Cultivating a collection of games for gaming console can be expensive. Even used copies of popular games often sell for over $30, which is why Microsoft’s new Xbox Game Pass is such an exciting proposition. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a new subscription service for the Xbox One that will give gamers access to over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 games for $9.99 a month.
On the surface, it might sound similar to Sony’s subscription service, but unlike PlayStation Now, the Xbox Game Pass gives subscribers access to full game downloads rather than the ability to stream the game over the internet. Plus, PS Now only includes PS3 games, while the Xbox Game Pass features Xbox One titles.
Microsoft hasn’t unveiled the full list of titles that will be available on the service when it launches “later this spring,” but the announcement post does mention Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II. The official landing page for the Xbox Game Pass also shows the covers of Fable 3, Terraria, Mad Max and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, so presumably those games will join the service as well.
Although you won’t be able to keep an Xbox Game Pass game if your subscription expires or if the game is removed from the service, you will be able to purchase the game for 20% off its retail price if you decide to buy it while your subscription is still active. Also worth noting: you don’t need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to sign up for Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft says that select members of its preview program will have access to an early version of Xbox Game Pass starting today, and that everyone else will be able to subscribe at some point this spring.
