It feels nearly impossible to discuss anything Game Pass-related without saying the phrase "it's the best deal in gaming." The phrase is all over the service's marketing and as potentially overused as it may be, the astounding thing is that Game Pass is the best deal in gaming. Mircosoft has really put its best foot forward over the last few years to make Game Pass Ultimate the only subscription that it makes sense to have as an Xbox owner.
One of the great things about Game Pass is the variety of games included in it. The service has plenty of big-name AAA titles as well as indie games galore. Anyone looking to get into gaming should heavily consider starting with an Xbox and a subscription to Game Pass because no matter what type of gamer a person is, there's going to be something for everyone included. The sheer value of the games offered on Game Pass is unlike anything else in the industry and is worth celebrating.
Just How Many Games Are on Game Pass?
Xbox is constantly marketing Game Pass as having over 100 different titles on the service. That's all well and good, but over 100 could mean any number of things. It could mean 101 or 1,001, but it's likely that things are kept relatively vague because of the constant additions and removals of titles on Xbox Game Pass. Just about every month some games are taken off only to be replaced by others, but usually more games are added than are taken away so the number of titles just keeps growing.
In total at the current time of writing, there are 376 games included with Game Pass Ultimate on the Xbox. That is a staggering amount of content for only $14.99 per month. Between last year's addition of EA Play and the constant stream of new games coming to the platform, Game Pass has the most content for the least amount of money hands down compared to its competitors.
How Much is Game Pass Actually Worth?
Calculating the exact worth of Game Pass from a financial perspective is a little tricky. With the constant fluctuating prices of games, nailing down exactly how much a game is worth at any given time can immediately date the information. Additionally, the price of older games seems to shift from title to title with no real consistency. What typically does stay consistent, however, is the price of recently released games. Typically, the standard edition of a AAA title costs between $59.99 and $69.99. Luckily, Game Pass makes distinctions of what games are enhanced for the Series X and S which usually indicates that a game is either a recent release or a live service game that has a consistent player base.
Game Pass with Xbox Series X and S
Looking at the total value of every game included in Game Pass Ultimate that's been enhanced for Xbox Series X and S tells the consumer everything they need to know about the value of the platform. Microsoft's model of putting brand new titles on the service the day they release is a selling point in itself, and the rest of the games included with Game Pass serve as an added bonus.
Despite the lack of first-party games developed for the Xbox Series X and S, Microsoft has been consistently putting new AAA titles on Game Pass including things like Outriders, MLB The Show 21 and the many Destiny 2 expansions. They seem to be making good on the expectations set for the service, so by the time games like Halo Infinite and Starfield eventually launch, it's basically a guarantee that Microsoft will keep their promise of first-party titles coming to Game Pass on the day they launch.
Here is the full list of every Xbox Series X and S enhanced game that's currently on Game Pass along with their cost:
The prices included in the list below are based on what they're selling at full-price currently on the Xbox store. If something specific is on sale, the sale price won't be included, it'll be the regular retail price.
ARK: Survival Evolved Explorer's Edition: $89.99
Call of the Sea: $19.99
CrossCode: $19.99
Dead By Daylight: $29.99
Desperados 3: $59.99
Destiny 2: $0.00
Destiny 2: Beyond Light: $39.99
Destiny 2: Forsaken: $24.99
Destiny 2: ShadowKeep: $24.99
Dirt 5: $59.99
The Falconeer: $29.99
FIFA 21 Standard Edition: $59.99
Football Manager 2021 Xbox Edition: $39.99
Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition: $59.99
Gears 5 Game of the Year Edition: $59.99
Gears Tactics: $59.99
GONNER2: $12.99
Halo: The Master Chief Collection: $39.99
Haven: $24.99
Knockout City: $19.99
Madden NFL 21: $59.99
The Medium: $49.99
Minecraft Dungeons: $19.99
MLB The Show 21: $59.99
Monster Train: $24.99
Morkredd: $19.99
No Man's Sky: $59.99
Ori and the Will of the Wisps: $29.99
Outriders: $59.99
Planet Coaster: $49.99
Sea of Thieves: $39.99
Star Wars: Squadrons: $39.99
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition: $29.99
Stellaris: Console Edition: $39.99
Subnautica: $29.99
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE: $24.99
Tetris Effect: Connected: $39.99
Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six Siege Deluxe Edition: $39.99
The Touryst: $19.99
Warhammer: Vermintide 2: $29.99
We Happy Few: $59.99
The Wild at Heart: $24.99
Yes, Your Grace: $19.99
Zombie Army 4: Dead War: $49.99
The Final Verdict on Game Pass' Worth
The total value of the games listed above $1,702.57. That is a crazy amount of monetary value for only a fraction of what Game Pass offers. There are 44 total Xbox Series X and S enhanced games on the service listed above which is only roughly 8% of the titles available. While not all the titles available on Game Pass are the biggest new releases, the games not listed above are all still excellent additions to the service. It's also worth noting that not every recent release included with Game Pass has a Series X/S version available. Notable other big-name releases not included in the list are Grand Theft Auto 5, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Nier Automata, Control, Doom Eternal, NBA 2K21 - the list goes on and on.
At the end of the day, deciding something's monetary value is entirely up to the individual. That said, there's a very strong case for confirming the sentiment that Game Pass is the best deal in gaming based on monetary value alone. In terms of gaming subscription services, Nintendo's online service and PlayStation's PS Plus and PS Now definitely have their merits and value, but simply cannot compete with the sheer number of quality titles offered on Game Pass.