Days ahead of Starfield launch, Microsoft says bye-bye to its $1 Xbox Game Pass deal

Microsoft has seemingly taken down its popular $1/£1 Xbox Game Pass deal ahead of Starfield's launch next week.

As spotted by XGP, Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass sign-up page has removed any reference to its $1/£1 deal that would give you 14 days of access to the service. The deal was only reintroduced this July, with the caveat that the trail now lasts half as long as it used to, so it's a little bit of surprise to see it again only just over a month later. Not to be too tin-foil-hat-like, but it is important to note that Starfield is finally out next week, September 6, just over a week away. And for those with early access, it's out this Friday September 1, even sooner.

Now, if you want to play Starfield through Game Pass but aren't already signed up, you'll have to pay at least £9 for a month of it on Xbox (or alternatively, £8 for PC Game Pass, or £13 for Ultimate). Plus, you can even get early access through Game Pass if you upgrade to the Premium Edition. Essentially, prior to this deal being taken down, you could play the game early for pretty cheap, at least for a couple of weeks.

It's obviously impossible to say if this is part of a concerted effort to encourage people to spend more money on Starfield, but the timing is certainly a bit peculiar. For now, we'll just have to wait and see if the deal rears its head again, as it was a popular way for many to try out many of the games the service had to offer.

If you were wondering exactly when Starfield will be available to play, Bethesda has conveniently released a map that tells you all the precise times, across both the early access and official release.