfield on the horizon.

As spotted by XGP (via Eurogamer), the option to claim an Xbox Game Pass trial for a one dollar (or one pound, if you're in the UK) has been removed from the Xbox Game Pass sign-up webpage.

The news comes after Microsoft slashed the duration of that $1 trial from one-month to two-weeks at the beginning of August.

The timing has also raised eyebrows given it's only a matter of days until Starfield launches on September 6, 2023.

Starfield on Game Pass

Bethesda's sprawling sci-fi RPG has become one of the most anticipated first-party titles in Microsoft's recent history, and will be made available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers at launch for no extra cost.

For what it's worth, this isn't the first time the $1 offer has been pulled, with Microsoft temporarily scrapping the $1 trial in March before Redfall made its debut in May. The Xbox maker eventually relaunched the subscription in July and explained it had been "evaluating different marketing promotions."

Anybody looking to take Game Pass (and perhaps Starfield) for a spin next week will now need to choose between the Ultimate ($14.99 per month), Console ($9.99 per month), and PC ($9.99 per month) Xbox Game Pass tiers.

Game Developer has reached out to Microsoft for comment on the situation.