Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a no-brainer for anyone who plans to play games on both Xbox and PC. It’s less expensive than purchasing each platform’s library separately, and it includes online play for the console, which is worth the monthly fee on its own. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, on the other hand, includes discounts, a reward system, and access to EA Play and Xbox Cloud Gaming. With its subscription service, Microsoft is clearly changing the game for both gamers and non-gamers.
Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is essentially a collection of services rolled into a single monthly fee. The broader subscription is frequently referred to as ‘Netflix for games’.
You might never have to buy another game for your Xbox One, Xbox Series S, or Xbox Series X. Subscribers receive both the console and PC versions of the Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Live Gold, EA Play, and Xbox Cloud Gaming are also available on Android and iOS devices.
You don’t even need an Xbox or a PC to play your favorite games for the first time.
In the future, you’ll be able to stream them from the cloud to your phone or even your Oculus Quest 2 or Meta Quest Pro. Microsoft had intended to use it for an Xbox Streaming Stick, but those plans have been postponed. The service is so important to Xbox’s strategy that you can use it to purchase new consoles through Xbox All Access.
Streaming Xbox games via Xbox Cloud Gaming makes the Xbox ecosystem available to those who would never consider purchasing a console. This is currently available for Android, iOS, PC, and Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
Here’s everything you need to know about Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, including the price and features.
WHAT IS XBOX GAME PASS ULTIMATE?
While Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are separate services, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combines both and then adds a slew of extras on top.
While Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are both $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$10.95 per month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes both for $15 / £10.99 / AU$15.95 per month, as well as Xbox Live Gold (which is now only available annually in many territories and costs $60.00 / £50.00 / AU$80.00). You also get EA Play and Xbox Game Pass for $4.99 / £4.99 per month and Xbox Cloud Gaming for free.
We’ve got good news if you’re hoping to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for a lower price. While this is currently only being trialed in the Republic of Ireland and Colombia, Microsoft is planning to launch an Xbox Game Pass family plan, allowing you and four other players to join for €21.99 per month – roughly $21.99 / £19.99 / AU$32.99.
Subscribers can download massive titles like Doom Eternal, Forza Horizon 5, and Gears 5 for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. Thanks to Xbox’s extensive backward compatibility program, you can then play whenever you want and try out backward compatible titles from both the original Xbox and Xbox 360 console generations.
Because you also get Xbox Live Gold, you’ll be able to jump right into a match of Rainbow Six Extraction or any other multiplayer title on the service, such as Sea of Thieves. PC players will not have to pay to play online, but they will have access to a plethora of games to download. Crusader Kings 3, as well as first-party hits like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, are available on the Xbox app for Windows 10.
Included in the EA Play catalog are titles such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Skate. It was previously $4.99 / £4.99 extra for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, but it is now free.
Oh, and did we mention that 20 Bethesda games are now available on Xbox Game Pass? You can now access games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Prey, Fallout 76, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood as part of Microsoft’s acquisition of the company.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has its own set of benefits, including digital goodies for free-to-play games like Warframe, as well as gaming-related perks like Discord Nitro and Spotify memberships. In terms of extras, players can complete ‘Quests’ by trying new games and ticking off Achievements, which can be redeemed for giveaways and gift cards – though this will take some time. Nonetheless, it’s a nice incentive to try out new games.
While games are not permanently fixed in the service, you will be notified before titles are removed. If you want to keep them forever, you’ll get a 20% discount, and you’ll also save 10% on any DLC for games in the Game Pass library.
As previously stated, players can even play many of the included titles on their phones if they have an Android device. Over 50 games now support touch controls, so you don’t even need an Xbox Wireless Controller or a dedicated gamepad for mobile gaming like the Razer Kishi.
You’ll need a strong internet connection (and 5G is likely to improve your chances of experiencing no lag), but it opens up the Xbox ecosystem to millions more potential players and is a nice bonus for those who already play on Xbox or PC.
