Xbox Game Pass Explained: From Xbox Game Pass Price To Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Explained
- Standard Xbox Game Pass on console costs £7.99, â¬9.99 or $9.99 per month.
- As well as the a standard Xbox Game Pass subscription, there is also Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – this combines Xbox Game Pass console and PC access, as well as Xbox Live Gold membership, all under one subscription, for £10.99 per month.
- You may have heard about the $1 / £1 Xbox Game Pass deal. This is a regular promotion for your first month of Xbox Game Pass, but has also been an officially embraced low cost upgrade from a standard service to the all encompassing Ultimate subscription.
- Like Netflix, titles will be added and taken away from the service over time. Microsoft has confirmed “at least” five new games every month, and are usually announced a week or so before they are added to the store.
- Once an Xbox Game Pass title has downloaded to your hard drive, you can play offline for up to 30 days.
- All future Microsoft published games will arrive on the service day-in-date with their retail releases – which includes major franchises such as Halo, Gears and Forza.
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Will Halo Infinite Be On Xbox Game Pass
Halo Infinite’s campaign will be available at no extra cost to current Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play, and is available for all Xbox users – so you don’t need to be a Game Pass subscriber to play the online player-vs-player multiplayer.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
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Does Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Offer Any Perks
There are definitely some perks if you sign up for Ultimate, not the least of which is the ability to play games on both PC and Xbox, as well as stream games to mobile and PC so you can play in the cloud.
The most recent perk that was added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a free month-long trial of Disney Plus. Which the company just announced today, timing things to line up with the first episode of Marvel Studios Loki airing on the platform.
Xbox Cloud Gaming From September 2020
Microsoft’s cloud game streaming platform formerly known as Project xCloud is an official product as of September 2020, and is part of the increasingly attractive Game Pass Ultimate package.
The library of games has shrunk somewhat from that which was offered during the testing period, but there are still some of Microsoft’s finest in there for launch along with some top titles from third-party publishers. Most recently, titles brought in-house with Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda have joined the game streaming ranks.
Cloud Gaming is part of the main Game Pass app for Android, while on iOS, Mac, Chrome OS, and Linux, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available through the browser.
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How Much Does The Service Cost
There are a few different plans to choose from when it comes to Game Pass. But this is about Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so well be focusing on that price. As well as what you get for it.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $14.99 a month. If youre a first-time subscriber though, you get the first month for only $1. Which means you end up saving $42 over the course of three months. After that 90 days is up your monthly subscription fee goes up to the $14.99.
You can also subscribe to Game Pass for PC, or Game Pass for Console. Both of which cost $9.99 a month, but come with way less features. Its well worth paying the extra $5 to get the complete package.
How To Convert Xbox Live Gold To Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Step 1
Add months to an Xbox Live Gold subscription using digital subscription codes purchased from Microsoft or another retailer . Increase the time on Xbox Live Gold, not standard Xbox Game Pass, because its the cheaper option.
Note: Microsoft discontinued selling 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions on its website during the summer of 2020, but third-party retailers still sell them for now.
Amazon
Amazon is one of the easiest places to purchase digital subscription codes for Xbox Live Gold, but a couple of other online retailers are cheaper.
Also do so in the largest increments possiblea 12-month code for Gold works out much cheaper per month than the one-month, three-month, and six-month varieties. When purchasing codes, always remember that Microsofts servers wont let you redeem a code for a duration that exceeds the 36-month cap.
Warning: If you buy three 1-year subscriptions, do not turn on recurring billing while redeeming the codes. Any extra freebie months you get for doing so will make it impossible to redeem the final code.
Also note that short multi-day trial codes for Xbox Live Gold wont work for this promotion .
Tips:
- Dont forget that this Game Pass Ultimate $1 promotion includes one month of service that stacks on top of whatever amount of Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass subscription time you convert. You wont get the full month if it puts you over the 36 month cap, though.
Microsoft
Step 2
Step 3
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Outside of that, youre set to go. Enjoy!
