The landscape of gaming continues to change on a near-daily basis, but one thing has been set in stone for a while for Xbox fans: Xbox Game Pass. Is this subscription service worth your money, or are you better off purchasing different titles?
What Is Xbox Game Pass?
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that allows players to either purchase a year-long subscription or pay in monthly increments. Following in the footsteps of popular streaming services like Netflix, a tailored list of selected games is added/removed each month, giving players a chance to expand their gaming library across the Xbox family of consoles, and even PC if you’ve got the right subscription.
How Much Does Xbox Game Pass Cost?
Depending on the type of Xbox Game Pass that you’re looking to purchase, there are different costs. From Core to Ultimate, here is the monthly price of each tier of Xbox Game Pass.
- Xbox Game Pass Core
- $9.99
- Xbox Game Pass (Console)
- $10.99
- Xbox Game Pass (PC)
- $10.99
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Console & PC)
- $16.99
What Do You Get From Each Xbox Game Pass Tier?
With so many different Tiers available, knowing what you’ll get out of your subscription is important. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Xbox Game Pass Core
If you decide to go with the Xbox Game Pass Core subscription, you’ll have what used to be considered Xbox Live Gold. If you’re looking to play Multiplayer with your friends and don’t care to have the full catalog of games to play, this is going to be the option for you. You’ll also have a list of 30 Games to play from the Game Pass catalog, so you can get a taste of what’s to come in the other subscriptions.
Xbox Game Pass (Console & PC)
Looking to have access to the full Xbox Game Pass catalog, but only have either an Xbox or PC that you can use? This is going to be the subscription for you, as you have access to over 400 games that you can download directly to your console and play, as long as you have an active subscription. If you’re a fan of first-party Xbox games, this is one of the best deals in gaming, since all Microsoft-published games will release and stay on Game Pass from Day One.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Console & PC)
Much like the previous subscription, Game Pass Ultimate will give you access to the full catalog of products available. However, Ultimate combines both Game Pass Console and Game Pass PC into one, giving you the ability to play a variety of games on both systems. This is going to be the best bang for the buck if you’re hoping to play your favorite games across both systems. If you’re playing a game like Starfield on Game Pass Ultimate, you can even play on previous-generation consoles via Cloud Streaming.
Is Xbox Game Pass Worth Your Money?
No matter if you’re an Xbox fan for life, or someone who just loves a great deal in gaming, Xbox Game Pass is absolutely worth your money. Day One releases of upcoming First Party games are already a stellar deal, but the partnership with third-party developers to include their games on the service is also a huge win for players. From the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise, to hot indie titles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that will captivate you for hours, there really isn’t another subscription service out there that can match what Microsoft has brought to the table.
