Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass gives fans access to many of the most popular games available. The service is currently available on both Xbox and PC platforms, albeit with some different titles for each, for $9.99 USD per month for the standard tier. For $15.99USD, subscribers can also grab the ultimate version. The ultimate tier bundles in Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Live Gold, which allows you to play games online with other players, and access to EA Play, another subscription service that features games made by Electronic Arts.
Being that Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service similar to something like Netflix but for games, it makes sense that various titles are continuously being added to the service. Although the total game count of Xbox Game Pass has steadily increased, titles are also occasionally removed from the service as well.
On Sunday, August 15, six different titles will leave Xbox Game Pass. These titles include Train Sim World 2020, Don’t Starve: Giant Edition, Darksiders Genesis, and the original Final Fantasy 7 from both Xbox and PC. On top of that, the PC platform will also lose Crossing Souls and Ape Out.
This past week six new games were added to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with five of them being racing games. Thanks to EA’s recent acquisition of racing game developer Codemasters, Dirt 4, Dirt Rally, Dirt Rally 2.0, F1 2020, and GRID were all added to the service. The sixth title was strategy RPG-deck builder, Library of Ruina.
With over 300 games available to play it’s hard not to call Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass an incredible value. Players get access to an extensive library of diverse games to play through without having to pay full price for these titles. While in the past many of the games available were older titles, Microsoft has been launching several first and third-party games onto the service the same day they see their normal release to other storefronts, such as Microsoft's own Forza series or Turtle Rock Studios' upcoming Left 4 Dead spiritual successor, Back 4 Blood.
Some players will criticize the subscription model that services like Xbox Game Pass use, citing worry that they don’t own their game libraries. Games being able to be removed at any time is a valid concern, but Xbox Game Pass is an effective way for many players who only play through a game a single time to have greater access to more titles. With other companies like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft choosing to offer subscriptions to their libraries in one way or another, it’s possible that this subscription-based model may be the future of video games, too.
Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox and PC.