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Final Verdict: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Is The Best But Only If You Need Its Services
If money is no object then Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best deal. Even if you only game on one system, you get Xbox Live Gold membership which is very useful for Xbox One owners, plus you can choose to use Cloud Gaming streaming services any time you want. We’d recommend Xbox Game Pass Ultimate most of all for Xbox owners thanks to the benefits that Xbox Live Gold offer and the fact it’s essential if you want to play online.
However, if you’re on a budget then Xbox Game Pass will still serve you well too, as you get access to plenty of games. In particular, if you only have a gaming PC then Xbox Game Pass is a good option as you don’t have to worry about needing Xbox Live Gold to play online.
Pricing: You Get What You Pay For With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Offering More
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$14.99 per month and includes all formats.
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Also frequently available for less via third-party retailers.
Xbox Game Pass is the cheapest option at a standard $9.99 per month via the Microsoft Store. If you only have one system to play games on, that’s a good deal that’s in line with Netflix prices.
However, for an extra $5 a month, you get access to the games libraries for both PC and console. You also get Xbox Live Gold membership which is the only way in which you can play games online via your Xbox One or Xbox 360 console. There’s also the addition of regular free games to keep permanently via Games with Gold which offers three to four games each month.
In terms of value for money, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers the most features but only if you will actually use them.
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Xbox Game Pass Vs Ultimate: At A Glance
At first glance, Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate may seem to offer the same thing. And in many ways, they do.
Both are subscription services that unlock a variety of AAA and indie games for one low monthly fee. The major difference is where you can play these games, and what extra features are included.
Its also worth keeping in mind that there are actually three services here: Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The first is just for the Xbox One, Xbox Series S, or Xbox Series X consoles. The second option is just for PC, and the third includes both and more. Much more, in fact.
Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Worth It
If all our info is correct, this makes a lot of sense for new Xbox One S owners who wont have a disc drive, since theyll be relying mostly on digital subscription services anyway. You see this with new services like Google Stadia, which will be streaming through the Chrome browser, as well as Sonys mixed attempt with PlayStation Now.
If youre looking to embrace a disc-free future , then Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a pretty easy budgetary decision to make.
Editors note: This article is regularly updated for relevance.
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Is Game Pass Ultimate For Me
The Game Pass Ultimate is for you if you will make use of the library of games as well as Xbox Live Gold on console only or console and PC.
If you play on PC only, you can get Game Pass PC for $9.99/£7.99 a month which still includes Game Pass games, day one gameplay, member discounts and EA Play. As you dont need Gold to play exclusively on PC, its not included in Game Pass PC. This means you wont get Games with Gold, and cloud gaming isnt included either. If both of those are worth an extra $5/£3 a month to you, then go for Ultimate.
If you play exclusively on console, its probably worth getting Ultimate. Though there is a Game Pass for console only, its $9.99/£7.99 just for access to the library of games. No Gold, no EA Play and no cloud gaming. Unless you exclusively play free-to-play titles, youll need Gold, so youll save money with the Ultimate pass.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: The Best Value In Gaming
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers one of the best, if not the best, value propositions for Xbox console, PC, and even Android gamers. Why? Because for the low price of $14.99 a month, you can play tons of full games, including new titles from Microsofts first-party studios, on the day theyre released.
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And thats just a part of what Microsoft is offering with its premier subscription service. We put together this extensive guide to everything you need to know about Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to help you decide whether its right for you or not. You can also sign up now at the link below, which currently features a special promo offer of just $1 for the first month.
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What Games Does Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Have
There are a ton of different games available in the service. For starters, you can play Halo 5: Guardians, Gears 5, Ori and The Blind Forest, Ori and The Will of The Wisps, Control, Torchlight III, and many others.
And those are just some of the games that are included regularly. Theres also a ton of games from EA thanks to the inclusion of EA Play, which adds games like Madden, the Sims 4, and other top EA titles.
Microsoft also just added 20 games from Bethesda on March 12, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, DOOM Eternal, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and more.
