Since it launched in 2017, Xbox Game Pass has only gone from strength to strength. Now, the Microsoft-helmed subscription service is one of the most popular services available for gamers, and has helped Xbox consoles compete with its rival platforms like Playstation. With a mixture of older, potentially overlooked titles and brand-new games, Xbox Game Pass has a strikingly diverse offering that aims to fill every niche and genre imaginable. As the subscription service even includes day-one releases, it's no wonder that Xbox Game Pass has seen great success.
Last year was another stellar example of what the service has to offer, and by the end of 2021, Xbox Game Pass had upwards of 20 million subscribers. Now, many players are looking ahead to 2022 and wondering what Xbox Game Pass will have in store in the coming year. The first few months of 2022 look crammed full of exciting content already, and gamers are hoping this is also a sign of things to come. However, Xbox Game Pass does have some drawbacks, including a slightly confusing selection of subscription tiers that could do with being trimmed back. With a few tweaks, Xbox Game Pass could move from a great subscription service to an incredible one.
Explaining The Tiers
Xbox Game Pass and its PC equivalent grant players access to the continually rotating library of games, featuring multitudes of different titles from indie games to fan-favorite franchises. While gamers can still opt for the older subscription model of Xbox Live Gold, they'd definitely be missing a trick.
While Xbox Live Gold offers players a handful of free games a month and access to Microsoft's multiplayer network, even the 50% discount on selected titles in the Microsoft Store doesn't make the $9.99 as cost-effective as the other tiers available. Many players are wondering why Microsoft still continues to offer Xbox Live Gold when there are much better packages to choose from, as many see Microsoft's continued focus on Xbox Game Pass as a way to eventually phase out the older model.
For the same price of $9.99 per month, players could choose Xbox Game Pass for either PC or Console (although the PC Pass currently has an offer with the first month for $1). Instead of only a few free games a month, Xbox Game Pass offers over 100 titles for gamers to access as part of the monthly price, with new games joining the subscription service all the time. Although this does mean that some games have to leave after a period, the ever-rotating turnover means that gamers are able to play a really diverse selection of titles.
Games tend to stay on the services for about a year, so players should have plenty of time to work their way through even the most expansive of open worlds before they disappear from the catalog. Thanks to an emphasis on adding day-one games as well, like the upcoming action RPG Weird West, players are more than getting their money's worth. Both the Console and PC Pass also include a variety of discounts and deals on other games not included in Xbox Game Pass, but only the PC subscription tier includes an EA Play membership.
Then there's the juiced-up version called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, also starting at $1 a month and then going up to $14.99. This adds games for phones and tablets, as well as consoles and PC. Players are also able to play games on the cloud rather than having to download different titles before they can play. Rather confusingly, Xbox Live Gold is also included in this tier, as well as EA Play Membership and other free periodic perks like in-game content.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate fully utilizes Microsoft's cross-platform features and adds a lot of flexibility in terms of what gamers can play on. It offers the biggest library of games between the different Xbox Game Pass options, in addition to giving access to EA Play's own library from the publisher's catalog.
Why Xbox Game Pass Should Be Simpler
While there's no doubt that Xbox Game Pass is great value for money in terms of the sheer number of titles on offer, the different tiers that are available can lead to some confusion. Xbox Game Pass for Console and its PC counterpart are still great options, but they limit the platforms that players can use, and the games they have access to, especially if a particular player enjoys using an Xbox console as well as PC. If they want access to the library of games for both, they'd have no choice but to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which seems restrictive. If this is the case for a number of players, then it makes sense to streamline the subscription service further and combine the offerings for everyone.
Arguably, Microsoft should just do away with Xbox Live Gold altogether. As of 2021, players no longer need it to access online features like multiplayer and cooperative play, and looks as if it is already being phased out after some fairly poor offerings in terms of its free games over the past year or so. It makes sense for Microsoft to be moving towards solely supporting the much more popular and well-received Xbox Game Pass model, which means Xbox Live Gold is all but redundant.
Xbox Live Gold is not cost-effective compared to the other subscription offerings, particularly when taken into account that it's still the same price as Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC. When it's compared to the other Xbox Game Pass offerings and also rival services like Sony's PlayStation PS Plus and PS Now, Xbox Live Gold feels particularly dated and irrelevant.
Flexibility on cost is important and makes subscription services accessible for more people when there are different price tiers, but the difference in cost between the options is fairly negligible compared to the various things they each offer. Xbox Live Gold aside, the $5 difference between the Console or PC Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate feels like a good deal when looking at what gamers get for it.
The limitations on platforms that players can use make a big difference when comparing the tiers, and the variety and breadth of the catalog on offer with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is actually substantial compared to the Console and PC options. For the sake of simplicity, Microsoft should do away with the other subscriptions and just keep Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as the standard choice, giving players the option to play on whatever platform they choose and access EA Play's library as well.