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I spend most of my nights playing games with friends online on my PC. Usually, Steam is my service of choice, but after much persuasion, I’ve finally added Xbox Game Pass to my growing list of subscriptions.
If you’re unfamiliar with Xbox PC Game Pass, here’s how it works: for $10 a month, you get instant access to more than 100 PC games via the Xbox PC app, which is free to download on Windows. It’s a rotating library of games, so periodically, some titles leave, while others replace them. There’s a wide variety to choose from, including platformers, shooters, sims, and RPGs.
Xbox PC Game Pass clearly has value for me, a regular PC gamer. For only $10 a month, I get unlimited access to favorites old and new, from «Lumines» to «Two Point Hospital.» I’ve already clocked over 50 gameplay hours in just a month of use, which is more time than I’ve spent on far more expensive, individual video games.
Some really enjoyable titles that I would have never paid for individually, I’m now getting to experience as part of my subscription. It takes the risk out of trying new games, since they cost me no extra money to play.
Another great benefit is that my friends and I can all play online co-op games together since we all have Xbox Game Pass now. Gone are the days of one of us not affording the game — now everyone has access for the same price. «Sea of Thieves,» «Gang Beasts,» and «It Takes Two» have joined our regular rotation of games to play as a squad.
I also really enjoy the added flexibility of Xbox Game Pass on PC, because I can choose to play with a plugged-in controller or my keyboard and mouse. Some games, like «Katamari Reroll» are simply not as fun without a controller, but other games I just can’t play without the precision of a mouse.
My major gripe with the service is that games I really enjoy often leave the Game Pass library. It’s sad to see titles leave, especially when I’ve clocked hours and hours of progress in them. If I’m desperate enough, I can still buy them with a Game Pass discount through the Xbox App, at least.
(It’s also completely possible to not like anything PC Game Pass has to offer. I recommend browsing the available titles before making the monthly commitment, because if you’re not at least interested in some of the games, it’s not worth buying.)
Xbox PC Game Pass is more than enough for me, but if you’re an Xbox console owner, you may want to consider Game Pass Ultimate for an additional $5 per month.
Game Pass Ultimate has everything PC Game Pass does and more, including a library of over 100 additional games for Xbox consoles, Xbox Live Gold for online gaming on Xbox devices, console cloud gaming, and extra perks like in-game add-ons. For only $5 more a month than Xbox PC Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate extends the service’s utility to mobile devices as well through streaming .
My suggestion is to try out the PC version first at $10 per month before you commit $15 a month to get all of the service’s benefits.
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