Theres also Sea Of Thieves, Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II, Destiny 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Battlefield V, Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition and many, many more. If youre interested in seeing the entire library of games, you can do so from the Xbox Game Pass app, or by visiting the games page for the service which has them all listed.
As of March 31, 2021, Microsoft also added backwards compatible titles to the cloud gaming collection. This includes both The Elder Scrolls III and IV, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, Double Dragon Neon and more.
You can see all 16 titles added here, and more backwards compatible titles are planned for the near future. Microsoft also made online multiplayer for free-to-play games available at no charge back on April 21, the day after the closed beta went live for iOS and PC users for cloud gaming.
Act Fast This Crazy Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Deal Won’t Last
Xbox Game Pass is a service providing access to hundreds of Xbox games for a relatively low monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the next level of that, bundling together Xbox Game Pass for console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Live Gold for multiplayer, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, letting you take all of those console games mobile. One of the best Cyber Monday Xbox deals we’ve seen so far concerning Xbox Game Pass can still be found but not for long.
Do note, these codes stack up to three years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate onto your account, for each 3 month card purchased.
Update: The deal is LIVE AGAIN this time over at Amazon for Cyber Monday!
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Remember Youll Have To Download Them First
Theres one major way this experience doesnt compare to Netflix or even Sonys PlayStation Now. While both Netflix and PlayStation Now allow you to start streaming a video or game immediately, Xbox Game Pass requires you download a game to your Xbox One before you play it.
For example, BioShock Infinite, which is 13 GB in size, took nearly an hour to download on our fairly speedy Internet connection.
If you plan on sticking with a game, thats good news. Youll have better performance with the game installed on your Xbox One. But you cant just sit down and flip through a few games, trying each for a few minutes and seeing what you like. Youll need to download each game in full before you play it.
Thats fine, reallyits the standard experience with Xbox One games, after all. Just dont expect anything else. How long you have to wait before playing a game will depend on the speed of your Internet connection.
Once a game is installed, you can play it all you like. If your Xbox Game Pass subscription expires, the game will remain installed, but you wont be able to play it until you either resubscribe or purchase the game. You dont get to keep games you download via Xbox Game Passyou lose access to them when your subscription stops.
About Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
- Upgrade to Ultimate to get Xbox Live Gold service and Xbox Game Pass in one bundle!
- Do you still have Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass prepaid time? When you upgrade to Ultimate, that time will be automatically applied! More details here: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate FAQ
- With Xbox Live Gold, you’ll enjoy lightning-fast online multiplayer gaming thanks to hundreds of thousands of dedicated servers offering low lag and reduced cheating.
- Xbox Game Pass is like Netflix for games! New games are added every month, including brand new titles the day they release.
- Over 100 games are now available for PC, with more being added soon!
- With Game Pass Ultimate, you can download games directly to your Xbox One or PC to play 24 hours a day, on or offline.
- Xbox Live Gold members also get free games monthly, along with exclusive discounts on the most popular titles – up to 20% off!
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System Software And Features
Both consoles feature a similar to the Xbox One, but there has been a 40% reduction in memory use to improve its speed. According to the UI development team, the Home section loads in about half the time as it did on the Xbox One. Other changes include adding rounded UI elements, a more-readable font for text elements, rearrangement of certain aligned features, and improvements to the sharing functions. These changes were brought to the Xbox One system software, the Windows’ Xbox application, and the Xbox mobile application around September 2020. Based on system previews, about 200 GB of space was reserved on the internal drive of the Xbox Series X for system files.
The console’s Quick Resume feature will allow users to suspend and resume more than one game at a time, and also resume suspended games after a reboot of the console.
Several video and streaming media services will be available through the system software on the consoles’ launch notably, it will be the first time that will be available on Xbox consoles.
Microsoft plans to migrate the xCloud service from Xbox One S-based to Xbox Series X-based systems by 2021.
Microsoft did not restricting the ability for developers to release games that are exclusive to Xbox Series X. The company is preferring a “soft” transition more in line with , where developers can target optimal play on high-end hardware , but still allow the game to be played with reduced fidelity on lower-end hardware .