When I say a subscription to Xbox Game Pass for PC It is the best offer in games today, it is not an inactive recommendation. I have a deep hatred for today’s subscription culture. Yes, many streaming and subscription services are worth every penny, but overall, I hate that everything from Microsoft Office to Adobe’s Creative Cloud goes crazy. underwear try to link to monthly payments. So when I say Game Pass is worth it, I mean it. Step aside, Humble Bundles.
At first, I actually refused to pay Xbox Game Pass for PC because, once again, I already had enough subscriptions. But I succumbed to the siren song when Obsidian The outer worlds debuted, thanks to his inclusion from the first day in the service. The service hooks sank deep and fast. Paying just $ 5 a month to access more than a hundred games is ridiculously good value. Now Xbox Game Pass for PC is as important in my house as Spotify and Netflix. I cannot let my subscription expire.
Here are five reasons why:
1. Access from the first day to Microsoft games
IDG / Hayden DingmanThe superb Gear Tactics It costs $ 60, but it was on Xbox Game Pass for PC the first day.
Historically, most game subscription services offered access only to older games that you have probably played before. Microsoft’s first-party exclusives hit Xbox Game Pass for PC on launch day, meaning Xbox Game Pass for PC members can start playing new titles on the Halo, Forza, and Gears franchises immediately, among others. More specific to PC gamers, Microsoft now owns Obsidian and InXile studios, two of the most famous modern CRPG developers, so you can dive into The outer worlds and the highly anticipated Wasteland 3 as part of your subscription.
Xbox Game Pass for PC also includes popular games from other developers, such as Yakuza 0, Ark: Survival Evolved, No Man’s Skyand Metro: exodus. Their arsenal of big-budget games from other publishers isn’t as deep as their first group pick, but that’s mitigated by my next point. You can see the full Xbox Games Pass list for PC titles here. As I write this, it’s in a whopping 193 games.
2. Hearty, great indie games
Brad Chacos / IDGGreat indie games like Frostpunk Xbox Game Pass for PC abound.
For PC gamers who like deep cuts, Xbox Game Pass for PC offers an amazing selection of critically acclaimed indie games, spanning a wide variety of genres. If you like to spin new wacky games around or aren’t comfortable paying full price for lesser-known studio games, Xbox Game Pass for PC is your answer. (Seriously: go play A Plague Tale: Innocence, Frostpunk, Slay the Spire, and Dead cells if you haven’t already!)
The wide selection of independent games makes Xbox Game Pass for PC much more appealing to my eyes than rival subscription game services like EA Access from EA or Uplay + from Ubisoft, whose libraries tend to include only games from those specific developers . Microsoft’s subscription offers a wider range of games, though Origin’s plan also includes a good independent selection.
3. New games (good!) Are added regularly
Brad Chacos / IDGXbox Game Pass for PC adds games regularly and puts new releases front and center.
There is always something new to play on Xbox Game Pass for PC. New games are added all the time. The curated selection ensures that they will always be Okay games, even standalone titles you’ve never heard of before are worth it.
Only in the last month, Observation, Minecraft Dungeons, Alan Wake, Cities: Skylines, Dungeon of the Endless, Battletech, No Man’s Sky, and The Bard’s Tale Remastered they are just some of the new games that came to the service. They’re all great, and collectively they offer hundreds and hundreds of hours of gaming fun even before you start delving into backlog.
Third-party games don’t tend to hit Xbox Game Pass for PC until they’ve been gone for a while, so if you’re the type of gamer who needs to play the new hotness nowThe service has a little less appeal. That said, it’s a great way to play lesser-known titles that you might not be willing to pay full price for. Just be aware that games can roll back outside Xbox Game Pass for PC too, similar to how shows get on and off Netflix, so don’t wait too long time to come up with an intriguing looking game
4. Free Spotify and more
Microsoft offers some additional benefits as part of your Xbox Game Pass subscription for PC. Right now, you can claim six free months of Spotify Premium, along with free gifts for online games like Warframe, World of Tanks, Phantasy Star Online 2and Hurt.
You can also save 10 percent on any game you decide to buy that is part of the Xbox Game Pass for PC. That’s not very appealing when you can play a game as part of your subscription, but it’s a great deal when it comes to DLC packs and other add-ons (and it’s especially useful when a game you love goes offline). Please note that those DLC packs are tied to the Microsoft Store version of the game, so they won’t necessarily transfer to Steam or other PC platforms.
5. Games really work
Finally, the games are installed and played without headaches. This shouldn’t be a huge advantage, but when it comes to Microsoft’s PC services, it definitely is.
Brad Chacos / IDGYou’ll see real “Play” buttons like this in the Xbox app, unlike the endless Microsoft Store error messages.
Games downloaded through the Windows 10 Windows Store app have been notoriously flawed for years, with rampant authentication errors and canceled downloads that require a full reinstall. It’s bad enough giving up buying Microsoft Store games after ignoring my data limit trying to get Gears 4 installed I spent $ 60 on Forza Horizon 3 only to spend hours suffering from mistakes.
Xbox Game Pass for PC skips the Microsoft Store. Instead, you download games through the Xbox app. I have never run into a problem installing or playing a Game Pass game. They just work, unlike the Microsoft Store. I do not know why The Xbox app works very well, while the Microsoft store works very poorly with big games, but I know it does. If it wasn’t for Xbox Game Pass for PC, I could never play Forza Horizon 4 or Gear Tactics (Although Microsoft now plans to publish some of its own games on Steam as well.)
Bottom line: Try it out
Even if you usually only pay for the games you actually own, consider giving Xbox Game Pass for PC a try. At just $ 5 a month while the service remains in beta, it’s less than the cost of a Big Mac meal. Even after months of subscription, I’ve barely scratched the depths of the service. Between the Xbox Game Pass for PC, the weekly giveaways from the Epic Game Store, and perhaps the weird Humble Bundle, you can unlock an almost infinite amount of gameplay goodness for the cost of a new triple-A game. Affordable games are a big part of it. which makes PC games so good compared to consoles, and Xbox Game Pass for PC remains steadfast in that tradition despite its console namesake.
And no, you don’t have to pay for multiplayer.
Give it a shot. Microsoft will even let you try Xbox Game Pass for PC for just $ 1 for the first month. I did it after months of hesitation and fell deeply in love. Maybe you will too?
